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.

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.

The best way to study Japanese

If you're looking for an in into Japanese language studies whilst buffing up on your gaming history, can't recommend "Game Center CX" enough. 

The "GameMaker" series focuses on interviews with top industry dudes, with a few gaming challenges thrown into the mix.

Got some study time free? Pop out the dictionary and try it for 20 mins. Most eps are available on YT with Japanese subtitles.