Pachinko & pachislot FAQ

A pachinko parlour (pachinko hall) is a licensed amusement venue in Japan with rows of pachinko machines, which use small steel balls, and usually pachislot machines, which use reels and medals or electronic credits. You rent balls or medals with cash, play, and exchange what you have left for prizes at a counter.

Yes, if you're 18 or older. There's normally no entrance fee or reception desk. Staff may ask for ID such as a passport if you look young.

The National Police Agency count was 6,464 licensed halls at the end of 2025, down 32.9% from 2019 and far below the 1995 peak of 18,244.

The halls in our directory publish opening times of 10:00 and closing times between about 22:30 and 23:00. Prefectural rules set operating hours, so check each hall.

Pachinko uses small steel balls that you launch into a pin-filled board with a handle. A ball landing in the start pocket triggers a screen lottery. Pachislot is a three-reel slot machine played with medals or electronic credits, where you pull a lever and stop each reel yourself with buttons.

Both have beginner-friendly machines. Pachinko is easy to start (turn the handle and watch), and DMM Pachitown recommends the Sea Story series. For pachislot it recommends the Juggler series. Many modern anime pachislot machines are more complex.

Usually yes. Most parlours have separate pachinko and pachislot areas, sometimes on different floors.

Insert a yen banknote into the unit beside the machine, press the ball-rental button, then turn the handle to launch balls up the left side of the board. When a ball drops into the start pocket, the screen runs a lottery. If three matching symbols line up, it's a jackpot: follow the screen, which often tells you to shoot right (右打ち), to collect extra balls. Exchange your balls for prizes when you finish.

Mostly luck. Your handle control affects how many balls reach the start pocket, and so how many lottery draws you get for your money. But it doesn't change the odds of each draw, which are set by the machine.

It means 'shoot right'. When it appears, usually during a jackpot or bonus mode, turn the handle fully to the right so balls travel down the right side of the board. Go back to normal play when the instruction ends.

DMM Pachitown, a major Japanese pachinko portal, recommends the Sea Story (Umi Monogatari) series, such as Big Sea Story 5 Special, as simple and easy to understand. 'Amadeji' machines with higher jackpot odds and smaller payouts are also gentler on a budget.

Insert a yen banknote into the unit beside the machine and press the lend button to get medals or credits. Press MAX BET (three medals per game), pull the lever to spin the reels, then press the three stop buttons, left to right unless the machine shows a different order. When a bonus lamp lights, line up the bonus symbols to start the bonus.

A pachislot machine that uses electronic medals instead of physical ones. Smart pachislot machines were introduced from November 2022. You borrow credits through a dedicated unit and transfer them back to your IC card when you finish.

It depends on the machine. Simple bonus machines such as the Juggler series are easy to learn, and DMM Pachitown recommends them to beginners. Modern AT machines have more modes, on-screen stop-order instructions and special rules.

Yen banknotes (¥1,000 notes are easiest), your passport or residence card as proof of age, earplugs, and a phone with a translation app. Decide your cash and time limit before you go.

No. There's normally no entrance fee or reception desk. You only spend what you put into the machine.

Have your balls or medals counted (press the staff-call button or use the counting unit), take your card or receipt to the prize counter, refund any unused cash at the refund machine, and make sure you've taken your card and belongings.

There's no entry fee. You only spend what you put into the machine. ¥1,000 buys 250 balls at 4-yen pachinko or 1,000 balls at 1-yen pachinko. A guided tour in Tokyo suggests a play budget of ¥3,000 to ¥5,000 per person.

Often only minutes. One parlour review estimated about 10 minutes on average, and a few hundred yen can disappear in a couple of minutes. At 1-yen pachinko, the same ¥1,000 buys four times as many balls.

Not at the machine. Lending units only take the banknotes you insert, and there's no credit. The risk is going back to the ATM, so decide your limit before you start and leave cards at your hotel if that helps.

The price you pay to rent each ball. At 1-yen your money buys four times as many balls, so it lasts much longer. Prizes are priced in balls, so wins are worth less too. The newest machines may only be available at 4-yen.

Yes. Pachinko halls are licensed and regulated under Japan's Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business (Fūeihō), with licences issued by prefectural public safety commissions.

Legally it's run as a licensed amusement business, and halls are banned from paying out cash or buying back prizes. In practice, prizes can be sold for cash through a separate, independent shop: the 'three-shop system'. Advertising platforms such as Google classify pachinko parlours as offline gambling. PachiPass treats it as gambling when it comes to responsible play.

