Passing time like a local
Hi, I’m Chie from Zak Zakka. Today I’d like to share with you some popular pass-time activities my teenage kids enjoy when they’re in Japan.
Game Centre
They’re essentially equivalent of arcades, full of crane games, coin game machines, single/two player games and so on. You will need 100 yen coins to play, so look for a change machine in the game centre (they have small cups to help you carry them!) and off you go!
Put the required amount (mostly 100 yen for crane games) and try your skill!
There are many different types of crane games, and prizes are varied, from soft toys, hand sanitizers, to sweets and canned drinks!
Few of the prizes my son managed to get for about 10 pounds in total.
My daughter’s favourite was Mario Cart and Taiko-no-Tastujin, a drumming game, both available on Nintendo Switch but a lot more fun on larger apparatus. I got myself blisters playing the drum against her!
Gatchas
You can find rows and rows of Gatcha machines wherever you go in Tokyo. There are endless kinds of miniatures you can get, from keychains to mini-figures of popular anime characters.
The fun of it is that you don’t know which variety you’re getting, but if you’re after a particular one, you might end up spending a fortune trying to get it!
Karaoke
It’s safe to say that karaoke has been popular for a very long time, I remember going to a “karaoke box” when I was a teenager, nearly thirty years ago!
Unmistakable signboard for a Karaoke place.
Larger Karaoke venues have the whole building converted into small karaoke rooms, from single use to large party size rooms.
You can choose from half an hour slot to “free time”, all you can sing package.
A small room for 2-3 people.
Enter the songs you want to sing, and it is displayed on the TV screen. The tablet can be changed to English, and there are lots of English songs listed too.
These are a few things my children look forward to and enjoy when going back to Japan every time. It might be a little awkward to try the first time, but once you get the hang of it, I’m sure you’ll enjoy the experience too!
I have added a blog about desserts in Tokyo. It would be great if you could read it as well, Enjoy!
