Sapporo Challenge: Balls of Steel

Not exactly a secret and far from rare, the pachinko parlor holds a mysterious and powerful grip on some elements of Japanese society. The player gambles using the steel balls in the machine, somewhat like pinball. While it is technically illegal to play for cash, the prizes or balls can often be redeemed for money in a small room at the exterior of the parlor. For some players it is an uncontrollable vice, and there have been many stories in the media how parents have left their children locked in the car while they play, only to return hours later and find them dead from heat stroke or from playing in traffic.
The impression is that the pachinko parlors are owned and operated by the Japanese mafia, the infamous yakuza, and the industry is fraught with cheats who fix the odds on the machines. While it is a risky adventure to take a photo inside one of these gambling centers, I did promise you a view of the secret places of Sapporo, didn't I? The blur down at the bottom center of the photo is the hand of one of the floor managers trying to block my view and dissuade me from taking a picture.
Another benefit of being a foreigner: it is oh-so-easy to feign ignorance, especially of the Japanese language. So when a gangster tells me in no uncertain terms not to take that pic, I can go ahead and do it and get away with my life. Of course it doesn't hurt that I towered over the man and outweighed him by 25 kilos.

Next: The sexiest phone booth you'll ever see

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