How to play pachinko
Rent balls, aim left, watch the screen, switch to 右打ち when told, then cash in your balls for prizes. A plain-English walkthrough of a modern Japanese pachinko machine.
Pachinko · Pachislot · Japan
Walk into a pachinko parlour like you’ve been before.
PachiPass is the friendly guide to Japan’s loudest, brightest pastime: how to play, what it really costs, where you’ll get help in your language, and which anime machines are on the floor right now.
18+ only in Japan · Culture & travel guide, not gambling advice · Every fact sourced and dated
Your first visit in four steps
Full checklist →- Learn the basics.
Pachinko is balls and a screen; pachislot is reels you stop yourself. See the difference. - Set a budget.
¥1,000 buys 1,000 balls at 1-yen pachinko and 250 at 4-yen. What it costs. - Pick a hall with help.
Some halls have documented English, Chinese or Korean support. Parlour directory. - Play, then visit the prize counter.
Halls give prizes, not cash. How prizes work.
Why visitors stay outside
2 of 349foreigners asked on an Osaka street (Oct 2023) had ever played, though 40% wanted to try
Global Pachinko / Pachiseven ↗
Global Pachinko / Pachiseven ↗
70%of English-speaking visitors interviewed by a maker were “interested but couldn’t go in”
Newgin / Yugi Nippon ↗
Newgin / Yugi Nippon ↗
20.7%of overseas visitors to Tokyo named anime and manga as a reason to visit (2025)
Tokyo Metropolitan Government ↗
Tokyo Metropolitan Government ↗
The barrier isn’t interest, it’s not knowing what to do. That’s what PachiPass is for.
Start here
All beginner 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.
What pachinko costs
What ¥1,000 actually buys at 4-yen and 1-yen pachinko and at 20-yen and 5-yen pachislot, realistic first-visit budgets, and why you control the maximum you can lose.
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.
Your first visit, step by step
Everything to do before, during and after your first pachinko or pachislot session: what to bring, choosing a seat, taking breaks, counting up, prizes and leaving.
Etiquette & rules
The house rules nobody tells visitors: 18+ and ID, where you can smoke since 2020, how to tell if a seat is taken, breaks, photos, member cards and saving balls.
Where to play
Browse halls with documented English, Chinese or Korean help — then jump to Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and more.
Tokyo 東京
10 listings, 2 with verified foreign-language help.
Osaka 大阪
6 listings, 5 with verified foreign-language help.
Kyoto 京都
2 listings, 0 with verified foreign-language help.
Fukuoka 福岡
6 listings, 3 with verified foreign-language help.
Nagoya 名古屋
1 listings, 0 with verified foreign-language help.
Takayama 高山
1 listings, 0 with verified foreign-language help.
For parlour owners (日本語)
ホール様向け: inbound checklists, multilingual tools and listing help on the Japanese owners hub.
Anime & game machines
Browse 16 franchises →Tokyo Ghoul, Sword Art Online, Lycoris Recoil, Fist of the North Star and more, with the Japanese titles you need to find them in a hall.
Pachislot Smart pachislot
L Tokyo Ghoul
Ｌ 東京喰種
Smart pachislot based on Tokyo Ghoul. Tokyo Ghoul machines turn up in both the pachislot installation and pachinko utilisation lists we checked in late 2026.
Anime: Tokyo Ghoul
Pachislot Smart pachislot
Smart Slot Lycoris Recoil
スマスロ リコリス・リコイル
Smart pachislot based on the Lycoris Recoil anime. There is also a pachinko version (see e Lycoris Recoil M3).
Anime: Lycoris Recoil
Pachinko Smart pachinko
e Sword Art Online Alicization
eソードアート・オンライン アリシゼーションYKJ11
Smart pachinko based on the Alicization arc of Sword Art Online.
Anime: Sword Art Online
Pachislot Smart pachislot
Smart Slot Hokuto no Ken
スマスロ北斗の拳
Smart pachislot based on Fist of the North Star. Two Hokuto no Ken machines appear in the nationwide pachislot installation list we checked in October 2026.
Anime: Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken)
Play for the experience
Pachinko is a licensed amusement in Japan, but it’s still a game where you can lose money. Treat what you spend as the price of a night out: set a cash and time limit before you sit down, and stop when you reach it.