-
Tokyo losing another iconic video game arcade as Ikebukuro landmark is closing for good
投稿日 2020年12月2日 23:00:07 (ニュース)
-
続・お知らせ。海外セレブゴシップ&ニュース
-
お知らせ
-
We spot the legendary dekotora Aki Kannon, dedicated to actress and singer Aki Yashiro
-
New Pokémon GU collaboration dresses all the family, including babies for the first time
-
How do European Cup Noodles taste to a Japanese palate?
-
We’ve been doing it wrong – Japanese genius shows us how we should all be making sandwiches【Pics】
-
The future is now with full face sunglasses
-
Natto-infused ramen is a thing — we tried it, we love it【Taste test】
-
Jellyfish and Halloween in perfect harmony at Sumida Aquarium event
-
Japanese toilet paper collection opens our minds as we open our butts
-
Aomori police on the lookout for man shouting unsolicited advice at kids about dating and ramen
-
Former Arashi members Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba get married… Wait, that didn’t come out right
-
Creator of Japan’s longest-running manga, Golgo 13, passes away, leaves fans one last gift
-
Crazy cheap cosplay at Daiso? How to transform into Dragon Ball’s Vegeta at the discount shop
-
7 Halloween-themed afternoon teas you won’t want to miss this year
-
Krispy Kreme Japan creates doughnut burgers that are a meal and two desserts all in one【Photos】
-
Get in the damn drift car, Shinji? Evangelion Tomika toy brings D1 machine home in miniature form
-
Demon Slayer Nichiren Blades ready for new duty: Slicing through your sweets as dessert knives
-
Man in Japan arrested for breaking into ex-girlfriend’s apartment to steal her Nintendo Switch
-
The Japanese Internet chooses the top too-sexy-for-their-own-good male voices in anime
-
First-ever Studio Ghibli x Russell Athletic range pays homage to My Neighbour Totoro
-
Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan announces first expansion with new Donkey Kong area
-
Cup Noodle pouch satisfies our never-ending need for instant ramen
-
Retro Japanese train is our new favourite office space
-
How do Japanese fans feel about Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop opening sequence?
-
We try Uniqlo coffee at first-ever cafe inside Ginza flagship store
-
The number of elderly people in Japan this year has yet again smashed multiple records
-
Mr. Sato broadens his home drinking horizons at Kaldi【Japan’s Best Home Senbero】
-
We try Japanese Twitter’s newest trend the Penguin Egg, end up hatching something very disturbing
-
Takoyaki makers surprisingly good at grilling meat for yakiniku too
Sponsored Link
If you want to tip your hat to Silk Hat, now’s the time.
Much like fax machines and pagers, video game arcades have managed to tenaciously cling to existence in Japan. But pagers are finally a thing of the past in the country, fax machines’ days are looking numbered, and each step forward in home video game technology pushes Japan’s arcades that much closer to the edge of the pit of obsolescence.
The latest sign of the changing times comes from Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district, where yet another landmark arcade has announced it’s closing its doors. This time it’s Silk hat Ikebukuro, which stands at the end of Sunshine 60 Street (Sunshine 60-dori), across the street from Tokyu Hands and the entrance to the underground passageway that leads into the Sunshine 60 shopping and entertainment complex.
▼ Silk Hat Ikebukuro
▼ Even if you’ve never been to Tokyo, you might recognize it from its cameo in the opening to the third season of Ikebukuro-set anime Durarara!!
Silk Hat Ikebukuro is an archetypal large-scale Japanese arcade, with a lineup of not just joystick-and-button video games, but crane games/UFO catchers, interactive card games, music/rhythm games, and sticker picture booths. With Sunshine 60 Street being a major pedestrian artery for those walking to or from Ikebukuro Station, pretty much every visit to the neighborhood involves passing by the arcade, and with Ikebukuro being one of Tokyo’s major otaku gathering spots, particularly for teenaged game and anime fans, Silk Hat was a popular place to drop in and drop a few coins trying to win an anime character plushie or show off the power of your rare cards to gamers who’d recognize and appreciate them.
▼ The same building even houses a K Books anime specialty store.
But alas, it’s all coming to an end. Silk Hat Ikebukuro ha broken the news that it’s closing down on January 11 through its official Twitter account.
▼ “Silk hat” is what a top hat is called in Japanese, in case you’re wondering about the logo.
いつも当店をご利用頂きまして、ありがとうございます。
誠に勝手ながら、シルクハット池袋は2021年1月11日(月)の営業をもって閉店させていただく事となりました。
長きに亘るご愛顧、スタッフ一同、心より感謝申し上げます。
残り僅かな期間となりますが、皆様のご来店をお待ち申し上げております。 pic.twitter.com/aPD6cjXsIUSponsored Link
— シルクハット池袋 (@SILKHAT_ike) December 1, 2020
The announcement reads:
“Thank you always for your patronage.
We sincerely apologize, but Silk Hat Ikebukuro will be permanently closing on January 11.
The entire staff would like to express out heartfelt appreciation to all of our customers who have lovingly supported us for so long.”
There’s some consolation in that the heads-up comes with more than a month until Silk Hat Ikebukuro shuts down, but it’s still a sad turn of events for those who had happy memories there, and online reactions have included:
“I went there all the time to play games when I was a student, and even as an adult, I always stop be when I’m in Ikebukuro. I’m so sad to hear about this. Thank you for all the good times.”
“The staff was always so polite and friendly. Thank you so much!”
“I used to go there to win Mr. Osmatsu merch from the crane games.”
“I moved to Japan two years ago, and I’ve been going to Silk Hat Ikebukuro ever since. Thank you for the wonderful memories of Ikebukuro.”
“Whoa…another arcade I like to go to is closing down. Probably because of the pandemic, but I’m still bummed.”
“The pandemic isn’t helping, but even before all this, arcades had been losing customers for a long time.”
As alluded to by the last two comments, the arcade industry in Japan has been taking a beating during the coronavirus pandemic, but it wasn’t doing particularly well prior to the health crisis either, as high-spec home consoles and PCs with online play have been steadily eroding arcades’ relevance for years. The coronavirus does seem to be a sort of tipping point, though, and while those with a firm grasp of Ikebukuro geography might point out that there’s still a Sega arcade just a block away from Silk Hat, that chain isn’t doing so great these days either, so if you want to see one of Japan’s multi-floor game centers, it’s probably best not to put it off any longer than you have to.
Arcade information
Silk Hat Ikebukuro / シルクハット池袋
Address: Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Higashi Ikebukuro 1-29, St. Tropez Building 2nd /3rd floor
豊島区 東池袋1丁目29 サントロペビル 2階・3階
Open 10 a.m.-midnight (Monday-Thursday), 10 a.m.-12:45 a.m. (Friday-Sunday, holidays)
Website
Source: Twitter/@SILKHAT_ike via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Silk Hat
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Source: SORA NEWS24
Sponsored Link
最新情報