A once-adored location in Ikebukuro is down to its last few months.
Japan is one of the last bastions of video game arcade culture, but these are tumultuous times for the industry. It’s not just little local arcades that have been closing their doors, as even multi-story, once-landmark game centers in major urban centers have begun fading away, and the next example will be occurring soon in Tokyo.
40 years ago, arcade chain Adores opened a branch on Sunshine 60 Street, the main street that leads from Ikebukuro Station to the 60-floor Sunshine 60 entertainment complex and office tower. With Ikebukuro being a part of Tokyo where the crowds tend to skew younger than more heavily bar and club-concentrated districts, Adores Sunshine was one of a handful of large-scale arcades that thrived in the area during the industry’s heyday of the ’80s, ’90s, and early 2000s.
▼ Adores Sunshine
But after four decades, time is running our for the three-floor arcade. This week, Adores announced that Adores Sunshine will be permanently closing in January. The statement cites “various circumstances,” a standard vague term commonly used by Japanese businesses, as the reason for the closure, but the lack of specific reason such as the lease ending or the building being scheduled for demolition or extensive renovations would seem to imply that the arcade is no longer profitable enough to justify continuing operating.
“Our entire staff is filled with appreciation for all of our customers who visited our arcade and spent happy times here over these many years,” says the statement from Adores Sunshine. “We look forward to the day when we will be able to see you again! Thank you so much for these 20 years.”
Despite the comment about seeing fans again, Adores has given no indication that they intend to reopen in a new location near the current Adores Sunshine, and the statement on Adroes Sunshine’s website about its impending closing instead mentions two other branches in the chain, Adores Shibuya, also in Tokyo and about 30 minutes south of Ikebukuro, and Adores Wako, around the same distance northwest of Ikebukuro in the city of Wako, Saitama Prefecture.
▼ From Adores Sunshine to Adores Shibuya
▼ From Adores Sunshine to Adores Wako
As mentioned above, this is a tough time for video game arcades, and Ikebukuro has also lost two other famous ones in recent years. Home consoles and PCs now have hardware as powerful as any arcade machines, and at-home online play provides a larger pool of other gamers to play with and against than in-person co-op or versus-play arcade cabinets. Smartphone selfies and social media have replaced sticker picture booths as the go-to way for social teens and twentysomethings to take and share photos. Crane games/UFO catchers remain popular, but attract a different crowd than conventional gamers, often necessitating rebranding and rethinking promotions and location choices. Even claw machines face a potential threat as gacha/capsule toy machines become increasingly popular, offering a bit of exciting uncertainty from their randomized nature while also ensuring that you never walk away empty-handed.
Still, it’s always sad to see an arcade close down, whether you’re a veteran who remembers what they were like or a younger gamer who’s never had a chance to experience a proper Japanese game center. Adores Sunshine’s last day is slated for January 18, so you’ll want to stop on by before then, and while you’re in the neighborhood consider paying a visit and dropping a few coins at one of Tokyo’s best retro arcades that’s still hanging on.
Location information
Adores Sunshine / アドアーズサンシャイン店
Address: Tokyo-to, Toshima-ku, Higashi Ikebukuro 1-14-1
東京都豊島区東池袋1-14-4
Open 10 a.m.-11:45 p.m.
Website
Source: Adores via Denfamico Gamer
Top image: Adores
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