We do a lot of "pin spotting" and finding which movies show which pinball machines, but I went and searched for movies that had "pachinko" mentioned somewhere. I wanted to see what the Japanese cinematic take on pachinko was.
In this post I'll be looking at Japanese movies and posting screen-captures of scenes with pachinko. I will be doing a separate post to really focus on foreign cinema's take on pachinko in Japan. (EDIT: exploring pachinko in foreign cinema)
20th century American movies that show pinball in a prominent way often use it to underscore the trouble-makers and youth culture led astray. There is certainly a similar heavy strain of that through
Japanese movies that have pachinko. But let's not forget that pachinko isn't anything close to pinball.
Pachinko is gambling, and the tradition is more aligned with American cinema that focuses on gambling. That is, gangsters, hopeless gambling addicts that get in way over their head, drug usage, and the trouble that swirls around them.
Pachinko also has a somewhat unique thread in later Japanese cinema, being used as a placeholder for emptiness, despair, and just giving up, something you might see alcoholism fill the space for in an American movie. While never looked at naively, some of the earlier films at least have a more sympathetic and romantic framing of pachinko. Characters using pachinko as a social backdrop is far more inviting than the later imagery of pachinko as metaphor for despair.
This post will end up being nothing more than just a visual examination of movies that have pachinko in them, it isn't intended as a thesis of any sort. I won't add a lot of comments, but I will try and add some context as we go.
This list is not meant to be comprehensive, just a scattering of movies I found through various methods searching for pachinko information. That said, if you have a movie with pachinko to recommend, please do reply!
We're going to go in chronological order, here is a quick summary of what's inside:
1949 - 野良犬 / Nora inu (Stray Dog)
1949 - 私刑（リンチ） (Rinchi)
1952 - お茶漬けの味 / Ochazuke no aji (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice)
1952 - 東京の恋人 / Tôkyô no koibito (Tokyo Sweetheart)
1952 - 生きる / Ikiru (To Live)
1952 - お茶漬けの味 / Ochazuke no aji (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice)
1952 - 東京の恋人 / Tôkyô no koibito (Tokyo Sweetheart)
1952 - 生きる / Ikiru (To Live)
1952 - 本日休診 / Honjitsu kyûshin (Doctor's Day Off)
1952 - 大当りパチンコ娘 (Big hit pachinko girl)
1957 - 東京暮色 / Tōkyō boshoku (Tokyo Twilight)
1957 - 警視庁物語 上野発五時三五分 / Keishichō monogatari Ueno-hatsu 5:35am (Metropolitan Police Department Story: 5:35am from Ueno)
1959 - べらんめえ芸者 / Beran me-e geisha (The Prickly Mouthed Geisha)
1957 - 警視庁物語 上野発五時三五分 / Keishichō monogatari Ueno-hatsu 5:35am (Metropolitan Police Department Story: 5:35am from Ueno)
1959 - べらんめえ芸者 / Beran me-e geisha (The Prickly Mouthed Geisha)
1960 - 女獣 / Mejû (Woman Beast)
1961 - 豚と軍艦 / Buta To Gunkan (Pigs and Battleships)
1962 - キューポラのある街 (Foundry Town)
1963 - 何か面白いことないか / Nanika omoroi koto nai ka
1964 - 夜の片鱗 / Yoru no Henrin (The Shape of Night)
1968 - 喜劇初詣列車 / Kigeki hatsumoude resha (Comedy Hatsumode Train)
1968 - (秘)トルコ風呂 / Maruhi toruko buro (Secret Turkish Bath)
1961 - 豚と軍艦 / Buta To Gunkan (Pigs and Battleships)
1962 - キューポラのある街 (Foundry Town)
1963 - 何か面白いことないか / Nanika omoroi koto nai ka
1964 - 夜の片鱗 / Yoru no Henrin (The Shape of Night)
1968 - 喜劇初詣列車 / Kigeki hatsumoude resha (Comedy Hatsumode Train)
1968 - (秘)トルコ風呂 / Maruhi toruko buro (Secret Turkish Bath)
1969 - 現代やくざ 与太者仁義 Gendai Yakuza Yotamono Jingi (A Modern Yakuza The Code of The Lawless)
1974 - ㊙色情めす市場 (Maruhi) shikijô mesu ichiba (Secret Chronicle - She Beast Market)
1975 - 濡れた欲情 ひらけ！チューリップ (Wet Lust: Opening the Tulip)
1976 - やくざの墓場 くちなしの花 / Yakuza no Hakaba: Kuchinashi no Hana (Yakuza Graveyard)
1975 - 濡れた欲情 ひらけ！チューリップ (Wet Lust: Opening the Tulip)
1976 - やくざの墓場 くちなしの花 / Yakuza no Hakaba: Kuchinashi no Hana (Yakuza Graveyard)
1976 - やさぐれ刑事 / Yasagure Keiji (Outlaw Cop)
1976 - 君よ憤怒の河を渉れ / Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare (Manhunt)
1977 - 男はつらいよ 寅次郎頑張れ! / Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Gambare! (Tora-san Plays Cupid)
1979 - 復讐するは我にあり / Fukushū Suru wa Ware ni Ari (Vengeance Is Mine)
1987 - マルサの女 / Marusa no onna (A Taxing Woman)
1996 - Shall we ダンス / ? (Shall We Dance?)
