There are now 70 such theme parks operating in Japan. The unique sense of creativity of the Japanese and their penchant for electronic technology have spawned a new way of enjoying leisure in an area called electro-leisure, such as karaoke , animation, computer game software, and pachinko . With the shift to economy travel, these types of leisure are expected to become even more popular. Pachinko , or pinball, is played on a vertical glass-covered machine that has a number of holes in the panel. The object of the game is to flip little silver-colored balls with a lever into the trough leading to the holes.
Pegs obstruct the holes.
Success in landing a ball into a lucky hole results in more balls being emitted by the machine. The flow of balls is controlled by a computer. Collected balls can be exchanged for prizes. Pachinko was formerly a type of gambling enjoyed by a select few. It is now enjoyed even by young women and is regarded to be the king of amusement for the masses.