Editorial policy

Sources first

Every factual claim on PachiPass comes from a source we can link to: official operator and manufacturer pages, government statistics, the law itself, or reputable industry and travel publications. Important claims link directly to their source, and every guide ends with a full source list.

We don’t invent numbers, addresses, opening hours, machine specs or quotes. If we can’t confirm something, we say so or leave it out.

Dates on everything

Each page shows when it was updated and when its facts were last verified against sources. Parlour and machine information changes quickly, so we re-check on a schedule.

Parlour verification labels

Verified

An official operator page (or an independent check we could verify) confirms foreign-language help at this venue.

Verified (limited)

Some foreign-language support is documented (for example printed manuals), but staff help is not confirmed.

English website only

The operator has English information online, but in-hall help is not confirmed.

Reported, unverified

A third party says this venue is foreigner-friendly. PachiPass has not verified it. Treat with caution.

Location only

The venue exists at this address, but we found no documented foreign-language support.

Ended

A time-limited programme that has finished. Kept for reference in case it returns.

We never upgrade a label because a hall pays us. Sponsored listings are labelled as sponsored.

“English support” badge

An English support badge always shows how strong the evidence is, and links to its sources and the date we checked them:

• Strong evidence: an official operator source (the hall’s or operator’s own site, press release or blog) describes English help in the hall, such as English guides or manuals, translation devices or English-speaking staff, and something else backs it up.
• Medium evidence: official English web pages or guides, membership of an inbound programme, regular tours that take visitors there, or trade-press coverage. This is not proof of help on the floor.
• Weak evidence: only third-party claims or reviews.

Help in other languages (for example Korean) is described in the listing but doesn’t earn the English badge. In the directory, halls that are verified PachiPass members and publish a current Readiness Score come first. After them come listings with strong, then medium, then weak English evidence, and then the rest by verification status. The Readiness Score is the hall’s own self-assessment. PachiPass checks that the person who submits it really works for the hall; it is not an inspection.

Machines

Our machine database lists titles found in public Japanese popularity lists, with the date checked. We don’t reproduce third-party rankings, and we only publish odds or payouts from a maker’s official spec sheet.

Law and money

We explain how pachinko works under Japanese law in general terms. That’s education, not legal advice. We don’t name exchange booths or publish buy-back prices, and we never link to online gambling.

Original writing and translations

Everything is written in our own words. We don’t copy other guides, and we credit sources. Our Traditional Chinese and Korean pages are translated from the English originals with the same facts and sources, and are queued for review by native speakers.

Corrections

Spotted something wrong or out of date? Tell us. We’ll check it, fix it and update the “last verified” date.