Tokyo's last smart ball parlour rolls on

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Packed with retro stools and 1950s machines, Akinori and Miki Egawa's smart ball parlour harks back to a simpler time in the now ultra-modern Japanese capital. But it's a dying tradition they're trying to save.

Tucked away in Tokyo's old quarter, the deafening sound of hundreds of tiny glass balls rattling into old, clunky machines drifts out of a nondescript shop.

But this is not the sound of a pachinko parlour — Japan's prevalent and noisy equivalent of a casino.

Instead, this is the sound of Tokyo's last remaining smart ball parlour; a place dedicated to preserving a unique form of Japanese entertainment that has almost been lost to time.

The Asakusa-based parlour is run by Akinori Egawa, 69, and his wife Miki Egawa, 66.

It was originally established by Mr Egawa's father in 1949.

Today, it is one of only 11 smart ball parlours still operating in Japan, and the only one left in Tokyo.

"We are proud of our choice to keep our smart ball shop open," Mr Egawa says.

"It keeps the classic game history alive."

Retro stools and 1950s machines

The parlour harks back to a simpler time in the now ultra-modern Japanese capital.

Inside, it is crammed end-to-end with smart ball machines of various makes and models, most of which date back to the 1950s.

Customers sit on retro red stools, lean over glass-encased machines and attempt to hit tiny blue marbles into various holes to score points.

"Everyone smiles when they play smart ball," Mrs Egawa says.

"We have young children who are two or three years old, and even grandmothers who are 96 years old who play the game.

"The adults enjoy it like they are children."

The husband and wife duo spend their days at the parlour manoeuvring between 60 smart ball machines — endlessly topping them up with additional balls, fixing mechanical jams, and reminiscing about the history of the game with their clientele.

"The work is so busy, walking and moving around this place. It is good exercise for me. I feel younger," Mrs Egawa says.

A tale of two games

Smart ball was originally invented in Japan in the 1940s.

The game is similar to Western-style pinball, except a single playthrough can include hundreds of balls and, depending on a player's skill level, can last for hours.

Mr Egawa says smart ball reached the height of its popularity during the 1960s, before being overshadowed by other forms of entertainment, particularly the game of pachinko.

"There were originally seven smart ball parlours in this area, but they all converted to pachinko," he says.

Pachinko, another unique Japanese creation, shares similarities to smart ball.

However, pachinko is influenced by slot machines and incorporates gambling. It is also immensely more popular.

There are approximately 10,000 pachinko parlours across the country, with players spending an estimated ¥23.3 trillion ($280 billion) on the game per year.

This is the equivalent to 4 per cent of Japan's entire gross domestic product.

By comparison, smart ball — pachinko's family-friendly cousin — is nearly extinct.

"Pachinko is different," Mrs Egawa says.

"People spend lots of money. It's gambling. It's an addictive game. Smart ball is not gambling … people play it for their enjoyment."

The future of smart ball

Mr and Ms Egawa see it as their personal mission to preserve smart ball for Tokyo's next generation.

"Many shops here switched to pachinko, and that stimulates the speculative spirit more than smart ball," Mr Egawa says.

"I want to make our store a cultural place. A place where children can play."

The parlour's clientele strongly support this aspiration.

During opening hours, the parlour is packed with parents and grandparents hoping to introduce this almost forgotten leisure activity to their descendants.

"When I was a child, I was playing smart ball," one customer says.

"I wanted to share the same good experience to my children here. It's traditional Japanese culture … I hope that they keep this parlour [open]."

However, maintaining what is essentially a living museum is not an easy task, particularly when it comes to repairing such old machines.

The factory that originally produced smart ball branded machines has long since disappeared. Spare parts are impossible to source.

Mr Egawa says 10 of his machines are currently broken and in need of repair.

Any machine he cannot fix will become a relic.

"We want to continue saving these games, but when a machine breaks, it's difficult," Mrs Egawa adds.

"It's the same as a human being. When old people get sick, they can be difficult to fix.

"[Similarly] when an old machine gets sick, it can be difficult to fix.

"We want to continue to open this parlour. But the machine's factory has already closed. So there is a limit."

Still, the couple are committed to keeping the parlour operating for as long as they possibly can.

And the reason for their determination is simple.

"Everyone is smiling," Mrs Egawa says.

Topics: community-and-society, arts-and-entertainment, popular-culture, offbeat, human-interest, games, kids-games-and-links, gambling, family-and-children, japan, asia