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Location:

Tokyo, Japan
Asia

Contributors:

Jesse Marks
Jonah Marks

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Arcade
Pachinko is a mechanical game that originated in Japan. It is meant to be a recreational arcade game, but is most frequently used for gambling. The player fires small metal balls into the machine that cascade down through a number of pins and are either captured or put back into play. The object is to collect as many as possible and exchange them for prizes. Loud and smoky pachinko parlors, like this one in the Shinjuku neighborhood of Tokyo, can be found all over the country.