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Category: Photography Stores & Services
Neighborhoods: Pacific Heights, JapantownTue. 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Wed-Thu. 1:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Fri. 1:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
"Galleria Scola is the best. They have tons of lovely frames to choose from and a knowledgeable and helpful staff. Their framing jobs are…" read more »
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Although I felt a bit lost in this place upon entering, since their was not much direction and just about everything is in Japanese with little translation, however, the clerks were more than nice to explain all I needed to know and give advice to how to run the machines. Also, every thing is timed, to picking your pack grounds to actually printing the photos you want. So knowing what you are doing is key! And although 10 bucks is a bit much for a couple of sticker photos, this place is a BLAST.
Once you get beyond the selecting of the machines and directions, the choices and poses are endless and so much fun! from flying in outer space to hiding in a washer.
Pika Pika is a must go when visiting Japan Town.
5 Stars for PikaPika because they provide:
- OUTSTANDING customer service!
- Wide Variety of photo booths (options . . . love options!)
- HELLA loud music (makes you pose "all crazy"! ::laughing::)
- they are a great business bringing Japan flava to SF
all that AND, my daughter took some really cute pics there so how can I not give 5 stars to a really great $15 experience!
WE WILL RETURN!!
***Hahahahhahahahahahhaahahahahahahhaahahhahahahah ahahaahahahah
***Major randomness!!!!
***Trying to figure out the machines.
***Pictures snapping and we had no idea what was going on.
***The workers had to help us with the decorating of the photos.
***SOOOO HILARIOUS taking the pics and decorating the pics.
***There are SO many ways to decorate the pics!!!!!!!
LMFAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good times. :) We still laugh about it.
I'm a japanophile. I love the culture. Though I'm not a raving pokemon fan, I like that the name takes after pikachu and sounds like those japanese sounds you find in comics. PIKA! Very fun place for teens, kids, adults and groups to take pictures together. Definitely a place to go to if you wanna have some crazy fun taking snapshots of nice memories, slices of life.
They keep getting new machines that just get better and better. They have foil ones now and some really interesting backgrounds and costumes on the screens.
Better be nice to the peeps behind the counter when you come in cause for these booths you may need a walk-through folks. They move really fast!! The more you do the better they get though cause you get the hang of it.
Bring some cash cause thats what the machines take then get ready to POSE POSE POSE. The crazier the better is my motto!
A great way to spend an hour with your nearest and dearest.
Who knew getting your picture taken could be so much fun? I would recommend anyone try this.
The…
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I had friends in SF who had done this a million times, and after seeing all the amazing pictures, I couldn't wait to try it. So when I went to SF (on my first trip ever, actually) with one of my best friends, I was way pumped to try it.
The employees there were beyond helpful, showing us where to go and what to do, which was especially great since all the directions in the booths are in Japanese. They're always willing to walk you through everything...although one of the best parts is just clicking things and seeing what happens...especially when it comes to decorating the pictures after.
You can put pink, smiling, or gold poop in your pictures. Or falling money. Or small animals. Or polka dots, stripes, lightening bolts, smiley faces, ice cream, donuts, vegetables, fruit, other foods, shinies, sparklies, gangsta bling, etc. And the backgrounds/scenarios they provide are fantastic - in a bathtub, in trash cans, falling off a cliff (some of the booths have a small set of monkey bars you can hang off of - even upside down), riding a polar bear, in jail, in a fridge, coming out of a TV (like in The Ring), and tons more.
Don't skimp on decorations! Honestly, fill up all that space with everything you can. It always makes for a better photo, and that's really what you're paying the $9 or whatever for - the stuff you can put ON the photo.
Warning - make sure you're keeping track of how long you take to decorate each picture. There's a time limit, which I didn't know when I went there the first time, and I ended up with an undecorated picture (which was still cute, but not as awesome as the others). Also, don't wear too much green! Or any, if you can avoid it. The cameras operate with green screens, so anything green in the booth with or on you will "vanish." My friend wore green shoes, and his feet were this mysterious, ghost-like blur. Of course, if you want this effect, go for it. :)
I'd advise only going with two or three people, total...more than that can be a hassle to pose in a photo, and most scenes are designed for about two people, anyway (although you can incorporate more if you want to).
At about $10 per session (for a bigger booth, if I'm remembering right), split in half (two people paying), it was 100% worth it.
******UPDATE******
We tried turning the brightness option all the way up on the camera at home.