1997 - ワイルドライフ (Wild Life)
1999 - どんてん生活 / Donten seikatsu (Hazy Life)
2000 - 殺し / Koroshi (Film Noir)
2000 - はつ恋 / Hatsukoi (First Love)
2004 - 下妻物語 / Shimotsuma monogatari (Kamikaze Girls)
2007 - 国道20号線 / Kokudo 20gosen (Off Highway 20)
2009 - カイジ / カイジ 人生逆転ゲーム / Kaiji: Jinsei gyakuten gêmu (Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler)
2011 - カイジ2 人生奪回ゲーム (Kaiji 2: The Ultimate Gambler)
2013 - そして泥船はゆく / Soshite dorobune wa yuku (And the Mud Ship Sails Away)
2014 - そこのみにて光輝く / Soko nomi nite hikari kagayaku (The Light Shines Only There)
2020 - マザー (Mother)
1976 - 君よ憤怒の河を渉れ / Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare (Manhunt)
1977 - 男はつらいよ 寅次郎頑張れ! / Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Gambare! (Tora-san Plays Cupid)
1979 - 復讐するは我にあり / Fukushū Suru wa Ware ni Ari (Vengeance Is Mine)
1987 - マルサの女 / Marusa no onna (A Taxing Woman)
1996 - Shall we ダンス / ? (Shall We Dance?)
1997 - ワイルドライフ (Wild Life)
1999 - どんてん生活 / Donten seikatsu (Hazy Life)
2000 - 殺し / Koroshi (Film Noir)
2000 - はつ恋 / Hatsukoi (First Love)
2004 - 下妻物語 / Shimotsuma monogatari (Kamikaze Girls)
2007 - 国道20号線 / Kokudo 20gosen (Off Highway 20)
2009 - カイジ / カイジ 人生逆転ゲーム / Kaiji: Jinsei gyakuten gêmu (Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler)
2011 - カイジ2 人生奪回ゲーム (Kaiji 2: The Ultimate Gambler)
2013 - そして泥船はゆく / Soshite dorobune wa yuku (And the Mud Ship Sails Away)
2014 - そこのみにて光輝く / Soko nomi nite hikari kagayaku (The Light Shines Only There)
2020 - マザー (Mother)
Here is a list of movies I am actively searching for. Please let me know if you have a copy.
WANTED:
1933 - 純情の都 (Junjo no miyako)
1956 - 弥次喜多道中記 (Travel Chronicles of Yaji and Kita)
1962 - ちんじゃらじゃら物語 / Chinjarajara Monogatari
1963 - 虎の子作戦 (Operation Torako)
1963 - ぐれん隊純情派 (Gurentai Junjyôha)
1949 - 野良犬 / Nora inu (Stray Dog)
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| pinball machines from 1933-1936, most likely. No backbox, but with a nice basic geometric shape on the side. I have identified this machine: 1949 欧米式マーブル電装野球遊技器 (Western-style marble electric baseball game machine) by 鈴富 (Suzutomi) |
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| I can't stress enough how awesome these 1940s machines are |
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| very few of these pre-masamura gauge machines survive |
1949 - 私刑（リンチ） (Rinchi)
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| more from Rinchi at the Arcade Exploration post |
1952 - お茶漬けの味 / Ochazuke no aji (The Flavor of Green Tea Over Rice)
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| people banging on stuck machines seems to be a recurring theme |
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| I love the shots of the attendants working behind the aisles |
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| living room pachinko! |
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| I love this shot |
1952 - 東京の恋人 / Tôkyô no koibito (Tokyo Sweetheart)
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| no pachinko machines in this movie |
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| but it does have this awesome woman picking up a crate of balls |
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| ...and tossing them at a pachinko office worker, and out the window |
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| notable here are the pachinko posters on the wall |
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| and more scenery |
1952 - 生きる / Ikiru (To Live)
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| the first film I saw that includes a closeup of the pachinko playfield |
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| obviously trying to draw the viewer into the nature of the game |
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| Establishing shots done, time for a thesis |
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| another great shot |
1952 - 本日休診 / Honjitsu kyûshin (Doctor's Day Off)
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| I always love shots that show off the attendants |
1952 - 大当りパチンコ娘 / Oatari pachinko musume (Jackpot Pachinko Girl)
1957 - 東京暮色 / Tōkyō boshoku (Tokyo Twilight)
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| more banging on machines to unstick balls and get the attendant's attention |
1957 - 警視庁物語 上野発五時三五分 / Keishichō monogatari Ueno-hatsu 5:35am (Metropolitan Police Department Story: 5:35am from Ueno)
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| electric buzzers and light to call the attendant |
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| 5 heads popping up from the back aisles is a record! |
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| in the back you can see a half-gauge machine |
1959 - べらんめえ芸者 / Beran me-e geisha (The Prickly Mouthed Geisha)
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| more banging |
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| cashing out balls for canned food |
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| when these winnings are unveiled in another scene, there is the sound of a pachinko jackpot heard |
1960 - 女獣 / Mejû (Woman Beast)
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| I love shots that show the layout of parlors and how people worked behind the aisles |
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| man on the left is carrying his prizes |
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| note the mechanical ball dispenser on the prize table |
1961 - 豚と軍艦 / Buta To Gunkan (Pigs and Battleships)
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| note the naval graphics and the USA and Japan flags |
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| an excellent shot behind the pachinko aisles |
1962 - キューポラのある街 (Foundry Town)
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| this is a great scene that takes us behind the pachinko rows |
1963 - 何か面白いことないか / Nanika omoroi koto nai ka
1964 - 夜の片鱗 / Yoru no Henrin (The Shape of Night)
