Pachinko
Japanese Living

for further reading: Life at Maison Ikkoku

Bright, garrish, noisy and smoke-filled, Pachinko pinball arcades are always found in soapland districts. There are over 10,000 of these establishments in Japan and more than half the population admits to playing Pachinko pinball machines on a regular basis. Players win tokens that they swap for prizes ranging from cigarettes to hi-fi equipment. Apparently pachinko was invented by a Korean in Nagoya who, after World War II, wanted to find a use for surplus ball bearings.

Relevance to Urusei Yatsura

Around the time of Mendo`s introduction, Lum had a love tester that was modeled after a pachinko machine. Pachinko is a popular pasttime in Japan, and some people are even talented enough to make a living at it. In 2003 there were even Urusei Yatsura pachinko machines at some parlors.