NOPE.
I walked into this place with the ever so charming Elijah S. He pulled me back towards the door and… Read more »
I'm probably a bit above the average age for this place. . .but I'm in love. Thankfully I was with someone who spoke Japanese - everything is in Japanese.
Love the booth with the monkey bars. Totally awesome.
A bit on the pricey side (minus one star) but totally worth it. If you have kids, this is the place to bring them!
holla! how much FUN is this?!?!?! i'd passed through once before with friends but none of us had cash on us so we didn't take any pictures.
the machines can be quite intimidating, but just let loose. you'll end up with pictures one way or another -- and hopefully good ones! there are about a dozen machines, most of them with japanese-only interfaces (although there are very rudimentary english instructions they have helpfully taped to the side). they only take $1, $5, or $10 (some of them) bills, but they have a stash of singles/fives/tens at the front desk if you need change. the machines we used were $6 and $10 (two $10s, one $6) -- go and splurge for the high-dollar machines -- the pictures are clearly better quality.
basically you put your money in, go in, configure the backgrounds and brightness of the pictures you want, take your pictures, then go and customize them in another section of the booth. (you can add virtual stickers and doodles and random japanese sayings.) then, about a minute later, photos pop out! easy-peasy!
it's a bit stressy because there's a timer that counts down in almost all stages of the photo-taking process to make sure you don't hog the machine (i guess). if you don't act fast enough, you'll get default or random settings. if you need help, though, the staff should be able to help (so say many signs posted around).
you will have a HECKA good time taking pictures -- just lose any inhibitions and they'll come out great!
p.s. it's weird seeing tourists in there LOLOL
p.p.s. might i recommend studying up on http://www.asianposes.com before you go!
I was with some extended family, most of them with their kids. The kids saw this place and really wanted to take pictures in the booths. They really wanted me to take pictures with them, me being the youngest "adult" in the family. I basically had to be dragged in. I thought this was going to be a big waste of time and no fun at all. I mean come on i have a digital camera right here with me I thought. I didn't know what purikura was all about or what was involved. I just didn't want to do it. Jesus was I wrong about everything! This place is awesome! I am a huge fan of Purikura now. If you don't know what is it about then just google Purikura.
This particular Purikura booth shop has a wide range of booths. They range from about $5 a photo shoot to $9. The booths themselves all serve different photo taking styles. From standing up in the middle of the booth, having different seating arrangements for you and your friends, to booths that focus on your head while others focus on your whole body. In the end you get really fun and great quality photos that you yourself "Photoshoped" using their built-in editing machines. You get options of background, effects, words, etc. Plus let me tell you these booths make you look particularly good looking. All the blemishes, imperfections, etc. are drowned out by their great lighting.
Now everything is in Japanese but don't worry they have all the instructions on boards inside the booths. They explain everything and its pretty darn simple. By the second go we were experts. Be aware that when you are editing your photos you have this timer that counts down. Don't worry though because it wills top mid count and give you A LOT of extra time to finish editing.
I just wish they would email you the photos for free. You have to pay them to scan them in and email them to you. I suppose anyone can do that at home though. So I just didn't even pay for that service.
By the end of it I guarantee you will of had a fantastic time. They are SO MUCH MORE FUN than the photo booths that you find around the U.S. Trust me. The experience of those booths kept me from wanting to go here but WOW it is SO MUCH BETTER!
Oh and note that at some point in the day they have happy hour where a certain booth is like half price. That could save a lot of money especially if you get addicted :).
In closing, take your friend/boy/girl/friend/family/fiance/wife/husband/ anyone and have a great time. I will be back time and time again. IT IS THAT AWESOME!
I've always adored taking purikura whenever I was in Japan. It's an amazing experience if you go with a group of people who are just fun and enthusiastic to be with.
So when PikaPika opened up in Japantown, I knew it was the spot to take everyone who visited me to.
This past weekend, I had a bunch of friends come from out of town. So we spent an afternoon at Japantown, eating, shopping, and taking purikura! For some friends, it's something that they've never done before and have only heard about when we showed them purikura from Japan. For others, it's a slice of Japan that they missed.
So we all piled into a booth to start taking purikura. It's a lot more fun if you move around for each picture. Different positions, facial expressions, hand gestures...they all make a group picture more entertaining.
After taking the pictures, you can decorate them! Put maracas on people or bunny ears, sparkle things up with bubbles, hearts, or stars, put a date on it, or just write something. I think half the fun is decorating the pictures.
