Pachinko is one of the most popular leisure activities in Japan. Played in establishments called ‘pachinko parlors’, the pachinko machine is a gaming device that is a combination of a pinball machine and a video slot machine. Steel balls are propelled into a maze of spinning wheels, bumper-action pins, and bonus pockets. Lights flash, bells ring and music plays when balls trigger the jackpot, earning extra playing balls.

Recently, television in Japan appears to be saturated with Sankyo (a manufacturer of pachinko machines) advertisements for their Star Wars range of pachinko machine.



