What is a pachinko parlour?
What a Japanese pachinko parlour is, what you'll find inside, how it's regulated, and why visitors find it confusing (it's simpler than it looks).
Guide library
All pachinko & pachislot guides
54 plain-language guides for first-timers, travellers, residents and collectors, grouped by topic. Every guide cites its sources and shows when it was last checked.
Start here
14 guides →Pachinko vs pachislot
Balls or reels? Handle or buttons? A side-by-side guide to Japan's two parlour games, how to tell the cabinets apart, and which one suits a first visit.
Your first visit, step by step
Before, during and after your first pachinko or pachislot session: what to bring, choosing a seat, breaks, counting up, prizes and leaving.
What pachinko costs
What ¥1,000 buys at 4-yen and 1-yen pachinko and at 20-yen and 5-yen pachislot, realistic first-visit budgets, and why you control your maximum loss.
Etiquette & rules
House rules nobody tells visitors: 18+ and ID, where you can smoke since 2020, taken seats, breaks, photos, member cards and saving balls.
Is pachinko gambling?
How pachinko is regulated in Japan, why halls can't pay cash, and how the three-shop prize exchange works. Neutral, sourced, not legal advice.
Pachinko prizes explained
The pachinko prize counter: general prizes (snacks, drinks, souvenirs) vs special prizes, the ¥9,600 cap, why halls stock 500+ items, and visitor tips.
7 min read
Pachinko Japanese phrases
A pachinko phrase sheet for visitors: what to say to staff, the counter and prize desk, plus screen words (大当り, 確変, 右打ち, 設定) explained in English.
7 min read
History of pachinko
How pachinko grew from European wall games and festival stalls into a postwar boom, how pachislot arrived in 1964, and the rules behind today's halls.
10 min read
Pachinko in film, TV & anime
Why Apple TV+'s drama and Min Jin Lee's novel are called Pachinko, Kaiji's 'Bog' machine, Evangelion's long parlour run, and Korea's Sea Story scandal.
8 min read
First-visit cheat sheet
A one-page printable cheat sheet for your first pachinko visit: what to bring, buttons in Japanese, step-by-step play, prize counter, manners and budget.
3 min read
Set a pachinko budget
A simple way to set a pachinko budget before you play: decide yen and time, pick a cheaper rate, take only that cash, and know how fast a machine uses it.
5 min read
Gambling help by country
Free, confidential gambling helplines: the US, UK, Canada, New Zealand and Singapore, plus links for Japan, Australia, Taiwan, Korea and Hong Kong.
4 min read
Staff help card
Point-and-show help card for pachinko halls: common requests in Japanese with English, Traditional Chinese and Korean when staff don't speak your language.
3 min read
How to play
10 guides →How to play pachinko
Rent balls, aim left, watch the screen, switch to 右打ち when told, then cash in for prizes. Plain-English walkthrough of a modern Japanese pachinko machine.
How to play pachislot
Pachislot is Japan's skill-stop slot: bet three medals, pull the lever, stop the reels yourself. How medal and smart (スマスロ) machines work, step by step.
1-yen vs 4-yen pachinko
What 1-yen and 4-yen pachinko mean, how rates change what your money buys, the legal cap behind them, and why beginners are pointed to cheaper corners.
5 min read
Pachinko machine types
What 'middle', 'light middle' and 'amadeji' mean on a pachinko machine, how odds like 1/319 and 1/99 shape the experience, and what Lucky Trigger (LT) is.
8 min read
Kakuhen, ST & jitan
What 確変 kakuhen, ST, 時短 jitan, 電サポ electric support and 遊タイム yu-time mean on a pachinko screen, with real examples from maker spec sheets.
9 min read
A-type, AT & ART
A-type (bonus) pachislot like Juggler vs AT 'assist time' machines and ART: what the screens are telling you, and which is easier to follow on a first try.
8 min read
Smart slot & smart pachinko
Smart pachislot (スマスロ, L-prefix) and smart pachinko (スマパチ, e-prefix): no medals, no ball trays, a card unit at your seat, and the 'short break' button.
7 min read
Pachislot settings
What a pachislot 'setting' (設定) is, how settings 1–6 change bonus odds and payout rates, and why Japanese law stops parlours advertising them.
7 min read
Ceilings & yu-time
What a pachislot ceiling (天井, tenjō) and pachinko yu-time (遊タイム) are, where rules came from, how they show on the data counter, and why chasing is risky.
6 min read
Reading the data counter
The screen above every pachinko and pachislot machine, decoded: スタート, 大当, 確変, BB/RB, history bars and slump graphs, and why past data can't predict a spin.
8 min read
Anime & game machines
12 guides →Anime machines: what's hot now
Tokyo Ghoul, Sword Art Online, Lycoris Recoil, Hokuto no Ken, Madoka Magica and more: anime and game machines showing up in Japan's parlours this month.
Pachislot generations
What 4号機, 5号機, 6号機 and 6.5/6.6号機 mean, how each rule change reshaped pachislot, and why collectors care about which generation a machine belongs to.
9 min read
Beginner-friendly machines
Pachinko and pachislot machines Japanese guides suggest for first-timers: Sea Story, Juggler, amadeji specs and 1-yen corners. Simplicity, not winning.
7 min read
Evangelion machines
Neon Genesis Evangelion pachinko and pachislot for fans: the 2004 original, today's Bisty machines, a new release in October 2026, and how to find one.
