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Japan Arcade
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
24 reviews for Japan Arcade
I agree that there are a few problems that keep Japan Arcade from earning 5 stars. The first one is the crappy mall parking lot, that charges you by the 15 minute marks. Also the arcade is a bit rundown, and there are times I have to go to the manager to get my quarters back when I realize machines are not in complete working order, but I don't have too many problems with the arcade, and I must say that it is one of the better arcades in the LA area, from my experience.
The truth is, that you're not going to find too many spiffy-looking arcades anymore. There's just not enough interest in them to afford making them spiffy, with video games in every other person's home.
You could always go to Dave & Busters or Jilian's, but most their games are crap, and expensive to boot. And those damn ticket machines. I used to work hands on with kids, and I take them to a place with ticket machines, and they blow through 20 bucks in 5 minutes, but I started taking them here and they're set for 45 minutes to an hour on $5-$10. Plus they love the originality in the games there.
I love this place...!!!!
I remember one summer coming here every other day with Paolo and Bobin just loungin around the mall and ending up here playing that funky little snail game that unlocks half-naked pics of Asian Women...!! hahaha sooooooooo awesome...!!!
But recently, i spent many o'times here with my fellow Hachiroku drivers (Ae86) DJ, CJ and Kensuke...!!
Dj plays guitar on Guitar Mania, while Kensuke plays along with DJ on the drums, CJ hits the Initial D (AE86) racing game, and i'm still on the snail game with the half naked Asian women...! LOL
its funny because you have all these Initial D gamers in there lined up to race each other and looooove to shove wins in your face. but when the Arcade closes, and its time to exit, they walk into the parking lot and see we actually drive the cars from the Game. Its the ultimate slap in the Initial D fans face.
I looooooove it...!!!!
p.s. they have Taiko...!!!! woooooooooow
I would like to like this place. It's open latish and is in a mall that is otherwise empty. So you don't get people cheesing you out on Marvel Vs Capcom. They have a lot of good capcom games. But for some reason, the place just doesn't pass the bar for me.
It's dirty. Even dirtier than your typical arcade. Believe me, I have been to pretty bad arcades and this is one of the worse when it comes to looks/feel.
The machines are the Japanese style low machines. You don't have to stand up to play the majority of them. They have a lot of guitar/fake band games. So that appeals to a lot of people. The single monitor street fighter and fighting game cabinets are great. But really, this place just feels like something is wrong.
Oh yes, the change machine and the snarky attitude by the workers here also makes me feel like this place doesn't welcome you at all. The machines are pretty run down or just busted up. So be careful, dealing with them to get your coin back is just a hassle.
Two words
PARA PARA
I remember this arcade from when it closed down the first time. I assume that it might be the same owner. But it is the most empty arcade I have ever been in. There are never any lines for any games. Yet they are somehow surviving.
One thing good about this place is that it has a lot of popular games as well as some very obscure ones, while being relatively safe. There aren't any thugs in here, just mostly gamers and casual patrons.
I am very pleased with the pricing for most of the games. Most of the machines are similar to the ones in Asia, where you sit down to game instead of standing up. So you can sit down and play Gals Panic like I do.
Just to let you know Gals Panic is like QBert, but with naked Japanese girls on it. Yes, I used to be quite good at it, too.
This arcade is kind of a dump and they don't have the latest games, but it's easy to burn thirty minutes playing here. There are never any lines, which means it's creepy pedophile free. If you've got the time, check out the drumming game. I can't remember what it's called and unless you can read Japanese you won't exactly know what you are doing, but it's fun! Pick up the sticks and beat the hell out of the drums to the music. It's also a great way to let out aggression. I come here everytime I get a parking ticket. Damn you man in the white prius!! I hate you!! Quit putting tickets on my car!!
This place is so cool the C is a Pac-man. Japan Arcade located on the second floor of the Japanese mall in Little Tokyo called Little Tokyo Shopping Center (well thats redundant) is blazing with fun arcade games to past the time. This arcade has a nice big selection of games to play. Many titles not found in the US are here. Many of the games are straight from Japan so the menus are in Japanese, but who cares when most of those games are light shooters.So just take your gun a blow everyone down. One of them I tried was based on the Lupin the 3rd anime. This was a very strange shooter as it changed from the first level of blowing guys away on a train to shooting rocket missiles on wheels, to shooting through glass at a jewelery store and then sucking up diamonds, until I finally died shooting police cars. It was still very different and strange and thats what you want in a Japanese arcade or any arcade. They also had a police woman trainer game I didn't try that had way to much writing on it.
