MeetUp - Takadanobaba "Mikado"

Much thanks for comin down tonight gents, good games all round!

Arcade "Game City" - Totsuka, Kanagawa.

Perfect example of how arcades in Japan have had to acclimatize themselves to the market place in recent years.

UFO catcher machines, Pachinko and Medal games taking up about 75% of the floor space. It's rough for video gamers but you gotto appreciate these places have managed to adapt so well to the times.

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"Yodobashi Camera", Shinjuku

One of the big three electronics stores in Japan. There's not a huge difference between the three in terms of price and selection, but Yodobashi has a tendency to run special offers and have clearouts on occasion.

Yodobashi is large enough to warrant 4 buildings in the area. This one on Shinjuku west side, dedicated solely to games and gaming, is definitely worth checking, even if just for window shopping.

Arcade "Namco" - Nakano, Tokyo

Hell of a spacious and well thought out floor space makes this an awesome place to game. Definitely supporting the UFO catcher scene first and foremost but also have every current Namco cab on release too.

Central Tokyo arcades have a tendency to over-cab their places leading to a lot of distractions while playing. Blows trying to focus whilst gettin nudged in the back.

Being a Namco arcade they also hold fortnightly tournaments to keep things fresh, hygienic and non-smoking areas make it a cert for our upcoming meet ups.

Arcade "Vortex" - Roppongi, Tokyo

4 months back the last arcade in Roppongi shut down. It truly blows to see a place with potential just boarded up. 

Being located on the outskirts of a red light district might sound like a detriment to a game center, but actually some of the most successful indie places have that in common. Often hosts, hostesses take to the arcades before, after and during catering hours to kill time.

Signs read:
"December 27th 2013, Game Center operations will stop."
"Roppongi has become a town without a Game Center."
"Thank you for 18 years."

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