The hall swaps balls for prizes, including 'special prizes' such as small pieces of gold. A legally separate exchange shop may buy special prizes for cash, and a wholesaler sells them back to the hall. This only holds up legally while the exchange shop is genuinely independent of the hall.

No. You can choose ordinary prizes such as snacks, drinks, household goods or souvenirs at the prize counter and skip the exchange entirely.

18. People under 18 cannot enter pachinko parlours, and staff may ask for ID such as a passport. 18- and 19-year-olds can play but cannot enter smoking areas, which are for people aged 20 and over.

Not at the machines in most halls. Since 1 April 2020, indoor smoking has been banned in principle, and smoking is only allowed in dedicated smoking rooms. Halls may set aside part of a floor for heated-tobacco products.

No. A member card mainly lets regulars store their balls or medals for another day. Without one, exchange everything on the same day, or you may lose it.

Ask first. Many parlours restrict filming. Never photograph other customers.

Yes, lots. In late 2026, licensed anime and game titles such as Tokyo Ghoul, Sword Art Online, Lycoris Recoil, Fist of the North Star, Kabaneri, Madoka Magica, Fire Force, Karakuri Circus, Kaguya-sama and Monster Hunter Rise all have machines in Japanese parlours.

Evangelion pachinko machines are still heavily searched in Japan, but no Evangelion machine appeared in the October 2026 popularity lists we checked. We're verifying current titles.

Many halls publish their installed-machine list on their own website (in Japanese). Japanese portals such as P-World also list halls and machines. Search for the Japanese title, for example 東京喰種.

Not unless it's been sold as converted for home use with the right transformer. Japan uses 100V. Hall machines aren't built for a household socket, and plugging in an unconverted machine can destroy the board or even start a fire. Ask the seller exactly how it should be connected.

Yes. Australia and other 220–240V countries need a step-down transformer, and a plug adapter alone doesn't change the voltage. Follow your seller's connection instructions.

It depends on your country, and sometimes your state. We don't give legal advice. Check your local customs and gaming-machine rules before you buy.

It's a corner where each ball costs ¥1 to rent instead of ¥4, so ¥1,000 gets you about four times as many balls. Prizes are worth correspondingly less per ball.

The rate is the price of a ball, not a feature of the machine model: the same model can sit in a 1-yen or a 4-yen corner, and its jackpot odds are shown on the cabinet. What the rate changes is how much each ball, and each prize, is worth. (Some machines have adjustable settings; see our settings guide.)

Not legally. Japanese regulations cap ball rental at ¥4 per ball and medal rental at ¥20 per medal, plus consumption tax.

Not as far as we can tell. The pachinko chain is run by AMUSE Corporation (株式会社アミューズ), founded in Osaka in 1993 and based in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, according to its company page.

The operator says the Asakusa hall has play manuals in English, Chinese and Korean, a foreign-currency exchange machine and a Pocketalk translation device. We haven't confirmed English-speaking staff.

Sources disagree: the company's store list says 10:00–23:00, while the hall's own site says 10:00–22:30. Check on the day.

DMM, Japan's biggest pachinko portal, suggests the Sea Story series (for example Big Sea Story 5 SPECIAL) to first-timers because it's simple and easy to understand. 'Best' here means easy to follow. No machine is designed to make you win.

DMM suggests the Juggler series (for example I'm Juggler EX) because its system is simpler than most pachislot. A lamp lights up when you've hit a bonus, and you line up the symbols.

Amadeji machines have jackpot odds of about 1/100 or better, so you're more likely to see a jackpot and the bonus animations in a short session. Each jackpot pays fewer balls. It's a pacing choice, not an advantage.

Many visitors start at 1-yen (pachinko) or 5-yen (pachislot), because your budget lasts longer. Newer machines may only be in the 4-yen or 20-yen sections.

Yes, several. Maker Bisty has kept Evangelion pachinko in halls since CR Neon Genesis Evangelion in December 2004. Current titles include 'Evangelion: Mirai e no Hōkō' (2021), 'Pachinko Shin Evangelion Type Rei' (2023) and the smart pachinko 'e Evangelion: Hajimari no Kioku' (2025). A new P version is due on 19 October 2026.

When we checked on 4 October 2026, Evangelion machines were in P-World's nationwide pachinko installation ranking, including Mirai e no Hōkō. We don't reproduce third-party rank numbers. Line-ups change every month.

There have been many Evangelion pachislot machines since 2005, but we haven't yet verified which pachislot version is most common in 2026.

TELL Lifeline offers English-language support in Japan, and RSN runs a Japanese-language helpline specifically for pachinko and pachislot. Our responsible play page lists numbers and hours. Your home country's service may also offer chat or text, which works from abroad.