The best game you probably haven't tried it Taiko Drum Master. This is my favorite game they have. This is a big arcade machine with two big drums on it that you have to hammer away on in touch with the beat with drum sticks. It's really fun to team up with a friend and complete a J-pop song. In Japan these machines were updated with new music, but here you only have a choice of about 70 songs. I actually owned the Region 1 ps2 version that came with a drum controller. I rocked out to the dragonball theme song. This is the best arcade machine to try out while your there.
The arcade has all the old stuff to like my old favorite Virtual On, I know it's available for 360 now, but it's just better to play at the arcade
This arcade has a lot of sit down machines, they even have the new Street Fighter 4 in a sit down style booth. They also have Marvel vs Capcom 2 and other common titles like Metal Slug. I think they have a funny strip video game, but the girls strip to bikinis. They also have one of those fully interactive Dance Dance machines where you have to move you whole body now. Arms and legs, it looks weird. I didn't list all the different machines, so go try it out and I'm sure they'll have at least one machine you like.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/6/2009
The mall this is in is usally super empty. They have a wide selection of different games the best… Read more »
when the cades are fixed SF4 is all you need!! i loved this place ever since
Ah... Old school entertainment... haven't been to a mall arcade since 1992... bright neon lights, broken token machines with signs saying no refunds, dim lights with the flickering flashes of the cabinet screens, and the sounds of muffled "hadoukens" and "yoga fires" completing the nostalgic ambience. Here you can also find some rare gems like Guitar Freaks, Initial D, DDR ver 5 billion (lolz konami), Taiko Drum Master, and a whole bunch of JP arcade goodness.
Several of the cabinets are like the ones built in Japan, so they're tiny and I'm not really used to sitting down while playing. Some of the machines are also a bit run down (joysticks and buttons not being responsive, calibration of shooting games a bit off, screens a bit blurry), but these flaws do add to the classic charms of those old arcades of yore. The place is a bit dirty, and may need to be spruced up a bit.
Japan Arcade is a great place to reminisce and to hang out with friends while killing some time in Little Tokyo, but not really worth going out of your way just to play some games.
I have a friend that took me to this arcade in downtown Los Angeles.
I was happy to see they had a lot of import games, but then the excitement wore off when I played some of the games.
Most of the machines have nonworking buttons and sticks,
and if by chance the sticks and buttons work the monitor would be iffy.
I have several Japanese arcade machines myself and know that it doesn't take but a few minutes to replace buttons or sticks.
I think this place would be great if they just took the time to make sure there machines working correctly.
arcades are a dying crazy and I would like to see this place clean up there act.
The bad A/C, worn industrial carpet, and peeling hand-lettered signs give this place a pretty low-rent type feel. But that all disappears when you start to explore the machines on offer. It's not MIND-BLOWING in the way I thought it would be (I think I expected flashing lights, confetti, Japanese schoolgirls, Lost In Translation style). But the way the strangeness of the place kind of subtly creeps up on you is probably more entertaining overall than some sense-overwhelming Vegas type experience. What I mean: the games look pretty normal when you're surveying the place. But then you get in a little closer and actually start playing a couple of them and you realize they are so different from US video games that you kind of shake your head and rub your eyes.
There are a couple of great racing games but they're always dominated by Japanese teen boys.
There are a variety of Konami "Bemani" series games - these are music/dance games all based around the Guitar Hero type gaming pattern where colored "notes" come down the screen and you struggle to play along in time to the music. They have GuitarFreaks (a shitty version of Guitar Hero), Beatmania (a turntable game), DDR, Keyboardmania, and - far and away my favorite - a Para Para game. This is based around the Japanese dancing style of Para Para (synchroized, mostly arm movements). It has sensors that you wave your hands either above or below. It's awesome.
They also have Taiko no Tatsujin, or "Taiko Master". You and an opponent bang on giant Taiko drums. It it absurd, and possibly even humiliating to play, as there is no way to look cool banging on a taiko drum while hyper-colored happy faces dance across the screen. Just rest assured that you look cooler than the zit-faced 16 year old in his third hour on the racing game.
And last, but SO not least, they have - I am not kidding you - TYPE OR DIE, a game that inexplicably features a businessman and a business woman fighting zombie with sega dreamcasts strapped to their backs and keyboards mounted in front of them. The game has two keyboards instead of controllers, and you just type the word that appears on screen as fast as possible. If you type it fast and accurately, the zombies die. Then the game is over.
