Ario Kameari shopping mall, located southeast of the Kameari train station, next to the Nakagawa river, has several stores to shop in. The mall has a great food court with delicious food and the local Starbucks.
Sure, all of this is normal and commonplace for a shopping mall, but there is an area of the mall that you cannot find anywhere else.
The Kochikame Game Park.
Kochikame
Kochira katsushika-ku Kameari Koen-mae hashutsujo or Kochikame for short is a manga about the city of Kameari or, more specifically, a police station in Kameari and the people who work there.
The manga ran for 40 years and continues to be beloved by the people of Kameari and, I would say, most of Japan.
Kochikame Game Park
The Kochikame Game Park, located on the third floor of Ario Kameari shopping mall, is the mall’s noisiest place. At the front of the game park, is a robot in the likeness of the manga’s main character Kankichi Ryotsu.
The welcome banner is to the right of the Ryotsu, and the sign on the right explains what will happen if a person puts ¥300 into the robot. You receive one gashapon. A gashapon is a capsule toy and popular with all Japanese.
The rest of the outside has colorful displays of the manga series, inviting customers into the game room. The one that grabs your attention the most is of Ryotsu riding on the shoulders of Daijiro Ohara “Bucho,” his boss. A common funny occurrence in the manga.
Police Station Replica
Inside the game center, immediately to your left, you find a police station’s replica as shown in the manga. There’s a map of the manga area, desks, paperwork, and memorabilia.
The best part is the lifesize Characters standing in front of the station. Japanese talk to them as if they are real. The manga is so popular who wouldn’t say a few words to something you spent your whole life watching.
Games
Game parks are popular in Japan. I see game parks everywhere, and they usually close at 11 PM. In the evening, they are full of Japanese looking to score a doll of their favorite manga or anime characters, showing their date a good time, or just hanging out with friends.
You can find older people playing games like slots or mothers playing with their toddlers during the day. Visited by young and old keeps game parks popular and trending.
Kochikame “Whack a mole” is the favorite of many young people, while toddlers and mothers enjoy a ride in the police cruiser.
There are colossal fishing games where you and your friends can play together to see who will catch the biggest fish.
Claw games in Japan have great prizes. I’ve seen phones, iPods, and other electronics in them. I’ve also seen people win these prizes by paying much less than the award cost. Some Japanese are excellent at this game.
Gift Giving
Several Japanese give their winnings away to friends and family. Gift-giving is common in Japan, and what better than to share something you worked an hour at the claw machine to get.
When leaving the Kochikame Game Park with all your winnings, the manga characters are saluting you, and the sign says, see you again.
Have you visited Kochikame Game Park? Please write about your experience in the comment section below.
Do you have questions about game parks in Japan? Ask your question in the comment section below, and I’ll do my best to answer.
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