The National Problem Gambling Helpline, run by the National Council on Problem Gambling, is 1-800-MY-RESET (1-800-697-3738), by call, text or chat, 24/7.

The National Gambling Helpline, run by GamCare, is 0808 8020 133, free and open 24/7.

The industry's own reference says it is now commonly believed to descend from vertical wall-mounted game machines found across Europe. Earlier accounts pointed to imported table games such as Corinth Game and bagatelle. In Japan, the machines first appeared at festival stalls.

After the Second World War. The 'Masamura gauge' pin layout, developed between 1945 and 1954, and rapid-fire machines fuelled a boom with more than 45,000 halls at its peak, before a 1954 ban on rapid-fire machines.

Japanese Wikipedia records 'Olympia' (1964) by a Sega–Taito venture as the first reel machine. Pachislot under formal testing rules began with the 1号機 generation in 1985.

Far fewer than at the peak. The industry reference gives a 1995 peak of 18,244 halls and about 9,035 at the end of 2020. The National Police Agency count was 6,464 at the end of 2025 (reported by WIGO).

A smart pachislot (no physical medals) by Sammy, based on Fist of the North Star. It arrived in halls from 3 April 2023 and was the best-selling new pachislot of 2023, at about 84,000 units according to Pachinko Village sales data.

The official Hokuto no Ken site says the original 'Pachislot Hokuto no Ken' recorded 620,000 installed units. Smart Slot Hokuto no Ken was built to carry on that machine's game design.

Yes. Sammy's smart pachinko 'e Hokuto no Ken 11 Bōkyōsei' has been in halls since 8 December 2025, according to P-World's machine database.

It's the data counter (データカウンター, also called a data lamp). It shows the machine's play history for today and recent days: spins since the last jackpot, total spins, jackpot counts and graphs. On many units it also has a call button for staff.

On pachinko counters, スタート (start) usually means the number of spins since the last jackpot. 総スタート is today's total spins. Labels vary slightly between counter makers.

No. Pachinko jackpot odds are fixed for each machine, so a long dry spell doesn't make a hit more likely, and a busy day doesn't make a machine 'hot'. Use the counter to understand what's going on, not to pick a winner.

BB is BIG bonus and RB (or REG) is regular bonus: the two kinds of real bonus on A-type machines such as Juggler. The counter shows how many of each have happened today.

It depends on the state. A federal law (the Johnson Act, 15 U.S.C. 1172) makes it unlawful to knowingly transport a gambling device into a state, unless that state has exempted itself or specifically lists the device as lawful. States set their own ownership rules, often based on a machine's age. Check your state's current statute, or ask a lawyer.

An overseas retailer that ships to Australia says personal collection is legal and that 10% GST applies on import. That's a seller's claim, not official advice. Gaming machines are regulated by each state and territory, so check with your state regulator and the Australian Border Force before you buy.

Yes, in almost every country outside Japan. Japan uses 100V. Follow your seller's instructions and read our buying guide's power section.

Retailers quote weeks, not days. One ships to Australia in a quoted 20–30 days door to door. Costs are significant because machines are large and heavy.

Juggler is a pachislot series from the maker Kitadenshi (北電子). The first Juggler came out in December 1996. Machines are known for a simple design where a lamp lights up ('GOGO!') to show that a bonus is ready.

DMM Pachitown's English beginner guide suggests Juggler machines such as I'm Juggler EX as a good starting point because their systems are simpler. Outcomes are still random.

Trade press reported that My Juggler VI was announced on 15 June 2026, with nationwide installation from 5 October 2026.

Kakuhen (確変, short for 確率変動, 'probability change') is a bonus mode where the jackpot probability is raised above normal. It usually comes with 'electric support', which makes balls easier to get into the start pocket, so you lose fewer balls between spins.

ST means 'Special Time'. It's a kakuhen that lasts a fixed number of spins. If the next jackpot doesn't arrive within those spins, the machine drops back to normal play.

Jitan (時短, 'time-saving') keeps the normal jackpot odds but turns on electric support, so spins come quickly and cheaply. It often follows a non-kakuhen jackpot or the end of an ST.

No. Yu-time (遊タイム) gives a period of jitan after a set number of spins in normal play without a jackpot. SANKYO's official Q&A states that it doesn't guarantee a hit.

The screen and lamps usually tell you during an obvious bonus mode. Some machines also have hidden (潜伏) kakuhen that isn't shown, which is part of the design. Don't try to guess hidden states. Treat each spin as independent.

