![]() ![]() They’re becoming highly collectible– and the rarer the better. ![]() The machines of yesteryear (aka before the 1980s) are nostalgic reminders of the past custom built into a solid mahogany cabinets with no electricity. Today’s pachinko machines are essentially noisy, machine-made LCD video screens. One of my favourite features about the vintage machines is that they come complete with an ash-tray– not that I smoke– but it’s an amusing reminder of the days when ash-trays were everywhere from your cinema seats to your airplane seats. Up until the 1980s, all pachinko machines were mechanical devices with minimal electric features except maybe for a light to indicate the player had run out of pellets. They were all closed down during World War II, but re-emerged in post-war and have remained a staple of Japanese culture ever since. It quickly became a highly popular adult past time in the 1930s, an overnight sensation, and pachinko parlours began spreading across Japan. ![]() Pachinko machines first appeared in the 1920s, likely based on a western billiards-derived indoor table game from the 18th century. Despite the industry’s questionable backdoor policies, Pachinko parlours are very much a part of Japan’s urban landscape. In fact, retired officers often move onto the pachinko parlour industry, keeping out organised crime, but also giving pachinko parlours a strong position to influence the police.
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