1968 - 喜劇初詣列車 / Kigeki hatsumoude resha (Comedy Hatsumode Train)
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| nice scene-setting |
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| my favourite: calling for help from behind the machines |
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| I love her |
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| It seems the woman in the back has been awarding the guy on the left some bonus wins. Later models of pachinko would develop guards to help prevent this kind of cheating. |
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| I love those green ball buckets. |
1968 - (秘)トルコ風呂 / Maruhi toruko buro (Secret Turkish Bath)
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| Bunta, no! Don't bang the machines! |
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| knock knock, who's there? |
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| BUNTA! |
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| nice shot of the ball dispenser |
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| oh you rapscallion |
1974 - ㊙色情めす市場 / (Maruhi) shikijô mesu ichiba (Secret Chronicle - She Beast Market)
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| slot machines are Olympia Mark III - オリンピア・マークIII |
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| arrangeball machines on the right |
1975 - 濡れた欲情 ひらけ！チューリップ (Wet Lust: Opening the Tulip)
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| well that was an incredible opening sequence! |
1976 - やくざの墓場 くちなしの花 / Yakuza no Hakaba: Kuchinashi no Hana (Yakuza Graveyard)
1976 - やさぐれ刑事 / Yasagure Keiji (Outlaw Cop)
1976 - 君よ憤怒の河を渉れ / Kimi yo Fundo no Kawa o Watare (Manhunt)
1977 - 男はつらいよ 寅次郎頑張れ! / Otoko wa Tsurai yo: Torajirō Gambare! (Tora-san Plays Cupid)
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| finally some classic 1970s pachinko |
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| that stare |
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| always appreciate the strategy tips |
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| Another recurring theme are the characters that really aren't into pachinko |
1979 - 復讐するは我にあり / Fukushū Suru wa Ware ni Ari (Vengeance Is Mine)
1987 - マルサの女 / Marusa no onna (A Taxing Woman)
1996 - Shall we ダンス / ? (Shall We Dance?)
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| a poignant example of pachinko used as a retreat |
1997 - ワイルドライフ (Wild Life)
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| brutal scene of destroyed discarded pachinko machines |
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| always great to see scenes of people working on the nails |
1999 - どんてん生活 / Donten seikatsu (Hazy Life)
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| I think she's played a video pachinko game for the Famicon |
2000 - 殺し / Koroshi (Film Noir)
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| pachinko as despair |
2000 - はつ恋 / Hatsukoi (First Love)
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| a person's reflected face frame by the pachinko machine is another recurring image |
2004 - 下妻物語 / Shimotsuma monogatari (Kamikaze Girls)
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| the movie starts with a woman flying through the air, pachinko balls falling from her pocket |
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| title card freezes here, pachinko balls raining |
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| love this shot |
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| hahahahaha |
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| the joke is that she doesn't know why she's doing so well |
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| hell yeah |
2007 - 国道20号線 / Kokudo 20gosen (Off Highway 20)
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| this movie focuses on pachislo machines |
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| it is the bleakest look at gambling yet |
2009 - カイジ / カイジ 人生逆転ゲーム / Kaiji: Jinsei gyakuten gêmu (Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler)
2011 - カイジ2 人生奪回ゲーム (Kaiji 2: The Ultimate Gambler)
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| there are a LOT of photos for this one |
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| most of the movie takes place in this one location |
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| why? Because it holds The Swamp, this ridiculously huge pachinko machine |
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| pachinko balls are currently valued at 4 yen each, so playing a machine for 4000 yen balls... |
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| enjoy this top-to-bottom pan |
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| I'm at least grateful they took the time to show off the machine |
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| I've got some bad news for you about that final clune |
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| another iconic shot of a face reflected in a pachinko playfield |
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| I love a good heist movie |
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| now we're just showing off the elaborate outer drain holes |
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| just so many machines glowing for background ambience |
2013 - そして泥船はゆく / Soshite dorobune wa yuku (And the Mud Ship Sails Away)
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| bonus points for the candy cab |
2014 - そこのみにて光輝く / Soko nomi nite hikari kagayaku (The Light Shines Only There)
2020 - マザー (Mother)
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| another film with pachinko as despair |
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| it makes the connection to modern game centers where gambling is normalized for children |
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| Check that retro skill-roll style game!! |
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