It all makes sense now. In pokemon, the slot machines were in a separate building than the building to exchange the slot winnings for pokemon or TM's because of Japanese laws 😯

When Natsuki starts speaking Japanese he transforms from a comic relief anime character into a PhD sociologist.

He does emphasize how loud it is a few times, but you really gotta experience it yourself to truly understand how insanely loud it is. IT’S CAPSLOCK LEVEL LOUD

I came here to understand the new jujutsu kaisen chapter, but wow that was so interesting and informative! It's always so cool to learn about other cultures. Thanks a lot!

Why does adding a British person explaining anything over stock footage and B-roll automatically become a documentary

"Retired veteran of pachinko" That's a nice way to say recovering gambling addict.. From now on I'll call myself a "Retired Opiate Connoisseur"

Glad to know I'm not the only one here cause of Ch 183 from JJK.

I played pachinko a few times. It's addictive and hard to stop once you get into it. At least for me it was.

Natsuki is the man I strive to be everyday.

Take a recovering gambling addict and get him to gamble for you 😂 how thoughtful

Jujutsu Kaisen brought me here.

I'm a professional Pachinko (Japanese gambling pinball machine) player, and it's normal for me to win or lose over 1,000,000 yen per day (about US$10,000). I'm married and have two kids, both of them going to international schools. It's a sustainable "job" if you know what you are doing, but of course, the risk is always there.

Chris: I'll fuel your gambling addiction and you will fuel my alcohol addiction.

Walked in one and realised it was louder than a nightclub and walked out. People going in there come out deaf.

I was friends with a Japanese college student nearly 20 years ago and he had a whole group of Japanese friends that would often show up to our poker night. I remember having a conversation with one who said he got into so much trouble playing Pachinko that he felt leaving the country was the only way to break his habit. They were all very competitive, but not in the in your face kind of way we are used to seeing here in the west. They were always respectful in defeat, guess that's part of the culture Natsuki was talking about, wanting to test themselves in their luck and skills.

The editing on this video is just so good.

When natski appears, you know its going to be amazing

We give them pachinko, they give us anime. _We’re practically related_

I got here because I'm reading JJK and didn't have any idea what pachinko was. It looks funny, and thanks to you I understood it and now Hakari's technique makes sense.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. This was awesome from start to finish. The cinematography, the editing, your hilarious and fun friend. This is one great doc. I can’t say enough good things about it.

I knew a guy in Tokyo who was a Pachinko professional. He spent most of his time hanging around in the conversation lounge of the English school (Adult) I worked at, then would spend a couple of hours at a Pachinko place and win enough money for dinner and the next day. He did say he had to be careful to visit different Pachinko parlors in wide spread areas, in case the Yakuza who ran the parlors got angry at him for winning too much.

This is now my life while in quarantine. Binge watching videos of a sarcastic British dude and his peculiar Japanese friend... These are truly dark times

When I visited Japan right after I graduated high school, one of the things that made the biggest impression on me was seeing how crowded the Pachinko parlors were in Kyoto and Osaka. Truly peculiar!

The quality on these videos are insane, thought i was on the BBC, keep it up Chris

Making a feature really has put your production values through the roof! This video feels like a classy documentary. Looking forward to the big bike project which will undoubtedly lead to another increase in your movie making skills.

My eyes hurt looking for the infamous Metal Gear Solid Pachinko Machine

Coming here to get a better grip of Jujutsu Kaisen chapter 183 lmao

Yo to all my people who came here to understand Hakari I feel you dawg I don’t understand one but but these guys are hilarious and I’m wit it 💀💀💀💀💀💀 the flashing confusing lights and music fit him too perfectly

This shop is closed. even I am Japanese I hadn't been there yet. It’s sad. I've never seen any other pachinko parlors rated as highly as this one. Because it was run to target foreigners, this shop didn't last and went out of business, probably because foreign customers stopped coming to shop because of Corona and Japanese customers were only interested in oddballs like me.

I will never, ever be able to forget the nightmarish sound of that one time when I accidentally got lost into a building in akihabara where two stories were absolutely packed with pachinko machines, where I spent the longest 5ish minutes of my life trying to figure out how to exit this labyrinth of god forsaken loudness. How these players bear that deafening noise from hell, I don't understand. The vast majority of them don't even bother putting earplugs in or anything, it seems like they're too absorbed by the game to even hear the fuck out of satan' scream that surrounds them. I don't usually use so much biblical wording, but in this case it is the most accurate I can think of

The second time i've visited a pachinko parlor and somehow managed to get a jackpot, i've genuinely felt bad for how loud my machine was in my isle until i found out how to manage the volume and turned that thing down, instead of focusing on my win lol, happy experience

In the early 80s my brother was a foreign exchange student in Japan. When he came back he brought with him an old school mechanical pachinko machine he gave to my parents. Since that time I've acquired it from my parents and took an old entertainment center cabinet I bought at a second hand store and converted it to hold the pachinko machine that's barely wider than the machine itself but standing at 6 feet tall with storage underneath. It's one of my favorite pieces of furniture in the house.

