Your first visit, step by step
Everything to do before, during and after your first pachinko or pachislot session: what to bring, choosing a seat, taking breaks, counting up, prizes and leaving.
Before you fly
Plan your trip
A pachinko session is a 30–60 minute side quest on a Japan trip. Here's how to fit it in without stress.
Packing checklist
- Yen banknotes. The lending units take banknotes only, and ¥1,000 notes are easiest (Japanese Slot Guide).
- Passport. You must be 18 or over, and staff may ask for ID (MARUHAN).
- Earplugs. Halls are loud, and tour hosts recommend them (Airbnb Experience).
- A phone with data and a translation app for screen words and asking staff. Save our glossary.
Stay connected: eSIM
An eSIM lets you use maps, translation and our guides from the moment you land.
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Getting around
The halls with the strongest evidence of English help in our directory are in major hubs: Shinjuku and Asakusa in Tokyo, and Namba, Umeda and Shinsekai in Osaka. Fukuoka (Hakata and Tenjin) has halls with documented Korean help and English web pages, and there are listings near Nagoya Station and in Takayama. See the parlour directory for exact addresses.
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Book a guided experience
Want a local to show you how? Compare guided pachinko tours (from about US$19 to US$102, as checked in 2026).
Read before you go
What pachinko costs
What ¥1,000 actually buys at 4-yen and 1-yen pachinko and at 20-yen and 5-yen pachislot, realistic first-visit budgets, and why you control the maximum you can lose.
Etiquette & rules
The house rules nobody tells visitors: 18+ and ID, where you can smoke since 2020, how to tell if a seat is taken, breaks, photos, member cards and saving balls.
Areas, chains and itineraries
Pachinko in Shinjuku
Pachinko in Shinjuku: MARUHAN in the Godzilla building, with staff who teach in English, Chinese and Korean, plus guided Kabukicho tours, hours and a plan for the night.
7 min read
Pachinko in Akihabara
Pachinko in Akihabara, Tokyo's anime capital: the halls near the station, what's verified about English help and what isn't, anime machines, and an otaku day plan.
7 min read
Osaka anime & pachinko day
A one-day Osaka plan for anime fans: Den Den Town and Ota Road, an hour at a MARUHAN Namba hall with English help, then Dotonbori, with Shinsekai or Umeda options.
8 min read
Parlour chains explained
Japan's biggest pachinko chains by hall count, what each brand name looks like on the street, and which chains have English-friendly halls in PachiPass's verified list.
8 min read
More areas: Osaka and Fukuoka
Namba & Dotonbori
Pachinko in Namba, Osaka: MARUHAN's Namba Hon-kan and Shin-kan with English, Chinese and Korean help, Shinsekai nearby, and fitting a session into a Dotonbori evening.
6 min read
Umeda & Osaka Station
Pachinko near Osaka Station: Q-Bang!'s two Umeda halls in the Osaka Ekimae buildings, with a beginner experience for visitors, and how Umeda compares with Namba.
5 min read
Hakata & Tenjin (Fukuoka)
Pachinko in Fukuoka: PLAZA Hakata and Tenjin with English pages, Tamaya Honten and Venus Gallery Kiyokawa with Korean support, and pairing a session with yatai.
7 min read
Chain guides
MARUHAN for visitors
MARUHAN is Japan's largest pachinko company by sales: its four visitor-friendly halls in Osaka and Shinjuku, the free multilingual manga guide, rates and ID rules.
7 min read
Q-Bang! Osaka
Q-Bang! runs two pachinko halls by Osaka Station in Umeda with a 'pachinko experience' for overseas visitors, self-guided or staff-attended. What we could verify.
5 min read
AMUSE chain guide
AMUSE is an Osaka-founded pachinko chain whose Asakusa hall has multilingual manuals, a currency exchange machine and a translation device. Facts and visitor tips.
5 min read
PLAZA (Fukuoka)
PLAZA is a Fukuoka pachinko chain with English pages for its Hakata Station and Tenjin halls: rates, hours, machine counts, the English beginner guide and the company.
5 min read
Tamaya (Fukuoka)
Tamaya is a Fukuoka and Saga pachinko chain whose flagship, Tamaya Honten in Haruyoshi, has Korean, Chinese and English pages and Korean how-to videos. Visitor notes.
5 min read
Readiness score methodology
How PachiPass plans to rate pachinko parlours for foreign visitors: the evidence we record, the status levels, English-support levels and why we don't publish scores yet.
6 min read