There's a cutting station available so make sure everyone gets some stickers. After all, you may just have addicted your friends to the world of purikura. I know I did.
Brings whole photo booth concept to a new level - it's much more fun than you'd think, and is definitely worth a trip if you've been out in the neighborhood for sushi... The guy that runs the machines is super helpful (all the instructions are in Japanese so he walks you through it).
The end product for $10 is a 4x6 print with a bunch of little images, unless, of course you ask them to email you the prints so you can post them on Facebook, which he did for free. I told him I would have paid an extra $5 to get the pics emailed to me or sent to Facebook and his eyes lit up.
I'm a man. A real man. I like football. I drink beer. I burp and I fart. I do man things and don't apologize... I don't do pink. I don't do cute. I'm no girly man!
That's why i laughed out loud when my Girlfriend told me she wanted me to take Pika Pika pictures with her! AH-HA! Are you serious? Me doing Pika Pika? You've got to be joking...
I stepped through the doors of Pika Pika and immediately felt my testosterone level drop 20 points. My man powers were being threatened by any 13 year old Japanese girl I made eye-contact with. The machines all looked like unicorn flower robots on steroids. I felt like such a wuss, such a square... so pink... so insecure. Suddenly, an employee of Pika Pika looked at me and spoke...
"Hey there! Do you guys need help?" He was incredibly friendly and not as scary as i thought.
"Yeah, i think my GF wants to take pictures? We've never been here." Trying to stay cool even though I had officially entered the point of no return.
"No problem! Let me help you with EVERYTHING, get you familiar with how EVERYTHING WORKS, be totally NICE AND HELPFUL to you, and make you feel TOTALLY GREAT about this experience." This isn't exactly what he said... but this is exactly what he, and all of the staff did when they found out it was our first time here.
And so it went... the staff members here took me out of 'questioning my manhood in Pika Pika' to actually being excited about Pika Pika.
I stepped into the Harajuku Princess Unicorn Fun booth? and began to feel like a kid again. In front of the green screen I was smiling- I was jumping- I was posing- I was having an awesome time taking pictures lol. Then you edit the pictures, which is even more fun. I mean really, it is TOTALLY awesome! Who ever thought it would be so simple to edit the pictures, and so funny to drop green cupcakes on my face?
Leaving Pika Pika made me have a new appreciation for it. It's one of those 'don't knock it until you try it' type things... I always thought it was one of those things strictly for kids and girls- but it was really fun to try it out. On top of this, i can't stress enough how nice and helpful the staff members here are. They know everything about these machines and are SO willing to help you. This is 5 Stars up and down...
I heart Pika Pika!
I wish we had something like this around me growing up... I'm not sure if there's one in Hawaii or in LA...
I had my one and only experience with Pika Pika back in May 2009 on Memorial Day weekend... my bff and I visited SF for the holiday. I found Pika Pika through yelp I believe and I was excited to make a visit here...
We got there by MTA... it was a little confusing to find... but once we were there... I was sooo excited!
Our first experience was confusing because everything was in japanese... so we didn't get to decorate our first session like we wanted to because time ran out. So we did another one... and had someone help us... walk us through how to decorate the photo.
It was so much fun! This is the best photobooth I ever came across! I wish I could go back! I love japanese photobooths! So darn kawaii.
This is a great place to stop by with family or friends and take fun pictures! pricey but worth it!
5 stars from me! yay!
Great spot, and lots of fun! We enjoy getting pictures here :D
this place totally brings back nostalgia of being in japan. a store w/ONLY purikura booths, where it's like a maze to walk through and get lost in the colorfulness and video game sounds? yep, i feel like i'm in my teens again. :) it's the only store of it's kind in SF! oh how i miss japan...but at least we have something cool like this in j-town. we need some more cool things to do like this in japacen!
the owner ryan is also very sweet and friendly. he's young, professional, and knows wats up. he also kicks ass in taiko, and has all these female teenage fans flocking him. hahaha.
Finding a fun date spot is almost as hard as finding Waldo.
After slurping chewy noodles at Tanpopo, I hip hopped my way to Pika Pika. This is sticker photo heaven on steroids.
The options are endless.
