Pachinko!

Gambling is illegal in Japan, but that doesn't stop people from doing it. The most common form of gambling is with pachinko, a game kind of like pinball, minus the skill. Pachinko parlors are common throughout Japan, and usually have rows and rows of little machines with a stool in front of each, and are particularly notable for their constant roar of noise and flashing lights. It seems that most people in pachinko parlors are middle-aged housewives and salary men, although people of all age (provided they are over 18) take part. Pachinko parlors maintain their legality by returning paying out with prizes instead of actual money, and then there buyback stores next to the parlor where you can sell your prize for around 80-90% of its actual value. I believe prizes are usually things like small snacks, letter openers, cigarettes, etc.

I had seen pachinko parlors all over the place but had not dared to venture into one because of the din that erupted from the building anytime someone went out the door. Also, if you know me, you may know how little interest I have in gambling, especially in games like that--if I wanted to get rid of money, I'm sure I could find a slower and more fun way of doing it, like burning it or cutting it up with scissors or something. Quoth Wilson Mizner, gambling is the sure way of getting nothing from something. Anyway, I thought I'd try tossing out a thousand yen (around $10) to see what pachinko is like, because at least I'd gain the experience.



The pachinko parlor that I went into

A couple of weeks ago I went into a pachinko parlor in Hirakata City, and in spite of initially being somewhat taken aback by the blast of noise in spite of the earplugs I had bought in preparation, I forged ahead. There are a few different kinds of pachinko machines, all with different odds, but I didn't really know what to look for, and anyway it was hard just to find an empty machine. The one I sat down at had a screen in the background, and in front of it was a case that had several prongs in it and a few openings for balls to go into. I put my thousand yen bill into the machine, and it immediately dispensed hundreds of little silver balls (a little smaller than a marble) into a feeder that went straight back into the machine. That way, it could take them one by one without my having to feed them in every time.

The next step was the only place where I actually had any control over anything, and that was to turn a little lever to make the balls fly into the machine. If you turn the lever too far, the ball will just shoot straight past any of the openings that allow you to win anything, and if you don't turn it far enough, it will not make it out of the chute (although I think you get the ball back if that happens). Later I discovered that you can just hold the lever in place, and the machine will constantly shoot the balls out of the chute with the strength that you have in place. If any ball makes it into one of the 2 top openings, I think you get 3 or 4 balls as a prize, and then if little cartoon characters jumped out on the screen, you could press a button and then a wheel (like in a slot machine) popped up. I imagine that if you get the right combination of pictures from the slots then the machine will pay out, but I was not conscious of actually winning anything from that.

It was a little embarrassing because I had a hard time with figuring out what to do, and the people at the machines next to me, and eventually one of the parlor attendants, kept trying to help me and give me tips along the way. I played until I had no more of the I still didn't really know what I was doing by the end, but I was left with a vague feeling of confusion and lack of fulfillment.

I saw some people at the parlor with huge baskets full of the balls behind their chairs, and periodically the parlor attendants came by to check on them and count the balls by pouring them into a machine. I'm not sure how they came to win so much. Some people are real pachinko enthusiasts, and they even have periodic magazines that talk about what machines give the best odds and how to take advantage of them.

Since pachinko is obviously a form of gambling, police keep a close eye on them, but they don't seem to have a problem with leaving them alone as long as they aren't too blatant. I heard that the buyback stores are sometimes run by yakuza, or Japanese gangsters, which adds an element of sketchiness to the whole establishment, but a lot of people participate so I guess it's not too bad.

The whole experience did not convince me of why anyone would ever want to play such a game. I mean, if you want to gamble, why not at least play a game where you have control over the outcome, like with cards? I lost my thousand yen over a course of about 15 minutes, which probably would have been faster if I had known what I was doing from the start, but even in that short period of time, I think I probably would have gone partially deaf if not for the earplugs. But then, I suppose that when people are stuck with repetitive office jobs or in the house for the rest of their adult lives, it helps to be able to hope in something, even if it just lies in the path of a little tumbling ball.