Return to the golden age of arcade gaming at the Japan Game Museum

Located in the countryside of Japan’s Aichi Prefecture is a one-of-a-kind museum that houses an enormous collection of old-school video game cabinets and mechanical arcade games, not to mention what is purported to be the world’s leading pinball machine collection.

But the best thing about this museum is that you don’t have to just look at the arcade exhibits; you can also actually play them! And what’s more, the only price you’ll pay is the entry ticket, meaning you can enjoy all the machines to your heart’s content without having to carry a giant bag of change.

Getting there

The first thing to be aware of is that the museum isn’t especially easy to get to. The nearest station is Inuyama Station, which is 30 minutes from Nagoya by train, and from there’s no public transport. So long as the traffic’s not too heavy it takes about 15 minutes in a taxi, but the price is pretty high so our writer recommends renting a car if there’s enough of you to foot the bill.

When you arrive at the museum, you can choose from three kinds of tickets: 1,000 yen for an hour, 2,000 yen for three hours, or 3,000 yen for an all-day pass. With your ticket you can play an unlimited amount of games in your permitted time. For those brought up on the arcades of the ’80s and ’90s, you’ll probably spend half your time trying to decide what to play next!

Also, bear in mind that as this is a privately owned museum it’s only open on weekends and national holidays, so don’t go taking a day off work to play Space Invaders or you’ll be sorely disappointed.

▼ The sign advertises their collection of machines ranging from 1960 to 2000.

Inside the museum

To the left of the reception is the video game zone packed with brightly lit arcade games and shooting games. The entire lineup is well preserved and carefully selected, and they even have super-rare mechanical games from the 60s and 70s that you can play too.

To the right side of the reception is the pinball zone where you can encounter the nostalgic machines from the dingy arcades of yesteryear. You can enjoy machines from the 70s onwards, and all these retro games are kept in the perfect condition of their golden age. It’s like going back in a time machine!

Our Japanese reporter expected most people to bring their kids along, but was surprised to find that in reality, even on a national holiday the museum was filled with old men tapping away at buttons and nudging pinball machines just like they did during their youth. He concluded that even if you spend a whole day at the museum, there’s not enough time to get your fill, and since the proprietors constantly change the lineup and bring in new additions, you’ll want to visit again and again.

If you’re a fan of old-school games, the Japan Game Museum may be a little out-of-the-way, but it’s well worth making the trip to experience.

Muesum Information

Name: Japan Game Museum (日本ゲーム博物館)
Address: Aichi Prefecture, Inuyama City, Imai Yamagamibora 9-1
Opening times: 10am-5pm on weekends and holidays only

▼ People are here playing from the minute the museum’s doors open

▼ There aren’t many table units, but they have monumental works like this on display.

▼ There are mechanical arcade machines from before the arrival of video games.

▼ Helpful signs tell you how to operate them.

▼ Heaven for pinball fans.

▼ There are so many pinball machines they have to be packed tightly together.

▼ An array of retro machines from the 70s.

▼ On the second floor they have their collection of units awaiting maintenance.

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