[instantly widen my small eyes]
[add wigs + a big bow tie from costume trunk]
[add animated sushi rolls]
but before you bring your date, follow the check list below
Top 5 Signs to bring your date to Pika Pika
1) If your date does the "Peace" sign while posing for every photo, even though she cares less about world peace
2) If your date wants to name her dog "Manga" or "Sailor Moon"
3) If all your date wants for Christmas is the newest Illustrator software
4) If she thinks that Barbie is ugly, but would rather sleep with two Hello Kitty Dolls
5) If her name is MIMI or GIGI or any other popular Hong Kong/Taiwan name
For $7, I had a few stickers made.
I also got to psycho analyze my date.
I found out she likes the color PINK.
She also takes dam long just to choose a feature.
She also liked to take control of my sticker picks.
All in all, it was fun.
I got to warp back to my FOBBY child hood days.
Note: the Owner Ryan is more than friendly, assisting me.
Note: FOBBY stands for {FRESH OFF BOAT BY YOURSELF}
;P
I went to Pika Pika with one of my good friends a couple days ago, and it was definitely a memorable experience! I've taken pictures in photobooths before, but this was definitely NOT an ordinary photobooth.
I have a few warnings before you go - either ask for help or make sure you know what you're doing. Me and my friend picked the cheapest machine to save money and we didn't have a lot of time to pick poses once we pressed start. So that's how I ended up being in a laughing fit for a lot of the pictures... I love how much you can edit the pictures.
My only complaints were that the prints we got at the $6 machine were rather small and that I didn't like the time limits. Of course, it was a little pricey too.
Overall, it was a ton of fun and an essential part of Japan town! Come here with your friends.
TANOSHIKATA-NE!
Oh, how I loved Purkikura (sp?)! It reminds me of all the good times I had in Japan back in 2004-2005.
During the Cherry Blossom festival, we sorta came upon this place, and suddenly it was on, like Donkey Kong!
Although $10 is definitely pricey for some sticker pics, it was a memorable experience.
Lots of machines, props, and workers to help (instructions are ALL in nihongo (japanese)).
An awesome place to go with your friends.
So much fun! It has different types of booths to try.
Quite expensive, though but worth the fun.
The owners are nice to give me free prints too.
I LOVE purikura (Japanese short for print club). I still have all my little sticker photos of the good times with friends in Japan and cherish them more than most other photos. It's an experience you should share with all your friends if you can!
So I'm really glad that Japantown has a purikura place!
I'm also glad I know Japanese and have done purikura numerous times because it's always SUUUPER stressful (which DOES make it somewhat exciting, hence the fun). If you DON'T know Japanese, I can't imagine how stressful it could be for you. So to the untrained purikura-taker, here is some info and useful tips to prepare yourself----
**This place has props and hats/accessories to dress yourself up. Take a gander and think about using some of them. Personally, I didn't want to because I don't know where those things have been and... in Japan, they usually don't have those things.
**ALL THE MENUS ARE IN JAPANESE. There ARE English translated instructions on paper above the screens here, but when you're choosing what you want based on what the touch screen says (which is IN JAPANESE) with only FEW seconds to choose... panic can set in. So if you DON'T know Japanese, read the instructions carefully before you stick your money in to start the fun... because it IS fuuunnn!!!
**EVERYTHING is TIMED and the timing is SHORT. You have a certain number of seconds (15??) to select your photo backgrounds, take your photos (10ish?), choose which photos to print (30 seconds?), and decorate (about 200 seconds). This is very typical for every machine... however, I seem to remember the timing in Japan being waaay more generous... but it could also be that the booths there have way more complex options.
**After you take your pics, you go outside the booth and around to the editing area (usually just around the corner of the booth behind a curtain) where you can decorate your purikura with various clipart and writing of your choosing. Depending on the machine, you will have different themed options. AGAIN, all the editing screen options are in JAPANESE. So before you stick your money in, make sure to read the instructions of the editing parts too just to prepare (make note of the useful buttons like "erase" and "undo").
Some ideas for decorating that are popular:
-Write everyone's names/nicknames onto the photo
-Write a saying of some sort, esp if it's during a holiday (Merry Xmas, Happy Valentines, etc.)
-Place a different decoration around each person (different flower on each person's head)
-Write the date
-Go crazy and use a little bit of everything! Borders, writing, flowers, animals, etc!
**After your pictures print, go to one of the tables and cut them up with the provided tools. It's best to do it right then and there. Make sure to donate one of your photos to the establishment and they'll include it on their walls!
