Todd: OK, Kawabe, can you explain Pachinko? Foreigners don't understand pachinko.

Kawabe: OK. Explain pachinko.

Todd: Yeah, because when we get off the train and go home we often we often walk past pachinko parlours, or in the morning even.

Kawabe: It's everywhere

Todd: And there's a big line of people waiting to get in, so we don't understand it, like, why do people like pachinko?

Kawabe: OK, pachinko is, 1) it's a gamble, you know, you pay a lot of money to play that and if you win you can get a lot of money back, and 2) it's a, there's no 2. It's only 1). It's the gamble. That's it.

Todd: Well, how do you win money? Like, you just, you take the ball and you put it in the slot and it trickles down?

Kawabe: Yeah, um, there is a slot you put your money, bill, into it, and OK, let's say I go into the pachinko shop and I pick out one of the seats and then, "OK, I'll play with this." And I, you know, take out my wallet and pick up a thousand yen and put the bill into the slot and then the machine gives you a certain amount of the, you know, silver balls, and you play with it. What you do is just, roll, or touch the...

Todd: Dial!

Kawabe: Yeah, dial

Todd: Dial!

Kawabe: And move like 5 centimeters.

Todd: Uh-huh!

Kawabe: That's it!

Todd: What happens?

Kawabe: And the silver balls go up to the top and you know it comes down to the holes and sometimes it, you know, the balls get into the really nice hole and then I don't know how they work, exactly but anyway, if you got a good hole, you got the money. That's it! So, it's a really, that's too simple to enjoy. That is why you never see people smiling in front of pachinko. You know every one is making a grimace in front of the pachinko machine. Have you ever seen people smiling?

Todd: No, I've never been in a pachinko parlour. I just walk by.

Kawabe: You know they just sit in the machine and staring at one place and spend like 20, 30 minutes and when you're money's gone it's the time to you know, stand up.

Todd: Have you ever played?

Kawabe: Many times. Why not? Many times.

Todd: That's cool! Well, thanks, Kawabe!