Yes. Newgin's smart pachinko 'e Lycoris Recoil' went into halls on 6 April 2026. P-World classes it as a light middle machine.

Yes. Sammy's 'Smart Slot Lycoris Recoil' went into halls on 7 September 2026, according to P-World's machine database.

It's an industry label for pachinko machines with jackpot odds of about 1/200 (per SANKYO's beginner Q&A), between the lighter amadeji machines and the standard 'middle' machines. Our machine types guide explains the classes.

Yes. The first, SLOT Madoka Magica by Macy, arrived in December 2013. Recent machines include the smart slot of the two Madoka films (from 6 November 2023) and Mizuho's Smart Slot Magia Record, based on the spin-off, from 7 April 2025.

Yes. Kyoraku's P Madoka Magica 3 went into halls nationwide from 3 June 2024, according to trade press.

When we checked on 4 October 2026, Smart Slot Magia Record was the Madoka-related machine in P-World's nationwide pachislot installation ranking. We don't reproduce third-party rank numbers.

MARUHAN's own visitor page lists four: Namba Shin-kan, Namba Hon-kan and Shinsekai in Osaka, and Shinjuku Toho Building in Tokyo. All four offer a free manga guide in English, Chinese and Korean, and staff who teach play in those languages.

You don't need ID just to play, but MARUHAN says staff may ask for ID such as a passport if you look under 18. Joining the membership programme at the service counter needs public ID such as a driving licence; MARUHAN's FAQ doesn't say whether a passport is accepted for that.

MARUHAN's corporate page lists 317 halls and sales of ¥1.517 trillion for the year to March 2026. Japan's largest operator by hall count is Dynam, with 423 halls at 31 March 2026.

No. You can play without one. A member card lets you save leftover balls or medals at that hall for another day. Without one, you exchange or lose what's left when you finish.

Usually at the hall's service counter. MARUHAN's FAQ, for example, says to register at the store's counter with official ID such as a driver's licence. Requirements differ by chain, so ask staff, and bring your passport if you're a visitor.

Chodama means saving balls (or medals, 貯メダル) on a member card at the hall instead of exchanging them. You can later replay them (再プレイ) at the same hall or chain, subject to its rules.

No. Japan's amusement business law (Fueiho, Article 23) bans halls from issuing paper slips showing balls they're holding for a customer. Savings are kept on a card or in the hall's system instead.

Usually not for a single visit. It mainly helps residents and repeat visitors to one hall or chain. If you're staying a while and keep returning to the same parlour, ask the counter what it offers.

Yes, several near the station, including Island Akihabara (in the Don Quijote building), GAIA's Cyber Pachinko Akihabara Showa-dori-guchi, Big Apple Akihabara and ESPACE Nittaku Akihabara Ekimae.

We haven't been able to confirm official English support at any Akihabara hall yet. Some visitor reviews mention English help at Big Apple and ESPACE Nittaku, but others say there was none. For guaranteed English help in Tokyo, MARUHAN Shinjuku is the documented option.

Halls in Akihabara, like halls everywhere in Japan, carry many anime-licensed machines. Line-ups change constantly and each hall chooses its own, so check the hall's machine list (in Japanese) or just walk the aisles.

Nipponbashi, widely known as Den Den Town, centred on the shopping street along Sakaisuji. Osaka's official tourism site describes it as Western Japan's rival to Akihabara, with over 500 stores including anime, games and maid cafes. Ota Road runs one block west.

MARUHAN lists three Osaka halls in its official visitor programme (Namba Hon-kan, Namba Shin-kan and Shinsekai), with a free manga guide and staff who can teach in English, Chinese and Korean. Q-Bang! runs an inbound site for its two Umeda halls.

Yes. Den Den Town, Namba and Dotonbori are all in Osaka's Minami area. Check walking routes on a map app before you go.

P-World, a large hall-information portal, has pages for many halls with the address, machine list and rates. Many chains also publish machine lists on their own websites.

Usually, if you have the ID the hall asks for. MARUHAN, for example, asks for public ID such as a driving licence at its service counter. A residence card is a common form of ID for residents, but check with the hall.

It depends on your situation. A salaried worker paid by one employer generally has to file a return if other income exceeds ¥200,000, according to the National Tax Agency. How prizes count is a question for a tax accountant. See our pachinko tax guide.

Yen banknotes (dispensers take notes), your passport in case you're asked to prove you're 18 or over, and a budget decided in advance.

No. Balls and medals are rented and belong to the hall. DMM Pachitown's English guide warns that taking them home could lead to theft charges. Exchange them for prizes instead.

