better than Pachinko!

Tokyo, and nearly every town in Japan is littered with gaudy Pachinko Parlours, whose façades are plastered with flashing neon lights on every available space, bright colours, and signs displaying interesting forms of English. So, after giving pachinko a try in Kyoto [see earlier post here.] we weren't very convinced...

However, in Ikebukuro [池袋] we wandered into a Taito Games room; which was full of the standard UFO catchers - the grabby arms which are meant to pick up toys but usually end up just stroking them. Anyway we happened upon a heavily evolved version of the 'penny pusher' called GRAND CROSS

photo taken from here


It's based on medals (or tokens) instead of hard currency, which can be bought at machines nearby. Unlike, the traditional penny pushers that I was used to seeing at amusement arcades on seaside promenades where the coins are inserted at the top of the machine through one of three slots, and after bouncing off various pins ends up on the first platform, the tokens are inserted at table level and thrown by the machine at the first platform level. It is possible to adjust the aim of the token shooter, using a lever, you can aim for different parts of the first platform (in theory). On grand cross there are three holes in the sliding platform, which when the tokens are eventually pushed off they can fall into instead of landing on the second platform. If a token falls into one of these holes (called checkers [チェッカー]) then it starts off a fruit machine rolling on the screen in front of you. The fruit machine can let you win a variety of things: more coins (which are shot out into the platforms - and may in turn fall into the checkers to give you more plays on the fruit machine), feature (which i'm not sure what it does), normal balls, and special 'golden' balls. If you get a ball it will be rolled on to your lower platform. If the ball eventually falls off this platform you get to 'challenge the sattelite' - another level in the gambling lottery and one of the many stages to inch you closer to the gold or silver jackpot.

It's all horrendously complex and I'm not entirely sure I understand it all yet. Although, I'm certain that it is a wonderful way to be happy to waste your money.