![]() ![]() The Japanese love of pachinko and the high number of pachinko addicts has the Japanese government concerned about liberalizing Japan’s gambling laws. The massive facilities operated by these conglomerates resemble factories rather than gaming parlors and can be found in some of the most remote areas of Japan. In the latter half of the 20th century many of these smaller pachinko parlors closed or consolidated, and now a handful of large entertainment corporations (mostly headed by zainichi Korean residents) operate the vast majority of pachinko parlors in Japan - as of 2018, there are now almost 10,000 pachinko parlors in Japan and approximately 8 million pachinko players in the country (6% of the population). Japan’s first pachinko parlor opened in Nagoya in 1930 before the game exploded in popularity after the gambling potential was realized, with the number of parlors rising to nearly 400,000 in 1953. By some reports, the pachinko industry accounts for 4% of the Japanese GDP.Ī sign at the entrance to a Maruhan pachinko parlor in Kawasaki warning pachinko players not to leave their children unattended in their cars (Edward Mears, 2021)Īlthough almost exclusively popular in Japan, the game originated from the United States - called ‘Corinthian Bagatelle’ - and was imported from Chicago to Japan in 1924 as a candy store game for children. Pachinko parlors can be found on almost every corner in Japan, and the industry makes approximately USD 200 billion per year, an astronomical number that surpasses the amounts spent in Las Vegas and Macau each year. Accordingly, ‘grey’ businesses like pachinko parlors were some of the few opportunities that were open to them. Japan’s ethnic Korean population ( zainichi Korean) have been heavily involved in the pachinko business as after World War II many of them found it difficult to obtain ordinary jobs due to systemic discrimination (which continues to exist in Japan to this day). This elaborate scheme allows the pachinko parlors to operate in a legal ‘grey’ zone and skirt Japan’s gambling laws. To get around the legal requirements, the players are awarded prizes (often in the form of small fragments of gold or other valuable metals or even more mundane items such as lighters or ball point pens) that are then traded at a neighboring shop (called a ‘TUC Shop’ - which stands for Tokyo Union Circulation - the company that oversees these shops) for actual cash. Since gambling is illegal in Japan, pachinko parlors are not allowed to reward their winning patrons with cash. Inside of a packed Maruhan pachinko parlor in Kawasaki (Edward Mears, 2021) ![]() The only significant difference to the interior since Air shuttered was that the small sofa / lounge area on the main dance floor level (where Bob chats with Akimitsu Naruyama and Charlotte sits next to Hiroshi Fujiwara) has been walled off and is now a staff area / changing room for artists. The subterranean layout of Space ODD remains generally the same as it was when it operated as Air: a small main dance floor on the B2 floor with a lounge on the floor above. The club ceased operations in 2016 however the space remains in operation as ‘Space ODD’, a concert hall and event space (rather than night club). The club first opened in 2001 and while it was much smaller than some of the more famous clubs in the area such as Womb in Shibuya’s Dogenzaka district or Unit in Daikanyama, Air managed to draw some notable acts over the years including Calvin Harris, m-flo, DJ Jazzy Jeff among others. Google maps location for Space ODD, which was formerly the nightclub Air, in DaikanyamaĪir was located at 2–11 Sarugakucho in Shibuya Ward, just along the JR Yamanote line tracks headed towards Ebisu, and was about a ten minute walk from Shibuya Station. As the night progresses, Bob tries to communicate (poorly) in French with Akimitsu Naruyama, owner of the contemporary art gallery ‘Gallery Naruyama’ in Kudanshita. Bob flirts with Akiko Mono, a Japanese actress and model and also speaks with Hiromix (Hiromi Toshikawa) a famous Japanese photographer and artist. At Air they meet up with Charlie Brown (Fumihiro Hayashi) and make friends with several club goers (perhaps friends of Charlie’s) - most of whom are actually up-and-coming (at the time) Japanese influencers, actors and artists. On their first night out Bob and Charlotte make an initial stop at the night club ‘Air’ in Daikanyama, a hipster enclave adjacent to Shibuya. Throughout the film, Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) spend most of their nights at the New York Bar in the Park Hyatt, but they did venture out of the comfort of their five star hotel on at least two occasions to explore Tokyo’s nightlife. The nightclub scene at Air in Daikanyama from Lost in Translation ![]()
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