DMM Pachitown's guide says a remaining balance can only be cashed out on the same day at the same hall, using the payout machine inside. Cash it out before you leave.

PLAZA Hakata (at Hakata Station) and PLAZA Tenjin have official English pages. Tamaya Honten has Korean, Chinese and English pages, and Venus Gallery Kiyokawa has a Korean site and issues member cards with just a passport.

Korea is Fukuoka's biggest source of overseas visitors: 53.7% of the city's 4.332 million foreign entrants in 2025, per Fukuoka City. Business media and industry blogs have reported for years that Hakata halls attract Korean players.

네. 다마야 본점(玉屋本店)은 한국어 페이지와 한국어 이용 방법 영상을, 비너스 갤러리 기요카와점은 한국어 사이트와 한일 통역기(Pocketalk)를 운영합니다. Tamaya Honten and Venus Gallery Kiyokawa both publish Korean information.

Not directly. It's a family drama based on Min Jin Lee's 2017 novel, following four generations of a Korean family from 1915 to 1989, much of it in Osaka. The game appears through the family's livelihood. Sunja's son Mozasu becomes a businessman who owns several pachinko parlours.

A fictional high-stakes pachinko machine in the manga 'Tobaku Hakairoku Kaiji' and the anime 'Kaiji: Against All Rules'. Each ball costs ¥4,000, a thousand times a normal ball, and the casino rigs it heavily against players.

Yes, a great many. For example, CR Neon Genesis Evangelion was released in December 2004, and a long series of Evangelion pachinko and pachislot machines followed. Kaiji itself has been made into several pachislot and pachinko machines.

No. Most of the process is pressing buttons and pointing. A few polite phrases help, and some halls (for example MARUHAN's visitor halls) have staff who can teach in English, Chinese or Korean.

Press the call button (呼出) on the data counter above your machine, or raise your hand. Then say 'Sumimasen' (excuse me).

Migi-uchi: shoot right. Turn the handle further so balls travel down the right side of the board. It usually appears during a jackpot or bonus mode.

Ōatari: jackpot. The attacker gate opens and pays out balls.

It's the jackpot probability for each spin of the screen in normal play: roughly a 1-in-319 chance every time a ball enters the start pocket and starts a spin. Machines around this level are called 'middle' specs. It's a fixed probability, so it never becomes more likely just because a machine hasn't hit for a while.

Amadeji (甘デジ, 'sweet digital') is the name for machines with jackpot odds of about 1/100 or better. Jackpots come more often, but each one pays fewer balls than on a middle machine. Many beginners find the pace easier to follow.

Not better, just different. Frequent small hits or rare big ones is a design choice. Every spec is built so that the parlour comes out ahead over time. Pick by the experience you want, and set a budget either way.

LT stands for Lucky Trigger, a pachinko design under an industry rule that took effect in 2024. It allows a special high-payout bonus mode, within strict limits on the expected payout. Not every machine has it.

MARUHAN Namba Hon-kan and MARUHAN Namba Shin-kan are both in MARUHAN's official visitor programme, with a free manga guide in English, Chinese and Korean and staff who can teach in those languages.

The two MARUHAN visitor halls are in the Namba and Sennichimae area of Minami, close to Dotonbori. Newgin's English pachinko taster at DiCE Dotonbori ran from 13 March to 9 June 2026 and has ended.

Yes, at the MARUHAN visitor halls: MARUHAN says its manga guide and staff instruction are available in Korean as well as English and Chinese.

By number of halls, the Dynam group (Dynam and Yumeya brands) was the largest at the end of 2025, with 424 halls in an industry ranking. MARUHAN was second with 316, and reports 317 pachinko halls and ¥1.517 trillion in sales for the year to March 2026.

MARUHAN runs an official visitor programme at four halls (one in Tokyo, three in Osaka), with a manga guide and staff who can teach in English, Chinese and Korean. Q-Bang! has an inbound site for its two Umeda halls in Osaka. Support at other chains varies by hall.

No. Machines, rates, smoking areas and staff language skills vary hall by hall. A chain name tells you who runs it, not exactly what you'll find inside. Check each hall's page.

Halls stock a wide range of 'general prizes' (一般景品): snacks, drinks, household goods, cosmetics, sometimes electronics and character goods. They also offer 'special prizes' (特殊景品), which are small sealed items that some players take to a separate exchange shop.

Yes. Under the rules, each prize item must be worth no more than ¥9,600 (excluding consumption tax) at market value.

Yes. You can choose any mix of general prizes at the counter. Leftover balls that don't add up to a special prize are often swapped for sweets or drinks.

