Step off almost any busy street in Japan and you will find a building glowing with screens, flashing lights and the sound of a hundred machines playing at once. This is a game center (ゲームセンター), often shortened to geesen, and it is one of the cheapest and most fun ways to spend an hour in Japan, whatever your age.
Arcades are welcoming to visitors, but they do have rules, including age-based curfews that surprise many families and teenage travellers. This guide explains how game centers work, what to play, how much it costs and what time younger visitors have to leave.
1. What to Expect Inside a Game Center
A typical game center is spread over several floors, each with a different theme. You do not pay to enter. You simply walk in, look around and pay per game.
Crane games, also called UFO catchers, filled with plush toys, anime figures, snacks and gadgets. This is the busiest floor.
Rhythm and music games, racing games, fighting games and card-based games, often with regulars who are astonishingly good.
Photo sticker booths called purikura, and medal games, which are coin-pusher and slot-style machines played with tokens.
The big national chains are easy to spot: GiGO (which took over the former Sega arcades), Taito Station, namco and Round1, which also has bowling and karaoke. You will find them near major stations in every large city.
2. Age Rules and Curfews
Game centers in Japan are regulated under the same law that covers nightlife businesses, the Entertainment Business Act, known as Fueiho (風営法). During the day there is no age limit, and children are welcome. In the evening, however, time limits apply to minors. The Japan National Tourism Organization summarises the rules like this:
| Age | Rule |
|---|---|
| Under 16 | Must be accompanied by an adult after 6:00 p.m. |
| Under 18 | Not admitted after 10:00 p.m., even with a parent |
| 18 and over | No time limit |
The details are set by each prefecture. Since a 2016 change in the law, almost all prefectures, including Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, allow under-16s to stay until 10:00 p.m. when they are with a parent or guardian. Individual arcades can also set stricter house rules, so follow the signs at the entrance.
In the evening, staff walk the floors and ask young-looking customers their age. Teenagers travelling without their parents should carry their passport. If you are asked to leave, it is not personal. The arcade can lose its licence if it lets minors stay.
The rules for other venues are different. See our guides to age restrictions in Japan, pachinko (strictly 18 and over) and karaoke.
3. Crane Games (UFO Catchers)
Crane games are the heart of the modern Japanese arcade. A play usually costs ¥100 or ¥200, and many machines give you an extra try if you put in ¥500 at once. The prizes are made specially for arcades and are not sold in shops, which is why people become so determined to win them.
The key thing to understand is that you are not expected to win in one go. The machines are set up so that each attempt nudges the prize a little closer to the drop. Watch how the prize is balanced, and aim to push, tip or slide it rather than lift it cleanly.
- Set a budget before you start. It is easy to spend ¥2,000 chasing a toy that looks one move from falling.
- Watch someone else play first to see how strong the claw is.
- Ask for a bag. Arcades give free plastic bags for prizes, usually from a dispenser near the machines.
4. Rhythm Games, Racing and Purikura
Rhythm games
The most beginner-friendly is Taiko no Tatsujin (太鼓の達人), where you hit a big Japanese drum in time with the music, from J-pop and anime themes to classical pieces. You need no Japanese to play: just pick the easiest difficulty and hit the drum when the symbols reach the circle. Other rhythm games use touch screens, buttons or dance pads.
Racing, fighting and more
You will also find sit-down racing games, fighting game cabinets, train-driving simulators and collectible card games. Many machines have an English option in the menu, and for the rest you can usually work things out by pressing start.
Purikura
Purikura (プリクラ) are photo booths that take a series of pictures, smooth your skin, enlarge your eyes and let you decorate the photos on a touch screen before printing them as stickers. A session usually costs around ¥500 and makes a great, inexpensive souvenir. Note that some purikura areas restrict entry for all-male groups, so check the sign at the entrance.
5. How to Pay
Most machines take ¥100 coins. Every arcade has change machines, marked 両替 (ryogae), that turn ¥1,000 notes and ¥500 coins into ¥100 coins. Newer machines also accept IC transport cards such as Suica and other cashless payments, but coins still work everywhere.
Outside the arcade, look out for gachapon (ガチャポン): walls of capsule toy machines that cost a few hundred yen a turn. They are not covered by the arcade curfew rules and are a favourite with children and collectors alike.
6. Arcade Etiquette
- Never shake, tilt or hit a machine. It can set off an alarm, and staff will ask you to leave.
- Do not hog a machine. If people are waiting, play once and let the next person have a turn. Some arcades post a "one play, then switch" rule.
- Check before you film. Many game centers limit or ban photography and video, especially of other players. Look for signs or ask.
- Do not leave coins or bags on a machine to reserve it while you walk away.
- Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash. What you win is yours to keep, and that is all.
- Eat and drink only in the rest areas, and use the smoking room if there is one. Smoking on the game floor is not allowed.
7. Where to Find the Best Arcades
You are never far from a game center in a Japanese city, but a few districts are especially good.
- Akihabara, Tokyo: Several multi-floor arcades within a few minutes' walk of the station, plus retro game shops. See our Akihabara guide.
- Ikebukuro, Shinjuku and Shibuya, Tokyo: Large arcades close to each station, busy with students in the evening.
- Umeda and Namba, Osaka: Big game centers in both of the city's main entertainment areas, and more around the Nipponbashi "Den Den Town" electronics district.
- Shopping malls everywhere: Most large malls have a family-friendly game corner, which is a lifesaver on a rainy day with children. See our family travel guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not during the day. In the evening, under-16s need an adult with them after 6:00 p.m., and nobody under 18 is admitted after 10:00 p.m. Exact rules are set by each prefecture and arcade.
Most games cost ¥100 to ¥200 a play. ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 per person is enough for a fun hour, unless you become determined to win a particular crane game prize.
No. Most games are easy to understand from the screen, some offer English menus, and staff are used to helping visitors with gestures and a few words.
No. Pachinko parlors are gambling-style venues for adults only, and they are much louder. Game centers are ordinary amusement arcades and are open to families during the day.
Conclusion
A Japanese game center is noisy, bright and endlessly entertaining, and a pocketful of ¥100 coins goes a long way. Play a round of Taiko no Tatsujin, try your luck on a crane game, take a purikura photo with your travel companions, and keep an eye on the clock if you are travelling with anyone under 18.
Sources
- Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) — Game Centers: https://www.japan.travel/en/guide/game-centers/
- National Police Agency — Entertainment Business Act (Fueiho) information: https://www.npa.go.jp/
- e-Gov Japan — Act on Control and Improvement of Amusement Business, etc.: https://laws.e-gov.go.jp/law/323AC0000000122
- SoraNews24 — 2016 revision allowing under-16s in arcades until 10 p.m. with a guardian: https://soranews24.com/2016/06/17/japanese-kids-finally-reclaim-right-to-go-to-video-game-arcades-at-night-with-their-parents/