Can I just say that the editing on this video was phenomenal? Lots of beautiful camera angles, and very cohesive. Den-awda-den!

Step 1: Buy 1 Yen Balls at one store Step 2: Sell them for 4 Yen each at other stores

You know, every time i see a video about Japan the thought comes to my mind, 'there's really nowhere else like this place is there?' it's just so utterly different and unique. I love the way you find great and eye-catching art pretty much everywhere. Awesome video thanks

Came here to try and understand Hakari’s ability ☠️ I think Gege just took the medal for the most confusing ability in manga history

This video was really good. It felt like you managed to capture the best parts of a documentary and a KZfaq video. Very informative but without it feeling like a lecture or essay. Great work Chris!

This is actually clever since you can give players a 120% win chance, that means they will mostly always win. But since it can only be used on goods in the store you are guaranteed to get your money back with the right prices.

When I was a kid in the 70's my friend had a pachinko machine in their living room. On hinges. It was a very different looking machine. Hand painted wood. This video brought back some old memories. I've scarcely thought of those times. Thank you.

are the ball bearings coded in someway? You could buy thousands of them for 1¥ each then take them to another parlour and exchange them for more money

So this is what konami is doing instead of making a new castlevania.

First you hear it. Then you smell it (the cigarette smoke). And finally, you stumble through a crowded room, disorientated and confused, before leaving subsequently deaf. It's an experience many foreigners in Japan have had, and I was no different. I'll never forget being bewildered by Pachinko when I discovered it 6 years ago. Now for the first time, it's time to actually work out what it is, and why it's so popular. IF YOU'VE PLAYED PACHINKO, share your thoughts on it. Maybe it'll help the rest of us make better sense of it.

My family has a really old Pachinko machine (all mechanical, no lights). I would spend hours as a kid playing. Insanely fun. Loved the video!

Im studying up on Pachinko to understnad jujutsu kaisen

- Great topic - Natsuki is in the video - Smooth video transitions Overall: 10/10 GOLD CONTENT Good job Chris!

Chris likes walking out of the shot so much that even while they were sitting near the end of the video I imagined him getting up and walking out and it made me giggle

"Sakee sakeee sakeee I wan da sakeee" lmaooo I love this guy

I barely wanted to know what this was, but I watched the whole video once it started; very well produced. Good camera, good editing, informative and your Japanese co-star eats of the camera and steals the show in a superlative fashion! Good work, ya'll.

Natsuki seems like the type of guy you want to party with.

I love the rare and serious Natsuki part, explaining the obsession of Pachinko.

Very nicely put together video and very entertaining as well. Thanks for posting this.

I just stumbled on your videos yesterday and I already subscribed and watched a lot! I absolutely love Japan and would love to live there!! so watching your videos is such a great insight into Japan. I absolutely love the culture and everything!! you're so lucky to live there

Wow. This is some skillful documentary filmmaking.

I can just imagine the pain someone would go through if they accidentally spilled their ball container.

My grandmother had one of these growing up and no one knew how valuable it probably was. Used to love playing that thing as a kid.

Pachinko must be addictive & good fun if Natsuki managed to sit and play for 30 minutes without having a smoke! That's impressive going!

To this day this video from Chris has the best production quality i have ever seen on this channel 😀

Your production value has gone way up (not that it was bad before). As much of a pain as the Natsuki movie was to produce -- it's definitely made an impact!

The Video That Introduced Me To Your Channel And Natsuki! I Loved Natsuki In This Video So Much. I Thought He Was Just A Standalone Guest, But As I Watched More Of Your Videos, I Realized You Guise Were Friends! It Made Me So Happy. I Loved Watching Your Guises’ Adventures Together. Best Bromance. Happy Birthday Natsuki!

Ok so who’s here after the latest Jujutsu Kaisen Chapter

I am a simple man, I see natsuki ,I drop a like

DUUUUUUUUDE! Super cool they let you film there!

Please make another video like this one! 🙏I'm going into intermediate and this video helped me so much with my friends. I love your videos!!!

After watching this I still can't understand the new jjk chapter

I wouldnt be surprised if it came out that Natsuki was part of the Yakuza at one point

This video was ballsy

I’ve watched so many abroad in Japan videos and I come back every year or so and watch them all again

Im a big fan of Doco's. Ive seen all yours Chris. Well done. I enjoyed them all and learned a lot about Japan.

You need balls of steel to play this game

I was like "he might get in trouble for stealing content of a Japanese history show" but then I realized he made it all himself. Props to you, very interesting documentation.

Here in Las Vegas we have a few Pachinko parlors. Inside Red Dragon Asian themed bars there are Pachinko rooms. Not sure if you just get to gamble or not as nobody ever plays them. Always empty.

(0:52) [Correct Description] Part arcade game, part gambling, and part sensory overload, causing anyone nearby to lose all their brain cells and rational thought.

if u go to japan and see people lined up in front of a building in the morning, it's pachinko

Damn, Chrissy, your direction skill has gone way up since your last major Japan-exploration-centric video. Keep it up, man, I'm into it.

I still have 2 Pachinko games from the 1970s in my basement. Such fun.