No. Balls and medals can't leave the hall, by law, and can't be exchanged at a different hall. Exchange everything (or save it on a member card) before you leave.

Open this page on your phone (or print it), find the request you need, and show the Japanese line to a staff member. Point at the Japanese column; the other languages are there so you know what you're showing.

Some do. MARUHAN's four visitor halls say staff can teach in English, Chinese and Korean, and Q-Bang! in Osaka has trained multilingual staff. Elsewhere, don't count on it, which is why a card helps.

The Japanese phrases follow our pachinko Japanese guide. The Chinese and Korean lines are pending review by native speakers; until then, rely on the Japanese line.

Prizes you keep as goods aren't usually taxed, according to a Japanese accounting publisher. Cash from exchanging special prizes is usually treated as temporary income (一時所得). That's taxable after a special deduction of up to ¥500,000 a year, with half the remainder added to your other income. Check your own situation with the tax office or a tax accountant.

Temporary income is calculated as total income minus directly related costs minus a special deduction of up to ¥500,000 a year, per Japan's National Tax Agency. Only half of what remains is added to your other income. The NTA's page doesn't mention pachinko by name. Applying it to pachinko comes from tax commentators.

Very limited. For temporary income, only costs directly incurred to earn that income count, and pachinko leaves no receipts, so commentators say losses are hard to claim. Don't rely on losses to offset tax without professional advice.

We haven't found an official source that addresses short-term visitors and pachinko specifically, so we don't give an answer. Your home country may also tax gambling income. The US IRS, for example, says gambling winnings are fully taxable.

The best-documented option is MARUHAN Shinjuku Toho Bldg., on the 2nd floor of the Shinjuku Toho Building (the one with the Godzilla head) in Kabukicho. MARUHAN's official visitor page says staff there can teach in English, Chinese and Korean and offers a free manga guide.

MARUHAN's visitor page lists 10:00–22:30, while Japan Travel by NAVITIME and Japanese Slot Guide give 22:40 as closing time. Confirm on the day. Halls stop play shortly before closing.

Yes. Small guided experiences in Kabukicho have been listed on Viator and Airbnb Experiences. Prices and availability change, so compare on our tours page.

Kabukicho is Tokyo's best-known nightlife district and is busy late into the night. Stick to well-lit main streets, ignore touts, and don't follow anyone into a bar. The parlour itself is a normal, staffed business.

Yes. Q-Bang! has two halls in the Osaka Ekimae buildings in Umeda: Nishi Umeda (Daiichi Building) and Higashi Umeda (Daiyon Building). Both run a pachinko experience for visitors.

If you're staying near Osaka Station, Q-Bang! in Umeda is convenient and offers a staff-attended experience. Namba has MARUHAN's larger visitor halls with a manga guide in English, Chinese and Korean. Both are fine for a first try.

Trade press reported in April 2025 that Q-Bang! has signs and explanations in English, Chinese and Korean. Its staff were reported as speaking Japanese, Chinese and English.

A ceiling is a built-in limit: if a machine goes a certain number of games (or cycles) without reaching its main feature, it grants that feature or moves strongly toward it. Each machine has its own ceiling rules, and not every machine has one.

It's the pachinko cousin. Yu-time (遊タイム) gives a period of jitan after a set number of spins in normal play without a jackpot. SANKYO's official Q&A states it doesn't guarantee a jackpot.

We don't recommend it. Ceiling rules vary by machine and can reset. The cost of reaching a ceiling can be large, and chasing one is a common way to overspend. Play for fun with a fixed budget.

号機 means 'machine number' and marks a generation of pachislot regulations. Each generation (1号機, 2号機… 6号機) reflects a new set of testing rules that changed how machines could be designed and how much they could pay out.

6th-generation machines: the later 6.5 and 6.6 versions and smart slots. Japanese Wikipedia records that all 4th-generation machines had to leave halls by 30 September 2007. Earlier generations survive only as collectors' pieces.

4th-generation machines (from 1992) became famous for very large payouts and stock systems. The rules were tightened, and these machines had to leave halls by September 2007. That makes them sought after for home play, where no money is involved.

No. Halls can only run machines that pass current certification. Retro titles return as new machines built to the current rules, sometimes with the same name.

A setting (設定, settei) is an internal level, usually 1 to 6, that the parlour chooses for each pachislot machine. It changes the machine's probabilities and its long-run payout rate. Players can't see it.

Not reliably. Halls aren't allowed to advertise or hint at settings, and the machine doesn't display it. Some machines show 'hints', but those are entertainment features, not a dependable guide. We don't recommend trying to read settings.

