Crane games are unusually common in Tokyo with many multistory megastores such as Gigo dotting the many city centers within Tokyo. These ginormous stores are nearly always multistoried with the loot available dependent on the floor you’re on. Many of these stores also have additional floors for pachinko, ribbon or coin games. The number of crane games in these establishments are beyond belief for many visitors to Japan who are surprised to see a never ending sea of crane games. It is definitely among one of the many cases of over-stimulation many foreigners will come across throughout their Japan trip.

Here, within this amalgamation of bright lights and the discombobulation of uncountable machines blurting out random sounds, it is easy to become over-stimulated. However, this quickly passes as you walk through the isles and excitement grips you as you spot more prizes than you could have imagined. Most machines require a 100-yen per try although most modern machines accept local train passes or cards to simplify the spending process. The prizes in these machines vary more than any foreigner could prepare for with machines that dispense food, machines that dispense plushies, machines that dispense clothing and even machines that use humans attached to a harness as the claw of the machine. Even the machines themselves vary with machines of all varieties littering the halls, some of which use claws, elastic bands, buttons, suction cups, balls and countless other varieties. Many of these machines can even be operated from home so people can enjoy the thrill from afar.

While crane games in the west are usually oriented more towards younger demographics with cheap toys, this could not be farther from crane game culture in Japan. Crane games here are serious business with some prizes being worth hundreds of dollars. These stores are filled with people of all ages, and due to the large variety of prizes, there is something for everyone. These stores are also open considerably late allowing night goers and people on a night out to partake in some slightly intoxicated crane games. It is not a rare sight to see groups of friends or office workers on a night out drinking trying to win their favorite anime character or wifu. While this may seem strange at first, it is an incredibly fun and social experience. Many of my Japanese friends come with their friends, not for the prizes, but for the thrill of playing the games. Although, there is certainly a certain amount of skill involved, most of these machines are designed to facilitate a very slow road to victory where luck is a major factor. Of course, most of the time it will be cheaper to buy these prizes in the many stores in Japan, however this lacks the proverbial thrill of the hunt. Among the few figures I have won in my short stay in Japan, these figures sit on top of my cabinet, not as some testament to a fictional character, but as a trophy of the time I fought a machine and won with many of my friends looking in awe and cheering the background. Thus, these prizes become more sentimental and are connected with memories I will cherish for a long time.

Although these stores are littered across nearly every city center, there is no place quite like the mystical atmosphere of Akihabara to enjoy the true crane game culture. Akihabara, renowned for its otaku culture, is a hotspot for anime stores, maid cafes and most importantly, crane game megastores. In the city center, there are 5 six-floor gigos within a five minute walk from each other, each with its own variety of claw machines and prizes. This makes it the ideal spot for foreigners to enjoy a true crane game experience. Just don’t enjoy it too much so as to not suffer the detriments of an empty wallet.