Multiple regional brewers and amazing taiyaki will keep you from getting too thirsty or hungry while you’re at Japan’s newest arcade.

No one was entirely sure what to expect when Sega left the arcade management industry in Japan. After decades of running some of the highest profile game centers in the country, Sega was calling it quits and selling off its remaining arcade management assets to Genda GiGO Entertainment, who later scrubbed Sega’s name from the facilities.

But two years since the handover, any initial fears of Genda GiGO liquidating the assets for some quick cash seem to have been misplaced. The company looks to be committed to making a go at keeping arcades viable in Japan, and their latest plan to do so includes adding a bar that serves regional craft beers.

Cocono Susukino is an entertainment center attached to Susukino Station in downtown Sapporo. Though the center opened in November, it wasn’t until the end of January that GiGO moved in with its new GiGO Cocono Susukino arcade.

At the right edge of the photo above you can see the corner of a counter. Swing your eyes farther in that direction and you’ll find…

…a bar!

“Let’s play game over beer!” the signage suggests, with the unorthodox syntax more likely a result of English-proficiency levels in Japan than grammar getting lax after a few cold ones. In any case, the menu isn’t made up of the typical Asahi/Kirin/Sapporo triumvirate found in any Japanese convenience store or supermarket. Nope, this is Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido, and so this GiGO serves up Obihiro Beer, a craft beer produced by Hokkaido’s Sogo Brewing and shipped straight from the brewery to the arcade, as well as Hokkaido Brewing’s Otaru Lagar and Fruits Brewing line, infused with Hokkaido pear and Hiroshima lemon.

Sharp-eyed sweets fans will also notice that signs at the bar promise taiyaki, pancake-like fish-shaped sweets stuffed with anko (sweet red bean paste) or other fillings.

That’s because when GiGO acquired Sega’s arcade business, they also acquired the Sega Taiyaki part of it. You might be familiar with Sega taiyaki from their appearances in the Yakuza/Like a Dragon video game franchise, where they’re a health-restoring consumable item, and rest assured that though the real-world version won’t heal injuries, it is delicious enough to fill your heart with joy (by nature of being produced by Yokohama’s regional Kurikoan chain of taiyaki takeout shops). In addition to standard fish-shaped taiyaki, GiGO Cocono Susukino says they’ve got some character-themed limited-time taiyaki treats in the works too, like these Dolze ones that went on sale February 2.

GiGO Cocono Susukino had its grand opening on January 31, and it’ll be interesting to see if Genda GiGO expands this combination of video game and local craft brew entertainment to other parts of Japan too.

Location information
GiGO Cocono Susukino / GiGOココノススキノ
Address: Hokkaido, Sapporo-shi, Chuo-ku, Minami 4 Nishi 4 1-1
北海道札幌市中央区南４条西４丁目１番地１
Open 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Website

Source, images: PR Times
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