Most pachinko machines don't use the 1–6 setting system the way pachislot does. Pachinko odds are shown on the machine (for example about 1/319). Some newer pachinko models have settings, so check the machine's spec.

No. A payout rate is a long-run theoretical figure across a huge number of games. Any single session can go either way, and you can lose money on any setting.

A machine where most of the payout comes from 'real' bonuses (BIG and REG) rather than an assist mode. The Juggler series is the best-known example: a lamp lights up, you line up the 7s, and the bonus pays out.

AT stands for Assist Time, a mode where the screen tells you which order to stop the reels in, so you collect the medal-paying symbols. On most modern machines AT is the main way medals are paid out.

ART (Assist Replay Time) combines push-order assistance with a 'replay time' state, where replays come often so you spend fewer medals. It peaked in the 5th-generation era (roughly 2007–2018) and is rarer today.

Many Japanese beginner guides point first-timers to A-type machines like Juggler, because there's less to follow on screen. That's about simplicity, not about winning. Every type is designed so the parlour comes out ahead over time.

PLAZA has English pages for two central Fukuoka halls: PLAZA Hakata in the CLIO COURT HAKATA building at 5-3 Hakataekichuogai, by Hakata Station, and PLAZA Tenjin at 2-6-41 Tenjin. Both open 10:00–22:45.

PLAZA Tenjin lists 4-yen and 1-yen pachinko plus 20-yen slots. PLAZA Hakata lists only 4-yen pachinko and 20-yen slots, according to their English pages.

Sensho Bussan (株式会社宣翔物産), a Fukuoka company founded in 1972, per its website.

Yes. Daito Giken's smart slot 'Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World season2' went into halls in October 2024, according to Daito's official product page.

Yes. The smart pachinko 'e Re:Zero season2' won the pachinko category of the advertising council's fan vote for 2023, and Daito's new smart pachinko 'e Re:Zero Onigakari 2' starts in halls on 5 October 2026.

Hall line-ups vary. PLAZA Hakata and PLAZA Tenjin in Fukuoka list e Re:Zero Onigakari 2 among October 2026 new machines on their official English pages. Elsewhere, search リゼロ on a hall's machine list.

Not yet. The evidence-based readiness score is in development. Today each parlour page shows a status label and the evidence behind it. Separately, halls can complete a self-assessment; if approved for display it is labelled as self-assessed.

No. Listings are based on public evidence. If we ever publish sponsored content, it will be labelled; the parlour record has a separate 'sponsored' flag for exactly this reason.

Verified means an official operator source (or an independent verification) confirms foreign-language help. Reported means a third party mentions it and we haven't been able to confirm it.

There are two, both in the Osaka Ekimae buildings by Osaka/Umeda stations: Q-Bang! Nishi Umeda in Osaka Ekimae Daiichi Building (B1F/B2F, 1-3-1 Umeda) and Q-Bang! Higashi Umeda in Osaka Ekimae Daiyon Building (B2F, 1-11-4 Umeda), according to the operator's inbound site.

The operator's site offers two options: a 'normal experience' with a multilingual manual but no attendant, and an 'attended experience' where staff help you from learning to play through to the prize exchange. Contact is by social-media DM or phone.

The operator's inbound site doesn't state a fee or what's included on the pages we checked. Ask when you book, and remember that balls you rent to play cost money as usual.

Umi Monogatari (海物語, 'Sea Story') is Sanyo's long-running pachinko series with a sea theme. Sanyo marked the series' 25th anniversary with P Big Sea Story 5 Special in 2024.

It's often recommended as a first machine. DMM Pachitown's English beginner guide, for example, recommends the Sea Story series as 'simple and easy to understand'. It's still a game of chance with no skill that changes the outcome.

Sanyo's press release gives jackpot odds of 1/319.6 in normal mode and 1/31.9 in the higher-probability mode, with 54% of jackpots leading to the higher-probability mode. Odds can differ between versions, so always check the cabinet.

Only an amount you'd happily spend on an evening's entertainment and can afford to lose entirely. There's no right number; decide it before you go, not at the machine.

Japanese rules allow a pachinko machine to fire up to 100 balls a minute. At 4 yen a ball that's up to ¥400 of balls a minute before any come back; at 1 yen it's up to ¥100. Balls that win back slow this down, but you should plan for the money going.

Ball and medal dispensers generally take banknotes. DMM Pachitown's English guide says you can only rent balls with cash notes, so bring the cash you've budgeted and leave the rest of your money elsewhere.

A pachislot machine that uses electronic medals instead of physical ones. There's no medal slot. You insert cash or an IC card into the unit next to the machine, credits appear, and you play with MAX BET and the lever. Sammy dates the format to November 2022.

