パチンコ! Pachinko!

What is pachinko? It's like an upright pinball machine for gambling and amusement. The word "pachinko" is onomatopoeia for the sound of the balls hitting the pins on the playing board: "パチパチ" (pachi-pachi). It's also Japan's largest industry and an obsession for almost one third of its population. With over 16,000 parlors nationwide, you can't swing a dead tanuki without hitting one. There's also a duality to its legality but I'll talk more about that later. Here's a parlor in Shinjuku:


Here's how it works: You purchase balls (generally for 4 yen apiece) from the parlor using cash, a pre-paid card or a member card directly into your machine of choice. You then shoot your ball bearings from the tray into the machine hoping to win more balls.


So if you ever find yourself in Japan and you're thinking about giving pachinko a whirl, first ask yourself these questions: Do you like...

Games of chance? Pachinko can be described as slot machines on crack. Why pull a lever or hit a button and watch some symbols spin while hoping they'll match? That's entirely too passive. Try manipulating hundreds of tiny ball bearings with a knob while lights flash and music blares all around you to get those 3 matching symbols. This way, you feel that you have more influence over the outcome, unless you count good luck charms and superstitious rituals.


Cigarette smoke? Despite the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004 and many new public smoking laws in Japan, smoking and pachinko parlors still go together like milk and Oreos.

Confined spaces? These machines are quite small and narrow, and the parlor is looking to make the most bang for their buck. Also, space is at a premium in Japan. Therefore the machines are crammed in making narrow aisles. If you are claustrophobic, most of Japan is not for you.


Crowds? Being on a packed train is one thing, but sitting on an uncomfortable vinyl covered stool shoulder to shoulder with strangers in a loud, smoke filled pachinko parlor is another. At least you have a game to distract you.

Breaking the law? Okay, you won more little balls, now what? Well, you take your trays to an attendant who will run them through a counting machine that spits out a voucher. Sweet! Now what kind of prizes can you get? You have your choice things of t-shirts, pens, cigarette lighters, perfume, cosmetics, candy or coupons to a nearby grocery store. Lame, right? If you'd rather have money then there's a common loophole just around the corner. Grab that voucher, leave the parlor and head over to the nearby exchange center. They will pay out your winnings in CASH. Yeah, it's illegal for the parlor itself to pay out winnings, but a third party not on site can. Here is such an exchange center in Shibuya. It doesn't look shady at all, does it?


Constant loud noise? As you can imagine, hundreds of machines with all their balls clanking on pegs, music and announcements will definitely leave your ears ringing. That's nothing that a pair of earplugs and lots of alcohol can't cure, though.

Are there any pluses? Well, yeah - the obvious amusement from the game itself and the thrill of possibly hitting a jackpot. Also, like casinos here in the US, they serve alcohol and children are not allowed. And often, the machines themselves are anime themed! I've seen machines designed based off of Lupin the Third, Neon Genesis Evangelion and Trigun. If you've never experienced it, you should give it a try at least once. After all, 30 million Japanese can't be wrong.

＼(＾▽＾*)いらっしゃ～いっ(*＾▽＾)／

I have finished listing all the clothing accessories left over from MetroCon!

All the clothes listed are authentic and come from Tokyo's alternative fashion district: Harajuku! I personally go from shop to shop, boutique to boutique and mall to mall to find the cutest shirts and accessories. I buy only shirts with Engrish on them because it's very popular over there and rather hilarious here.

Below are some examples of what I have for sale! The faster you buy, the sooner I can go back to Tokyo and buy more!

Etsy jaderabbitboutique

Etsy shop now open!

The Etsy shop is open! Authentic, cute and engrishy apparel from Harajuku! どうぞよろしくお願いします。

Alright, so eBay was a bust. However, MetroCon was not! Thank you to everyone who stopped by my booth! It was nice meeting you all! It's wonderful to meet so many people with an interest in Japanese culture and travel.

To supplement anime conventions, I now have an Etsy account! Please check it out. I'll be listing more stuff tomorrow and the rest of the week. It's 12:38 am here now, so I'm done for the night...

Zzz…(*´〜｀*)｡O○

花見！Flower viewing!

花 = "hana" or flower and 見 = "mi" or eye. While "hana" refers to flowers in general, this time of the year it more specifically means cherry blossoms (sakura) and/or plum blossoms (ume).

To celebrate the arrival of spring, the Japanese have little outdoor parties or picnics under these trees either during the day or in some special occasions, at night. These night parties are called 夜桜 ("yozakura") and include decorative and festive lanterns hung from the trees.

Hanami is of interest to just about every Japanese citizen, so much so that their weather service provides a 桜前線 ("sakurazensen" or "blossom report") to make best of your party planning. Below is such a report from the previous year.