Preceded by a meal at Honda-Ya upstairs and perhaps followed by a spontaneous karaoke sesh a few stores down, the Japan Arcade can be part of a very nice night for Asians and wanna-be Asians alike.
You know what I miss? I miss mall arcades. I miss being a wee lad and running off after a food court disaster to play some Street Fighter. As run down as the Little Tokyo mallishbuildingthing may be, I think that might only add to the glamour of this tiny arcade.
I initially came to this arcade searching for ParaPara Paradise 2. Back in ye olden days (read: a few years ago), I recall they only had 1.5 which is like, the jankiest version. But, I was in LA and it was the only place that had it so I had to settle. I was so pleased to come back and find that they had upgraded their machine.
If you're looking for mainstream OG arcade games (lolpacman), don't come here. Go to the cinema or something, or buy one of those tacky faux retro all-in-one attach-to-your-tele things. But if you're in the neighbourhood, play fighting games or Bemani, and HAVE to get your fix you should come here. Their machines aren't fantastically well-maintained. I can't vouch for the sensitivity nor cleanliness of their DDR machines, though I've never had an issue with any of their fighting game cabinets (in which they also have Japanese cabinets, though whether they have bat or ball joysticks I don't recall).
Great arcade when you don't want to drive to the valley or Arcade Infinity. Beware of the sticky floors!
To be frank, I am not quite sure why I wound up at this place.
I was coming to this plaza for dinner at an Izakaya place up on the 3rd floor of this building. On the first floor was a Mitsuwa market (formerly as Yohan back in the 80's). The top floor was filled with restaurants, but the 2nd floor has hardly anything worth visiting except for this arcade.
I was here early for the dinner by about 20 minutes, but I didn't want to wait around all by myself, so I ventured around the market for 5 minutes. It got really boring and the staff was giving me the 3rd degrees as they are telling me that I was just loitering. So I hit up this arcade instead.
This place was not much to look at. Majority of these fighting games are pretty old and the machines are outdated by a few years. You have to exchange bills or coins for their proprietary tokens in one of their machines nearby. Most of the games were worth 50 cents to a dollar on each play. Be aware that you can't get your money back if you have no use for the extra unused tokens.
I was playing at the magic bubbles because it seemed easy at the time and was cheaper than the other games. Alas, something had to mess me up....
The joystick was stick and hard to control. *sigh*. The game was not as easy as I thought.
There are some cool racing games and some Japanese arcade style games. They are not the most recent games, but decent enough to kill some time while your loved ones are in the market or really you just want kill that waiting time.
It does the trick for me, but don't count on me spending $2 worth of tokens again on that Magic Bubbles.
I really wanted to go to an arcade today for some reason, so I came to you, oh yelpers, and this is what you gave me. Truthfully, the reason I went here and not to K-town was because somebody had written "Most of the machines have nonworking buttons and sticks,
and if by chance the sticks and buttons work the monitor would be iffy", and for some reason, I thought that would make this arcade fun and awesome in a retro way. The truth is that most of the machines have nonworking buttons and sticks, and if by chance the sticks and buttons work, the monitor is usually iffy. The gun games don't work either, nor does the airhocky. In fact, I think the taiko and guitar hero games were the only ones fully functioning, and those games suck. The only reason I gave it 2 stars is because it had my favorite Lupan III game (although the Jigen gun didn't work) and a cool Golgo 13 game, which I had almost figured out after blowing 5 tokens on it. Almost.
I've been coming to Mitsuwa for a while, but this weekend took a friend with and we investigated the rest of the mall. Hello Japan Arcade! $20 will net you 100 tokens, plenty to keep you occupied for a good while. We played the taiko game and a few of the music play-along games (there's one for keyboard, guitar, drums). The typing game other reviewers have mentioned is hilarious. There are also some shooting games and a few dance/body movement games. Went on a Saturday afternoon and it was not crowded.
They don't have a ton of games and it's not super-flashy, but it's a good time and, paired with some BYOB karaoke rooms and a nice dinner, would be an almost perfect fun date.
I love this bizarre little arcade. It and Sushi Go 55 are usually the only places showing some signs of life after dark in the eerily deserted Yaohan/Little Tokyo Shopping Center. They've got lots of imported Japanese games I've never seen before, as well as some more recognizable ones. "Typing of the Dead" is super-fun, even if I'll never make it past the first round because even when you choose English characters it's all Japanese words, which take longer to type if you don't recognize them and don't know how to spell them from memory. Last night Erin C. and I came here and she introduced me to the Taiko drumming game, which was amazing, though I could only play a few rounds before my hands felt like they were going to fall off.