On machine names, 'L' (or スマスロ) marks a smart pachislot, and 'e' marks a smart pachinko machine. 'S' marks a conventional medal pachislot, and 'P' a conventional pachinko machine.

Press the count (計数) button on the unit, which records your credits on the card, then take the card to the counter or a prize terminal as the hall directs. Staff will help on your first visit.

Many units have a 'short break' (ちょっと休憩) button that locks the machine while you step away briefly. House rules on how long you can leave a seat vary, so ask staff.

Yes. Kyoraku's smart pachinko 'e Sword Art Online Alicization Yozora' went into halls nationwide from 3 August 2026. It follows the earlier 'e Sword Art Online Senkō no Kiseki'.

Kyoraku describes FAIR START as a new feature giving every player a fair chance, designed to make the start (the rate at which balls enter the start pocket) more stable. Kyoraku hasn't published technical details on the page we checked.

Yes. P-World's machine database lists Paon DP's Slot SAO II as a smart slot (an 'L' machine), in halls from 8 June 2026.

Yes. Bisty's smart pachinko 'e Tokyo Ghoul' went into halls on 21 April 2025, and a follow-up, 'e Tokyo Ghoul Cho-Deka Cho-Ichigeki ver.', on 8 June 2026, according to P-World's machine database.

Yes. Spiky's smart slot 'L Tokyo Ghoul' has been in halls since 3 February 2025, per P-World's machine database.

Fans voted e Tokyo Ghoul and L Tokyo Ghoul the overall winners of both the pachinko and pachislot categories in the pachinko advertising council's 2025 fan awards, with fans praising its presentation and Natsuki Hanae's voice work.

At 3-12-1 Haruyoshi, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka. It opens 10:00–22:40, according to its English page.

Tamaya Honten has Korean, Chinese and English pages, Korean how-to videos and a link to a Korean-language YouTube channel about pachinko in Kyushu and Okinawa. An industry blog has also cited talk that most of its customers are Korean.

Tamaya's group site lists 12 halls in Fukuoka and Saga prefectures.

Several Fukuoka halls publish official English pages or guides, such as PLAZA Hakata, PLAZA Tenjin and Tamaya∞Honten, but in-hall English-speaking staff are not confirmed at any of them as of October 2026. Their documented in-hall help is mainly in Korean.

Tamaya∞Honten and Venus Gallery Kiyokawa run official Korean sites, and Venus Gallery lists a Korean–Japanese translator at the counter. Business media also report Korean guidance at PLAZA Hakata.

King Kanko Thousand Nagoya Station Yanagibashi publishes an official English store page and an English how-to-play guide. Whether staff can help in English is not confirmed as of October 2026.

Yes, if you're 18 or over. Trade press reports a small hall aimed at foreign visitors, Pachi Pachi Vegas, with an English-speaking staff member. Its address and hours are not confirmed from an official source.

Not one with documented foreign-language support, as of October 2026. Halls exist (for example KING Kawaramachi), but none publish English help. If guidance matters to you, try a supported hall in nearby Osaka first.

Five halls have officially documented support: MARUHAN Namba Hon-kan, MARUHAN Namba Shin-kan and MARUHAN Shinsekai (free manga guide and staff help in English, Chinese and Korean), and Q-Bang! Nishi Umeda and Higashi Umeda (multilingual manual or a staff-attended experience).

Machine maker Newgin ran an English-language pachinko taster in the DiCE Dotonbori internet café from 13 March to 9 June 2026. It has ended. The nearest permanent options with documented English help are the two MARUHAN Namba halls.

No booking is needed to walk into a pachinko hall. Q-Bang!'s visitor site describes an attended experience. Check with Q-Bang! directly whether it needs booking or costs extra (we haven't confirmed this yet).

The only Tokyo hall where an official operator page confirms both multilingual guide material and staff who can teach in English, Chinese and Korean is MARUHAN Shinjuku Toho Bldg. in Kabukicho. AMUSE Asakusa has documented multilingual manuals and a translation device, but staff help is not confirmed.

Not one with official confirmation yet. An English-language tour names Big Apple Akihabara (medium evidence), and visitor reviews mention ESPACE Nittaku Akihabara Ekimae (weak evidence). Island Akihabara and the GAIA hall are described online as helpful, but we found no official confirmation and they carry no English badge.

Generally yes. There's usually no entrance fee or reception desk, but you must be 18 or over and staff may ask for ID such as your passport. Halls without language support can be harder to navigate, so read a how-to guide first.