6 min read
Hokuto no Ken machines
Why Hokuto no Ken is pachislot royalty: the original's 620,000 installs, Smart Slot Hokuto (2023), Tensei no Shō 2 (2026) and Sammy's e Hokuto no Ken 11.
6 min read
Madoka Magica machines
Madoka Magica machines for fans: Macy's 2013 SLOT Madoka Magica, the smart slot Madoka f, Mizuho's Magia Record smart slot and Kyoraku's P Madoka Magica 3.
5 min read
Re:Zero machines
Re:Zero in Japanese parlours: Daito Giken's smart slot Re:Zero season 2, the fan-award-winning e Re:Zero 2 pachinko, and e Re:Zero Onigakari 2.
5 min read
Tokyo Ghoul machines
Tokyo Ghoul is a hot anime franchise in parlours: Bisty's e Tokyo Ghoul smart pachinko, Spiky's L Tokyo Ghoul smart slot and the 2026 Cho-Deka version.
5 min read
Sword Art Online machines
Sword Art Online machines: Kyoraku's e SAO Alicization Yozora (first FAIR START), Paon DP's Slot SAO II, and the Gun Gale Online slot due Nov 2026.
5 min read
Lycoris Recoil machines
Lycoris Recoil in parlours in 2026: Newgin's light-middle smart pachinko (Apr) and Sammy's Smart Slot (Sep). What they are and where to find them.
4 min read
Sea Story (Umi Monogatari)
Sanyo's Sea Story (海物語) pachinko for visitors: main machines, maker specs for P Big Sea Story 5 Special, and the 2027 Edition due December 2026.
6 min read
Juggler series
Juggler is Kitadenshi's classic pachislot series with the GOGO! lamp (since 1996): current machines, My Juggler VI, and why beginners start here.
5 min read
Plan your trip
13 guides →Parlour chains explained
Japan's biggest pachinko chains by hall count, what each brand looks like on the street, and which have English-friendly halls on our verified list.
8 min read
Pachinko in Shinjuku
Pachinko in Shinjuku: MARUHAN in the Godzilla building, with staff who teach in English, Chinese and Korean, plus Kabukicho tours and a night plan.
7 min read
Pachinko in Akihabara
Pachinko in Akihabara: halls near the station, what's verified about English help and what isn't, anime machines, and an otaku day plan.
7 min read
Osaka anime & pachinko day
A one-day Osaka plan for anime fans: Den Den Town and Ota Road, an hour at MARUHAN Namba with English help, then Dotonbori — Shinsekai or Umeda options.
8 min read
MARUHAN for visitors
MARUHAN is Japan's largest pachinko company by sales: four visitor-friendly halls in Osaka and Shinjuku, free multilingual manga guide, rates and ID rules.
7 min read
Q-Bang! Osaka
Q-Bang! runs two halls by Osaka Station in Umeda with a 'pachinko experience' for overseas visitors, self-guided or staff-attended. What we could verify.
5 min read
AMUSE chain guide
AMUSE is an Osaka-founded chain whose Asakusa hall has multilingual manuals, a currency exchange machine and a translation device. Facts and visitor tips.
5 min read
PLAZA (Fukuoka)
PLAZA is a Fukuoka pachinko chain with English pages for Hakata Station and Tenjin halls: rates, hours, machine counts, beginner guide and company notes.
5 min read
Tamaya (Fukuoka)
Tamaya is a Fukuoka and Saga pachinko chain; flagship Tamaya Honten in Haruyoshi has Korean, Chinese and English pages plus Korean how-to videos. Notes.
5 min read
Namba & Dotonbori
Pachinko in Namba, Osaka: MARUHAN's Hon-kan and Shin-kan with English, Chinese and Korean help, Shinsekai nearby, and fitting a session into Dotonbori.
6 min read
Umeda & Osaka Station
Pachinko near Osaka Station: Q-Bang!'s two Umeda halls in the Osaka Ekimae buildings, a beginner experience for visitors, and Umeda vs Namba.
5 min read
Hakata & Tenjin (Fukuoka)
Pachinko in Fukuoka: PLAZA Hakata and Tenjin with English pages, Tamaya Honten and Venus Gallery with Korean support, and pairing a session with yatai.
7 min read
Readiness score methodology
How PachiPass plans to rate parlours for foreign visitors: evidence we record, status levels, English-support levels, and why scores aren't live yet.
6 min read
For residents
3 guides →Member cards & saved balls
How pachinko member cards work in Japan: registering with ID, saving balls and medals (貯玉), replay (再プレイ), 2024 fee guidelines, and visitor notes.
7 min read
Pachinko and tax
How Japanese tax can apply to cash from pachinko prize exchange: temporary income (一時所得), the ¥500,000 deduction, miscellaneous income, and visitor notes.
7 min read
Expat guide to pachinko
Living in Japan? Find a local pachinko hall, read hall sites and P-World in Japanese, use member cards, understand tax basics, and keep play in proportion.
8 min read
Collectors
2 guides →Buying a machine for home
Thinking of owning a Japanese pachinko or pachislot machine? Where they're sold, 100V power and transformers, home-use conversion, and what to check first.
Importing a machine by country
Importing a Japanese pachislot or pachinko machine to the US, Australia, UK, Canada, EU, Taiwan or Korea: laws, customs, shipping and power to check first.
10 min read