Now, if you're used to the purikura machines in Harajuku of good ol' Japan like I am, don't expect the amazingness of that to be here. I found the machines to have really plain themes/background options (and some of them really awfully ugly). I only found one I liked that wasn't ugly, sickeningly cutesy, or just kinda too weird.
Definitely worth it tho if you're with friends and want a unique souvenir and especially if you're never done it before! Unfortunately, this place is PRICEY (at least to a seasoned purikura-taker like myself). The machine we used was $8 (you get ONE SHEET of sticker film to cut up and share) and others were $5-$6. CASH ONLY.
I do have to add that not being entirely prepared and just going for it can be fun since it's totally spontaneous... but the purikura where I planned ahead (what poses to do, what backgrounds to pick, what kind of decorations I could do/what phrases to write) always seemed to turn out better and I liked them more.
Now go forth and PURIKURA!
only place remotely close to do pika...which is amazing in itself...add great, friendly staff and clean, bright, fun environment and you've got a winner...people are complaining about the price, but you can't do it anywhere else...plus it's great for longer than one would expect...takes a good half hour to pick out machine, take pictures, and design...have fun! If you're really worried about the price, come during their happy hour. They allot two machines at half price. For example, you can do a $12 machine for $5...all the green screen, half the money.
BOYS-this would be a great place for a second/third date-fun, silly, close and a little romantic without being too uncomfortable...and during decorations, you can check out your date's sense of humor! (plus Sophie's crepes is right next door-can you say "share a crepe?")
Do you remember when you were in the 7th grade and you thought it was "cool" to wear matching outfits and take professional pictures at "Picture People" or what not? You would go during the weekend wearing matching anoraks and puka shells because, well, that was "IN" back in the day. Okay, maybe not...I never said that I was one of those "cool" kids.
Well now that I'm an old fart, it's almost refreshing to relive my childhood by spending a nice Sunday watching a movie at Sundance (with a nice glass of Zin) and then walking over to Pika Pika to take dorky photos. The good thing about Pika Pika is that it's not going to cost you $80. Then again, we weren't trying to order 50 wallet size photos to distribute to our friends.
+4, for good, cheap times pretty much acting like a kid again. I had to minus 1 point because I spent $5 for them to scan the pics so I can have a digital copy. Yeah, we were duped. They sent us an email but it didn't have a damn photo attachment. Liars!
When I was in high school, my friends and I were crazy about studio picture and sticker pictures. I dunno, we always wanted to remember "this moment" when we hung out, went shopping, etc. Years later I'm a grown adult (sort of) and I stumble upon this establishment. My fiancée and I thought it was a bar that had sticker machines in it. Haha, not a bar. But a bunch of picture machines. We thought it was f**kin expensive for sticker pictures so we just picked the cheapest one $5 to see what's the big deal with Japanese picture machines. The big deal is all the doodling AFTER the picture is taken. And its hilarious what mustaches, spilled ramen bowls and poo poo on your shoulder and do to make a picture a whole lot more fun. WOO HOO to Ryan who brought this fun establishment to the bay from Japan. :D
*Passes by PikaPika*
"Should we go in?"
"Fuck it! Yeah! Let's go in!!"
*proceeds to go in, peeks inside with all the people having TONS of fun and taking pictures*
"Uhh...."
*both walk away in intimidation*
"...maybe next time!"
"Yeah, maybe next time!"
After seeing all my friends pictures from this place, I was determined to get one too! My boyfriend and I came here after eating some lunch and it was an interesting experience!
There were a bunch of booths, and although they are kind of expensive ($10 for 6 pics, only ONE sheet), it really is worth it. You get to decorate it, change colors, put stars, hearts, glasses. There are A LOT of options! Thats why its worth it.
Only one staff person was there, and he did a good job of helping everyone without a long wait. So thats cool too. =D
Ka-ko-ii
That's phonetic spelling of "kick ass" in japanese.
So you think that you're in for the same old craze that swept your high school years and then you go into this room with like 20 sticky pics machines. It's like, the new photo booth of the 21st century. And the Japanese have always been like, a quarter of a century ahead of the Americans in terms of photographic equipment so you know that it's got lots of smile detectors and auto twinkle in the eye thing.
Anyway it's really fun to get the 8 photos of that exact instant to stick in your memory book. Even if you're not into scrap booking you'll find somewhere to put those pictures so you can laugh at how much fun you had.
You can also get stamps made of your face in about an hour. I think I'm going to get one so I can just use it as my signature instead of signing checks and driver's license and passports.
