Pachinko パチンコ

Flying a spacecraft is not an easy job. It requires extensive mission control stations with fantastic equipment. Large halls packed with humming machines and silent people. Japan is a space traveling nation so it seems. Ground stations in every city.


Pachinko

In immense rows people handle the buttons and switches.
Captain is watching. He is hesitating to leave.


Pachinko


Pachinko

The strange thing is: the amazing noise. The machines make noise like pinball machines. De machines maken geluiden alsof het flipperkasten zijn. Game sound everywhere. Deafening. How can people work focussed in these conditions?



And what are those baskets with steel marbles? 1000 Yen per basket...what is this? Eight baskets that is er ...over 50 euro....

This is spacecraft Pachinko. It takes you to the other world. Thousands of marbles roll through the Galton board. The integrated video screens mesmerise the brains. A tiny handle create a last illusion of grip on existence. The ubiquitous noise makes escaping impossible. The earthy world is hard to imagine.

Welcome in Japan's gambling addiction industry. Pachinko is a one handle bandit. There may be reasons to escape form daily Japanese life. Some trip in the Pachinko. Pity we can not inclulde sound in the weblog yet. It is almost essential in imagining the sedation. Only once outside again you realise what is going on here..

Gambling addicts are being milked here. Gambling for money is prohibited in Japan. Therefore the little handle with apparent influence. It makes it look like a game of skills. The only things to be won are pieces of strange trash. That is not illegal, is it. As little illegal as the small shop around the corner that buys the same strange trash at a fixed rate.

As wit hall addicting stuff: never touch it. Frankly speaking: we were anly there watching.

Courtnesy to Harold and Carla for these pictures from ‘.