Bonus points for the ubiquitous game-playing teenagers not being sketchy or rude like at some other arcades. Minus one star because some of the games are not exactly in the best state of repair. If you want to play two-player "Typing of the Dead," for example, Player 2 will have to deal with quite a few missing keys.
HOW THE HECK DID I END UP HERE!??!!!?? hahahaha...
My friends and I were roaming Little Tokyo and I found myself here. The girls went shopping at Mitsuwa and I stayed behind with the five year olds. :D
Who the heck knew all these people were into Initial D (drifting game)!!!! People were all serious when playing! hahaha... It reminded me of my old Counter Strike days. Well I finally got tired of watching the boys and their car game so I started playing Tekken! I had fun!!! It's been a long time but I still kicked butt! The player 2 joystick didn't work and my friend was player 1, and I still beat his butt!!! Kick, kick, punch, punch, kick! Who needs a joystick???
I finally got stuck for a good while playing Tekken. The boys were laughing at me but it was fun! I tried all of the girl characters, but I liked Nina the best! I made it to Stage 7 with her and I died. Grrrr.... They get my competitive side going and then we left! I'll be back to kick some butt!
:)
japan arcade is exactly what it is. i love how nothing is in english (except the money/token changer) so you feel like a reverse-fob.
the taiko drum game (see pics) is the only video game that i can beat my bf at...not even dance dance revolution!
great place for time-traveling. you go in to kill time and before you know it, you're late for dinner (4 missed calls ahhh!)
An old friend led me to this place on our first excursion to Godzilla's Crib (Little Tokyo) many years ago to find a DDR machine. I believe it was 4th mix so you can tell how long ago that was. It was a period of time when we would spend twenty dollars worth of quarters on DDR and sometimes when we were short on change we would go ask nearby shopkeepers at Chinatown if they could break our dollar bills. We were turned down most of time and was even yelled at by a grumpy lady once. But playing at Japan Arcade was different. The machine was in better condition, the version was more updated, and we didn't have to go BoA to get quarters. Over the years the arcade has change in some ways. Some older games have been taken out. Some newer ones have been put in. There's a pool table in there now. You'll have to ask the owner for the pool sticks. Not all the games are kept in good condition so watch out; A button that doesn't work, bad joystick, jammed coin slot, etc. But if you tell the owner about your complaint he should reimburse your token(s) back. If you like Bemani games or racing games like Initial D you'll like it here. This arcade gets packed every Friday night when cosplayers come here to chill. There's also Street Fighter IV.
fukc, who doesn't like toys or video games!!!-
especially one located in a creepy mall... Boo!
Awesome bunch of imported arcade games, like Taiko Drumming and "Typing of the Dead" -- think House of the Dead but with keyboards instead of laser guns. They've also got basic joystick + buttons classics, like Street Fighter II -type games.
Games are cheap -- most are 50 cents, and you get a discount on tokens when you buy in bulk (If you change a $20 bill, you get 100 tokens rather than the standard 80). They've also got a pool table, which I think is free for use.
There's a good Citysearch review here:
http://losangeles.city...
Wow, I LOVE this place. It is a family favorite of mine, my other half, and Senor Picky. We come to play the taiko drum game, that Type or Die! game (whatever it is called, but you have to type on a keyboard in order to play the game) and a few others. It's a fun place to bring the kids (10 +) during the day, just, like, don't be a shitty parent and let them run off and not know where they are or what they are up to. It's easy to get lost in the excitement. Then go to Mitsuwa and get crazy with the junk food after.
they need to do something as far as marketing or advertising because this place looks like a straight graveyard.... No bodies..... but you!!! They have a great selection of games though... bring a group or be bored in 10 minutes alone, lol......
Yes, yes, yes! Jesus Christ, yes! You can play Dance Dance Revolution or some queer-ass shooting game anywhere. Come to Japan Arcade for the good stuff. They have practically every Capcom fighting game of the last decade. Sit down and play Street Fighter 3: Third Strike with the fat autistic guy until he wanders away in the middle of your third match. They also have a great selection of King of Fighters, all of them sit-down, some big-screen. I am especially fond of SNK vs. Capcom, which I have otherwise only played in a Mexican video store off Olympic. The coolest part: This is the only arcade I know of that still charges a quarter for most games. I hope that Street Fighter 4 will attract more competition for me at this hidden gem.
