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Urban Geometry: The Lines and Curves of Pachinko
東上野：パチンコ玉を象ったモニュメント
After a long meeting with a colleague near Ueno Station in Tokyo, Japan, I took a short break before heading back to my office in Yokohama. As I made my way back to the station, I took the opportunity to capture some street photography, documenting scenes around Ueno Station.
In this shot, standing at over 7 meters tall (more than 24 feet), is a striking stainless steel "U"-shaped sculpture crowned with a reflective steel sphere.
The "U" represents Ueno, a well-known district in Tokyo’s Taito Ward. The sphere on top? It’s designed to resemble a pachinko ball, a nod to one of Japan’s most popular mechanical arcade-style games. Pachinko involves launching small steel balls into a machine, with the goal of winning as many as possible. These balls can be exchanged for prizes, which—through a legal loophole—can then be exchanged for cash at offsite locations, sidestepping Japan’s strict gambling laws.
This sculpture isn’t just a random artistic installation—it reflects the deep-rooted connection between Higashi-Ueno and the pachinko industry. This area is home to a high concentration of pachinko machine manufacturers, many of whom have offices and showrooms here. Given that Ueno Station serves five bullet train lines, the location is ideal for industry professionals commuting between Tokyo and manufacturing hubs in other prefectures.
As a result, Higashi-Ueno has earned the nickname "Pachinko Village" among enthusiasts. The massive pachinko ball atop the "U" serves as a tribute to an industry that employs many in this neighborhood and attracts pachinko parlor owners looking to test and evaluate the latest gaming machines in nearby showrooms.
- Location: Ueno Station, Taito-ku, Tokyo
- Timestamp: 14:54・2024/12/10
- Fujifilm X100V with 5% diffusion filter
- ISO 160 for 1/30 sec. at ƒ/7.1
- Classic Chrome film simulation
References:
- Google Maps: Pedestrian Overpass Ueno Station・上野駅正面玄関口の横断歩道
- Wikipedia: Pachinko (English)
- Magical Trip Media: What Is Pachinko? (English)
- Pachinko Industry in Higashi-Ueno:
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