Well, look who (*cough*SFGate*cough*) arrived late to the party:
http://www.sfgate.com/...
For the record, I was there on Saturday.
Anyway, it's like stepping into the most pastel, delightful brain seizure you'll ever have. The audio/video instructions are all in Japanese, and your seizure will continue in full force once you and your panicky friends try to get your poses ready in time, while listening to the J-pop blasting in your ear (for mood, I'm assuming). But even the language barrier is actually kind of fun.
$5-9 will get you some pretty tiny pictures, but really funny pictures. Your skin is airbrushed to look flawless, and, doubled with all that extra crap thrown on the pictures, you'll look and feel 15 again.
You won't get that J-pop song out of your head for hours, trust me, I tried.
10 $1 dollar bill, spending ten minutes trying to decide which booth to go in , being able to semi follow japanese directions, super cute uber helpful staff, making sure you are within the time limits, quick decisions, dancing in the booth to Japanese pop music, silly poses, adding ice cream cones and sparkles, riding an elephant, cuddling on the moon, up in the sky with fireworks.... getting to act 13 when you are 30 and 33 respectably.... priceless...
in another lifetime, I think I was Japanese. I'm a champion champon/ramen/sushi eater and I love nearly all things Japanese. Too bad I don't remember how to read/speak/write it!
Anyway this place is DOPE! 2 thumbs up. I come here every now and then and this place is truly unique in the bay area. The customer service is exceptional. if you've got a question , the person is always more than willing to help you out and explain (the machines are in japanese)
and be nice to Ryan. I heard he's one cool mudda esshoe.
the sticky picture machine queen is here, and I reign supreme.
that's all.
and get out of my damn…
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This is one of my favorite places to go to when I have friends in town or with some of my super Asian friends (meant in the best way of course!) The owner, Ryan is super nice and is always happy to help us with the instructions and even recommendations for which machines are best. My favorites now are the $10 ones that print out super sparkly/glittery pictures. It's a definite must-try and don't be afraid to ask for help so you get the best pictures possible!
I could easily live in the world of Pika Pika. I love pictures, taking them, and the Japanese culture... that being said, the music, the option to take photos with green screen background in a fish bowl or with starry skies, upside down with a jungle gym bar, and being able to write and add weird little pictures makes it all the better. From around $6-9 you can choose different machines to use, and its always a fantastic time. Its fun to do with out of towners, esp. And they have a Happy Hour special as well. Yippie skippie.
Yes. Pika Pika is the future. These picture booths are SO not the tired, one-trick picture booths that seemed so novel in high school, these picture booths could probably do your taxes while making you a delicious souffle.
-Scary eyeball-brightening effects? CHECK.
-Skin perfecting filter? CHECK.
-A million bizarro graphics? CHECK.
-A thousand other photo/sticker-related permutations you'd never have thought of in a million years? CHECK.
-Flocks of giggling girls fighting over the prop table? CHECK.
-Adorable man to help you with the whole process? CHECK.
What more could you ask for? Um, a branch in NYC...
I love taking pictures (but am lazy with posting them up... one day I'll get around to posting up some cool pics on yelp!), I love my camera but what I love for once-in-a-while splurges is taking pictures in a photobooth!
I like the standard black & white photo booth a la carnivals and at Buckshot on Geary. But the photo booths in J-town are so much more fun and interactive!
Yes, a bit pricey as a little sheet of photos can cost up to $9 at the most but if you do some planning, studying and have deep conversations with the Pika Pika staff, you're good to go.
The instructions from the machine are spoken in Japanese with English translations on How-To posters. The staff is super helpful with suggestions and instructions (though Ry and I weren't the best listeners...). Bring cash as it is cash only. There are also props you can borrow for fun & silly pics. Here's what happened when one Thursday afternoon...
Ry (unwillingly) and I went into one of their sparkly sticky pic booths. I forget what it was called... but it was the $9 one. There's a bench on the inside and also a tall bar across the ceiling in which you can grab onto (not hang off of). The poster looks helpful, but it took us a while to absorb the instructions (regardless of the guidance that was given recently), so the machine went into default mode and made selections for us (d'oh!). We didn't make a big deal so we went with the flow...
You have to press a button to take the pic yourself so in some pics my arm was in a weird outstretched position. We finally figured that Ry was in the best position to push the button (while hiding his arm behind me haha). From several poses, you get to choose a few of the best ones.
