30 arcades across seven Tokyo areas, listed for their crane games. Crane games are also called UFO catchers, after the Sega series that popularized the format. Every card carries the branch opening hours, which floors it occupies and whether it lists an assistance scheme, so you can choose one that fits your route instead of guessing from the street.
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Crane games are easy to find in Tokyo and easy to overspend on, and very little about how a machine is set is posted anywhere you can read it. What a branch does publish is useful, so that is what this guide collects. Akihabara and Ikebukuro each hold eight of the thirty arcades listed, close enough together that you can look at several before deciding where to play. Shinjuku spreads from the station exits out to Shin-Okubo, so check which branch you are heading for before setting off. Shibuya, Nakano and Ueno each work as a stop on a walk you were already taking. Tama Center is a separate trip with a deadline, because the crane game specialist there advertises a corner priced at five yen a play and closes for good on October 31, 2026. Cards carry opening hours, floors and station access, and note where an operator lists an assistance scheme. Where visitors have posted something an operator would never put on its own page, a candyfloss machine on the third floor, a play costing twice what it should, a branch that is closing, that is on the card too and marked as what it is. We do not rank branches by difficulty, because nothing we can observe would support that.
Find your angle
30 arcades in 7 areas
8 locations·Akihabara Station
Eight of the arcades listed here cluster around Akihabara Station, most of them in Sotokanda, so you can look at several before choosing where to play. Closing times run from 23:00 to 23:55, which makes this the easiest area for a late session. Watch the building names rather than the street, since Tokyo Leisureland’s second branch sits on the 6th and 7th floors of the Minami Building and is easy to walk under.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
rated well.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
See It In Action
7 locations·Ikebukuro Station
Seven of these sit around Ikebukuro Station, most on the east side near Sunshine 60 Street, with Taito Station Ikebukuro West Exit and the Rosa Kaikan branch on the west, so pick a side before you start walking. Check the address rather than the name when looking for a GiGO branch, because the group runs numbered branches here alongside GiGO Sohonten. Two run to midnight, later than the rest.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
See It In Action
6 locations·Shinjuku Station
These six span the south, east and west sides of Shinjuku Station, Kabukicho, and Shin-Okubo one stop north, so the walk between them is long enough to plan. GiGO Shin-Okubo sits beside its own station and is best treated as a separate stop. Three branches here run until 01:00, the latest in the guide. namco TOKYO on the 3rd floor of Tokyu Kabukicho Tower combines arcade games with food and drink, and its closing time changes by day.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
See It In Action
4 locations·Shibuya Station
Adores Shibuya and GiGO Shibuya are in Udagawacho, while Taito Station and GiGO Shibuya Miyamasuzaka are on the other side of the station, so decide which pair fits your route before crossing. Adores runs from the 1st to the 4th floor and GiGO Shibuya from the 1st to the 3rd, which means both put crane games at street level where you can see them before committing.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
See It In Action
2 locations·Nakano Station
Adores Nakano is on the first floor of Nakano Broadway and namco Nakano is in the annex behind it, so this is a two-stop detour you can fold into a walk around the complex rather than an area in its own right. Adores runs later, to 23:45 on most days.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
See It In Action
2 locations·Tama Center Station
The one part of this guide that needs its own journey rather than a detour, and the one with a deadline. Crane Game Tama no Kuni, a crane game specialist on the 2nd floor of Cross Garden Tama, closes for good on October 31, 2026 along with the shopping center around it. Until then its own site advertises a corner priced at ¥5 a play alongside a ¥10 catcher, and the closing sale has left those machines stacked. It shuts at 21:00, so check your return train before committing to the trip. Taito Station Tama Center is a few minutes away in a different building, is unaffected, and runs to 22:00.
rated modestly.
rated modestly.
See It In Action
1 location·Okachimachi Station
One stop, included because it sits at the edge of Ameyoko and pairs with a market walk rather than justifying a trip of its own. It is listed to 23:30, so it also works after the market itself has shut.
rated modestly.
See It In Action
Set a limit before the first play
Decide how much you are willing to spend before you start, and stop at that number even when the prize looks close to going over. A near miss tells you nothing about whether the next play will win.
Do the arithmetic on bundles
Machines commonly price a play at 100 or 200 yen, and many sell multi-play bundles. Divide the bundle price by the number of plays before assuming it is cheaper.
Ask what assistance the branch offers
Ask a member of staff what help is available on the machine you are using rather than assuming. Nine of the GiGO branches here list GiGO Link, which offers an assistance ticket after qualifying play without a win. Conditions vary, so check them before you rely on it.
Check the store apps before you plan around them
Taito Station and GiGO both run apps carrying points, coupons and campaign rewards, and Crane Game Tama no Kuni publishes offers through LINE. Registering can need a Japanese phone number or store account, so confirm you can actually redeem at your branch before counting on it.
Check the closing time, not just the opening one
Most branches here open at 10:00, but closing runs from 21:00 at Crane Game Tama no Kuni to 01:00 at three Shinjuku branches. namco TOKYO and Adores Nakano change by day. The card for each branch carries its listed hours.
Look for the prize before you pay
If you are after a particular character, check the branch prize listings for its release date, and confirm it is still on the floor before making a special trip. A listing is a schedule rather than a guarantee of stock.
UFO Catcher is Sega’s name for its crane game series, and it is used loosely in Tokyo for crane games in general. You move a claw above a prize and try to lift or push it toward the opening. Both terms point at the same machines.
Check the price shown on the machine, since it varies. Plays are commonly 100 or 200 yen. The exception in this guide is Crane Game Tama no Kuni in Tama Center, whose own site advertises a corner priced at 5 yen a play and a 10 yen catcher, and which closes on October 31, 2026. A bundle only saves money if the price per play is lower than the single-play price.
Ask a member of staff what help is available on the machine you are playing. Nine of the GiGO branches listed here publish GiGO Link, under which qualifying play without a win can earn an assistance ticket. That is a specific scheme with conditions rather than a general promise, and it does not mean any branch will reposition a prize, change an arm setting or add a play on request.
Crane machines can have adjustable arm settings, and manufacturer documentation for models in use describes that adjustability. We do not know how any individual machine here is configured, and no operator is publishing it. The practical consequence is simple. A near miss does not tell you the next play is more likely to win, so set a limit and stop when you reach it.
Start with whichever fits the rest of your day. Akihabara is the practical choice for comparing several branches on foot, with eight of the thirty listed within a few blocks. In Ikebukuro, decide on the east or west side of the station first. If you also want capsule toys, the gachapon guide covers several of the same buildings.
Check the prize against your airline’s cabin baggage size and weight limits before assuming it will fit, since a large plushie can take most of a bag. Food prizes and anything with a battery need checking against both the airline and your destination rules. If you would rather send it ahead, Yamato’s Airport TA-Q-BIN service normally asks for dispatch two days before departure and three in some areas, so it is not a same-day solution.
It depends on age, time and the branch. The namco branches in Akihabara, Ikebukuro and Nakano state that under-16s need a guardian after 18:00 and that under-18s cannot enter after 22:00. Crane Game Tama no Kuni states that under-16s may play until its 21:00 closing when accompanied by a guardian. Check the individual branch before an evening visit rather than assuming a single national rule.
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