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HomeExploreGamesInside Japan’s Arcades and Game Centers
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A Japanese game center can have plush prizes by the entrance and drumsticks, steering wheels, or fighting sticks a few floors up. These photos follow the games and the people playing them, from Akihabara’s bright entrances to cabinet rows, photo sticker booths, and the back rooms of arcades that have since closed.

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1
Playing maimai at Club Sega
Playing maimai at Club Sega: At Club Sega in Akihabara in 2015, players reach across circular maimai screens to hit notes…
2
Through the doors at Taito Station
Through the doors at Taito Station: A glowing Space Invader marks the entrance to Taito Station in Akihabara in this 2015…
3
Inside Kawasaki’s Kowloon-inspired arcade
Inside Kawasaki’s Kowloon-inspired arcade: At the former Warehouse Kawasaki, video games and stools sit among imitation…
4
Rows of cabinets at Game Center Mikado
Rows of cabinets at Game Center Mikado: Low seats and tightly spaced cabinets fill this floor of Game Center Mikado in…
5
A crane-game floor in Osaka’s Dotonbori
A crane-game floor in Osaka’s Dotonbori: Rows of glass prize machines fill the floor at GiGO’s Dotonbori flagship in Osaka…
6
The purikura aisle at Taito Station Namba
The purikura aisle at Taito Station Namba: Pink photo sticker booths line an aisle at Taito Station Namba in Osaka. After…
7
Keeping time on Taiko no Tatsujin
Keeping time on Taiko no Tatsujin: At the Namco arcade in Akihabara, a player picks up the sticks for Taiko no Tatsujin…
8
Dancing on the next floor
Dancing on the next floor: Players stand on the illuminated platforms of DanceRush Stardom in an Akihabara arcade. The…
9
Two-handed aiming at Club Sega
Two-handed aiming at Club Sega: Blue lights run along the Gunslinger Stratos stations at Club Sega in Akihabara in 2015…
10
An aisle of claws at Round1 Ikebukuro
An aisle of claws at Round1 Ikebukuro: Glass prize machines run down an aisle at Round1 in Ikebukuro. The bright cabinets…
11
Street Fighter II at GiGO’s retro floor
Street Fighter II at GiGO’s retro floor: Players sit shoulder to shoulder on the retro floor of GiGO’s third Akihabara…
12
At the controls of Densha de Go!!
At the controls of Densha de Go!!: Inside the booth of this Tokyo arcade train simulator, the screen puts the tracks…
13
GiGO’s third building in Akihabara
GiGO’s third building in Akihabara: The arcade’s blue GiGO letters run down a red facade in Akihabara. A single storefront…
14
The game room above Super Potato
The game room above Super Potato: Super Potato’s fifth floor in Akihabara holds a small arcade above the game shop. The…
15
The arcade floor at Taito Hey
The arcade floor at Taito Hey: Taito Hey in Akihabara gives older video games plenty of room. Blue ceiling lights pick out…
16
A last look inside a-cho in Kyoto
A last look inside a-cho in Kyoto: Kyoto’s a-cho was a meeting place for fighting-game players before it closed in January…
17
A medal game at Round1 in Sakai
A medal game at Round1 in Sakai: Towers of metal tokens rise behind the glass at this Round1 in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture…
18
The editing screen inside a purikura booth
The editing screen inside a purikura booth: At a photo booth in Fukushima City, the screen shows how a snapshot can be…
19
The tournament corner at Game Center Mikado
The tournament corner at Game Center Mikado: The tournament chart and microphone station show another side of the…
20
A full-size race car inside Kyoto Joypolis
A full-size race car inside Kyoto Joypolis: In Colin Williamson’s February 2000 photograph, a full-size car serves as the…
21
Sonic on the side of Sega Hi-Tech Land
Sonic on the side of Sega Hi-Tech Land: Sonic the Hedgehog covers the windows of Sega Hi-Tech Land in Akihabara. Colin…

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