My first sakura siting was in Nagoya in the castle's gardens. It was very overcast that day and towards the end of my tour, I saw some pink flowers in the distance. I was so excited that I interrupted my guide mid sentence to ask if they were cherry blossoms. She nodded and I ran ahead to see having completely lost interest in a statue she was explaining. I apologized for my rudeness but she found my elation amusing.


With as much anime, manga, TV and movies I've seen... the cherry blossom is omnipresent and I just couldn't help myself. Getting to see firsthand the delicate petals fall and speckle the ground like confetti was almost surreal.

Apparently, I wasn't the only person thrilled about this time of year. It was mid-March so some of the trees in Tokyo were just starting to bloom. While I was in Kamakura, there was one tree abloom near the Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine and no less than a dozen photographers jostled for position to get pictures of the one branch they could get near.

I mentioned ume or plum blossoms above and I was fortunate to see one of those as well at Nagoya castle. They look just like sakura only white.

This entry is definitely photo heavy, but these beautiful flowers speak for themselves. I took more pictures of cherry trees than anything else on this trip and seeing the natives crowd around a blossoming tree on more than one occasion meant my fixation was the norm.

The boutique is open!

Finally! I've managed to catalog and photograph all my merchandise from Japan and have begun listing in on eBay for your buying pleasure! CHECK IT OUT!

There's not much now, but I will continue to list more clothing and stationery as the week goes on. Thanks for your patience and I hope you enjoy what you find!

プロ野球! Professional Baseball!

It's that time of year again - baseball season is upon us and the Japanese.

Wait. Japan? Baseball?! I'm confused! I thought they only watched like sumo wrestling and kabuki plays and stuff?

Nope! The Japanese are very passionate about baseball and have their own 12-team league to follow called Nippon Professional Baseball, or the NPB which is equivalent to our MLB. In fact, North American has stolen quite a few players from them for our teams, such as Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners, Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Boston Red Sox, Kosuke Fukudome of the Chicago Cubs and my favorite player, Akinori Iwamura of the Pittsburgh Pirates just to name a few.

There are a few differences between when it comes to rules and regulations when comparing the MLB to the NPB but those aren't very interesting. The major differences are in going to the games themselves. I had the pleasure of attending 5 games in Japan last year and it completely ruined domestic games for me.

The biggest difference? That's easy - the fans. Extremely organized and loud (and sometimes paid), Japanese baseball fans raise the bar of fandom. It's not enough to haphazardly slap some sentiment on a piece of posterboard or paint your face. No, no, no. To be a true fan in Japan involves learning a different song for each batter, your team's fight song and being armed with flags, thunder sticks, banners, drums, horns, megaphones, etc while wearing your team's colors from head to toe...





...literally. I mentioned the word "paid" above. Yes, they have professional fans! Called 応援団 ("ouendan" or cheer squads), they have auditions and practices. They lead the other fans in songs, cheers and chants when while their team is at bat - which is quite the opposite here. Both teams are always equally represented by ouendan at ALL games, so there's never a lull in the noise, excitement or enthusiasm.


The next difference is the food. The question I was asked the most is: "Can you get sushi at baseball game?" The answer: "You bet... along with riceballs, tempura, edamame, teriyaki, noodles along with our classics of hotdogs, popcorn and of course, BEER."

Yes, these girls bring beer to you! Don't like Asahi? (What's wrong with you?!) Don't worry, a girl carrying Sapporo, Suntory, Kirin or Yebisu on her back will hike the stairs by your section soon enough.

With all this going on, it's easy to forget that there's a baseball being played! This is why I usually have moments of "ho-hum" at a major league game here.

There's a wonderfully fun tour run by JapanBall every year for the sole purpose of experiencing these games. I went last year and had a blast. I urge you to check it out even if you're not a baseball fan.

If flying halfway around the world to watch some baseball is something you can't swing, then you can watch it from the comfort of your living room, albeit at 4 am. Your cable or satellite provider might have a premium channel called "TV Japan" - which is basically NHK's feed minus the commercials. They usually show 3 or 4 games a week plus you get all of their sitcoms, dramas, children's programming and news.

Day 8: Sumida Park

Sumida park is, as you can imagine, located on the bank of the Sumida river just a few minute's walk from the sensouji in Asakusa. Originally a private garden for the shogun, it was opened as a public park in 1931. It's also one of the prime spots for 花見 (hanami or "flower viewing") in late March and early April as the park contains nearly 1,000 sakura planted along the bank forming a tunnel of blossoms.

I caught the park in early March, so only a few of the trees were in bloom, but they still drew their share of enthusiastic photographers, viewers, joggers and bicyclists.

Other sights along the Sumida park include the Asahi headquarters across the river. You might be familiar with their "super dry" beer, but like most beverage companies in Japan, they actually produce a wide variety of soft drinks, as well.

Officially known as the "Asahi Beer Hall". The building on the left was styled to represent a glass of beer with its foamy head at the top. And the Asahi flame is supposed to represent the 'burning heart of Asahi beer' but the locals refer to it as "the golden turd".