After we posed for our pics, we got to decorate them however we liked with a stylus and several colorful and vivacious templates. Again, it took us too long to absorb the instructions so we ran out of time and one of our pics was left undecorated... boo. And we didn't get enough sparkle...
Nevertheless, we had a fun time and have learned from our mistakes! Better luck next time as now we have more knowledge on how to do it RIGHT!
Maybe the next time, I'll be able to take cool pics like the Japanese model girls with super sparkly glitter all over the place... yay sparkles!
This place is definitely a necessary pit stop for anyone that's in Japantown. It's fun, fast, and cheap. The picture quality (even though it's small) is nice, it's so much fun. My friends and I have definitely formed a lot of memories from this place. The workers there are willing to help and are honest with you. Only problem is that the whole Japanese-language gets really confusing at times. Otherwise, this is an awesome spot.
Pika Pika is my dream come true.
1. I love Japanese photobooths.
2. I love decorating.
3. I LOVE SHINIES.
I haven't had my purikura fix in a long while, especially since Wow in San Diego hasn't been open for a couple of months. My oldest sister took us here prior to getting dinner since it closed at 7 PM, and it was well worth it. It was my other sister's first time doing purikura and once she exposed to the decorating aspect of it, she went bonkers! It also didn't help that we had an unlimited timer at the decorating station that we were at. I'm pretty sure the rest of the booths have timers though, so be wary of that. Once you run out of time, that's pretty much it.
The booths at Pika Pika were helpful. There were English translations to all of the screens within the photobooth. It sucks when you go in blind and end up choosing options that you never wanted in the first place, which has happened to me numerous times at other booths. Fail.
Going into these kinds of booths are always a blast, no matter who you're with. Whether it's your first time or umpteenth time doing purikura, you'll definitely have a lot of fun at Pika Pika. There is no right way to decorate, which is one of the reasons why I love it. You can leave it plain, add some writing, or add tons of sparkles and random stamps. Go nuts, and have fun!
My first 5 star review!!!
This place was awesome. Basically was chillin in the mall waiting for the magazine sale across the way. I saw pika pika open and me and my date decided to take some pictures. Oh man we could have spent hours there. There are so many options and decisions to make. Next time im in the city I will definitely stop by there again.
**As someone else said the owner Ryan was extremely helpful and nice, he is probably what made me give this place the 5 stars.
Do yourself a favor and stop by, you will not be disappointed.
How could you not like cutesy little sticky pics you take with your honeybunchesofoats or your mob of friends?
The picture machines can get a little confusing to use because the instructions are in Japanese, but all of them have general instructions in English. Yes, the timer can add to the pressure of picking the numerous amounts of options, but sometimes you need to just realize - it's just sticky pics. The staff is usually helpful with information and suggestions. And it's always fun to decorate your pictures with adorable images and other silly frillies.
Luckily the times that I have come here, I was never bum-rushed by over excited high schoolers, but I can imagine times where one might be (after school hours).
Always a great time,
whenever i go to j-town i love to go to Pika Pika
i've gone there sooooo many times
and even so, i still have no idea how to work
the machines there but i still come back consistently
i mean they have lil instructions on each machine
(because its a japanese machine)
so you can just match the screen with the english trans.
but even so, its just chaos when taking pictures
and trying to figure out which one to pick
but honestly that's half of the fun for me and my friends
i love the customer service, they are always very helpful
especially Ryan !! YOU'RE AWESOME RYAN!!
whenever you have trouble, there's always someone who can help
but my friends and i never do, becuz we enjoi suffering haha
oo quick safety note, DONT WEAR BRIGHT GREEN!!
that's a big no no, you'll end up blending in with the background
just like green screens when they make movies
Pika Pika Means SHINY !! and Even Brighter Memories ^^
I think Pika Pika could be one of the cutest things in San Francisco.
Photobooths are always novelties, but Pika Pika takes them to a whole new level. The place is essentially a room filled with various booths, each with their own theme and style of stickers. My friends and I have visited a few times, and each time is just as fun as the first. None of us know Japanese so we had to ask for a little help, but the guy working had no problem showing us what to do. We had visited on weekdays and it was pretty quiet, but we visited on a Saturday once and the place was busier than most of the restaurants. Take some cute photos and share them on here!
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Arcades
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Arcades
Neighborhood: Marina/Cow Hollow
Category: Photography Stores & Services
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Photography Stores & Services
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Shopping
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