Def one of my favourite Abroad in Japan vids

Your editing and directing skills have really leveled up! Looking forward to seeing more great content.

Holy shit, the production value is good

These videos are always so interesting it’s got me wanting to go and try that out for myself 😀

wow! I have always wondered what Pachinko was! Thank you so much for the video. It was entertaining and informative. :)

I'VE BEEN WAITING YEARS FOR THIS VIDEO AND ITS FINALLY HERE!!!!!

Holy crap, when he was talking about the two separate parts of the casino to avoid gambling, that was in Pokemon games😂

Beautiful videography. Thanks for the video!

love how he sipped every last drop of the Sake. didn’t even make it seem like it was alcohol

7:39 "Japanese people love the sensation of trying one's luck" AHA! I _knew_ it! Japan _does_ love RNG!! _That's_ why there's so much of it in their games!

So that's why the game corner in Pokemon red and blue has a separate building for prizes. That's pretty interesting.

Having seen the sad addictive scourge of the prolific suburban poker machine (“pokies”) dens while living in Melbourne and Sydney, as soon as I walked into a pachinko parlour in Japan I immediately thought “I’ve seen all this before”, and walked straight out. Interestingly, state governments in Australia have a similar financial interest in maintaining the status quo of the pokies as the Japanese government appears to have with regards to pachinko: the punters are addicted to the machines, and the governments are addicted to the revenue.

I feel like I'm just watching a TV show or something on Netflix, and not a KZfaq channel. That's how high quality this video is.

I have to say Chris, I actually really liked this more history lesson style of video. I'd heard bits and bobs about pachinko and its roundabout form of gambling, but never anything about the history behind it. In fact, learning about Japan's cultural history beyond the broad strokes is rather difficult from the wrong side of the Pacific. If the opportunity arises, I'd love to see more videos like this on your channel, learning more about Japan's modern past from an insider's perspective. One place I've heard of that I might suggest looking into would be the Meiji Mura Architectural Museum in Inuyama, near Nagoya. This outdoor museum features the largest collection of surviving buildings from the Meiji and Taisho Eras (1867-1926) anywhere in Japan, including the lobby from Tokyo's famous Imperial Hotel designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and yes, an original Meiji Era sake brewery (don't recall if it's still operational or not). Also on display are one of the first electric trams to operate in Kyoto, dating from 1912, and a pair of 19th Century steam locomotives, one of which, No. 12, was built in 1874 as No. 23 for the first Kobe-Osaka-Kyoto Railway and is a copy of two of the first steam engines to operate in Japan full stop, on the Shinbashi-Yokohama Line in 1872; these engines, built by Sharp-Stewart of England, were part of an order of 10 such locomotives ordered from 5 different British builders. The Sharp-Stewart engines in particular were considered the most successful of the bunch, so when the time came to order locomotives for the new Kyoto Line, the Railway Ministry went back to Sharp-Stewart and essentially said "Two more of those, please." These survived in government service until 1911, when they were sold to the privately owned Bisai Railway along with a lot of other similar engines from the Shinbashi-Yokohama Line that were also considered too small and old for regular service. Renumbered 12, the engine continued working as a yard shunter, moving wagons and arranging trains, until 1957 when she was finally retired. Thanks to her historical significance she was preserved and first put on display at Meitetsu Line Park until 1963, after which she was moved to Meiji Mura, first being displayed as a static exhibit, but then restored to operation in 1973. She's undergone two major restorations since then, one in 1985 to replace her old boiler, then again in 2010. Can you tell I'm a history student yet? :P

"japanese like to try ones luck" So THATS why gacha games are so popular there

I like the idea of the Ebisu Cafe not trying to be a gambling hall but instead market their pachinko games as an arcade where you go to play for fun and socialize instead of focusing on winning.

Seeing you tackle pachinko was quite fun; I'd be interested in seeing you and Natsuki head into a 雀荘 and try to learn 麻雀 (Riichi Mahjong), if any would allow you to film there at least.

Yay, gotta love this!!

Natsuki’s personality is so endearing, such a genuine, nice and funny guy, love him 😊

I keep comong back to this video and I love it every time. It's the reason I bought an old refurbished pachinko machine and have spent hours sitting at it just enjoying the lights, sounds, and nonsense that it provides.

This is fascinating. I finally understand it, and I've been seeing it in anime for years.

Him: Natsuki do u have balls Natsuki: reacts like any other person who doesnt understand the joke

As a gamer I always wondered why you had to go to seperate building in Pokemon Red/Blue/Yellow for your prizes in the Game Corner, but once you do a little research, you can find out that it makes sense due to Kanto being based on Japan and thus makes sense that there is a seperate building because it's paralleling Panchinko in real life Japan. Bonus Fun Fact: The scrolling health in Earthbound/Mother 2 was originally going to be styled after a Panchinko machine.

The cafe is quite smart, in my view, I think they have increased the chance of winning on their machine by a significant amount, then also increase the amount of balls required to exchange for items. In this way the shop can profit while the customers can enjoy their winning thrills most of the time hence coming back for more.

Domain expansion: *Restless Gambler*