On August 15, 2026, a post titled “My First Pachinko Experience on an Osaka Trip” appeared on a South Korean internet forum.

The poster, who had traveled to Osaka, wrote, “During my trip, I experienced pachinko for the first time. For South Koreans, it’s strange to see pachinko parlors openly existing, and I was a little nervous going in. In the end, I won about 10,000 yen and used it for that day’s dinner. I think it was an experience unique to travel.” In South Korea, pachinko was virtually abolished in 2006 through legal amendments and strengthened government regulations, due to issues such as high-stakes machines exceeding legal limits becoming a social problem.

In response to this post, other netizens commented, “I tried it myself on a previous trip to Japan,” “When I tried it during my trip, I didn’t really understand the rules at first, and I didn’t know why it was popular, but as I played, I gradually got hooked, and I remember stopping quickly because I thought this wasn’t good (lol),” “My friends and I were just talking about trying it if we go to Japan,” and “I thought you could hardly ever win in the end. Even if it’s not easy, you can actually win sometimes, can’t you?”

Furthermore, comments such as, “In Japan, there are quite large parlors in the streets, which is truly surprising for South Koreans,” “When I first saw a pachinko parlor in Japan, I didn’t know what kind of place it was. I got curious, looked it up, and was surprised to learn it was a pachinko parlor. It was quite a culture shock,” “It’s also strange that they collaborate with popular anime and other IPs,” “In a way, it’s a unique Japanese culture, isn’t it?” and “Famous tourist spots are wonderful, of course, but being able to see things like pachinko parlors, which you wouldn’t have thought about until you actually went there, is also a charm of traveling,” also emerged.

Moreover, since the post also mentioned the system for exchanging winnings, comments such as, “It has unique rules and is interesting,” “I had seen them before, but I didn’t know about such rules. Interesting,” and “Do Japanese people learn these rules through word of mouth, or from older acquaintances?” were also observed.

On the other hand, opinions such as, “I’m reluctant to try something that’s banned in South Korea just because I’m in a foreign country,” “In the end, it’s gambling, so it shouldn’t be approached casually,” “Gambling addiction became a problem in South Korea, but is it okay in Japan?” and “Attention should also be paid to the historical aspects of Japan’s pachinko industry,” were also expressed. (Translation and editing by Higuchi)