playing the aikatsu arcade machine at the official aikatsu store! (guide) 2024 ver.♡
this is my review/experience of how i got to play the aikatsu arcade machine at akihabara. (2024 ver.)
(disclaimer: please keep in mind that i played it in 2024 so things may or may not have changed)
♡ where to play ♡
the aikatsu store has an official store located in akihabara which opened in may 2024. inside the store they have the original aikatsu arcade machine as well as the aikatsu on parade arcade machine.
they have also opened two more stores, one in kyoto and one in nagoya. (i believe there is also an arcade machine located inside each but i think it's just the og katsu arcade machine from what i seen online).
i will be talking about how to play specifically at the akihabara store.
♡ how to play ♡
in order to play the arcade game you must make a purchase of at least 2,000 yen at the official store. this purchase can only be made once (per day) in order to receive a ticket to play. the cashier will usually ask if you want to play the game (in japanese) and if you do say "はい (yes)" they will hand you a paper ticket if it's available.
the store has a limit to how many tickets are given out per day. usually they post on twitter/x when the tickets for the day run out for each arcade machine.
i suggest you come as early as possible for the day you want to play. (i went to the store even a few minutes later than opening and i saw like 1 or 2 people already in line to play)
you can only play once per day.
♡ standing in line to play ♡
once you receive your ticket, there will be a staff member who will guide you to where you should stand once you show them your ticket. they will generally tell you the rules of what is allowed/not allowed while playing the game. there is also a sign with a qr code that directs you to the rules? when scanned.
you can only play in the allotted time frame listed on the ticket. it seems like the og katsu one was fairly popular when i was there so i had a wait several minutes for two people to play (even though i came near opening time). you might have to wait your turn to play if there's a lot of people waiting in line.
note: keep in mind they say this all in japanese. i'm not sure if they understand english but since i could guess what they were saying with my basic knowledge of japanese, just responding, yes(はい) and thank you(ありがとうございます) was pretty much enough in the situation.
♡ rules ♡
no video recording is allowed ❌
taking photos is allowed ⭕
♡ playing the game ♡
when it's your turn they will let you play either the og katsu arcade machine OR the aikatsu on parade. you can't play both. i think before it's your turn they will ask which machine you want to play. you can only choose/play one (unfortunately).
you have about 1~3 minutes? to play the game. in other words, usually 1 to 2 songs. idk if the staff member times you but i feel kinda antsy while playing lol. usually i try to not take too much time in case they like call me out. i've seen some girls play like 3 songs but i only played 2 songs because i didn't want to get in trouble.
the game is (obviously) in japanese. you can use your aikatsu cards (japanese ones) to play with the game! the student id card nor the aikatsu phone does not work however (you can't use it anyway if you had one). nonetheless, it was really cool seeing my coords that i saved for years finally be played on the actual arcade machine (yes my middle school dreams came true). you can choose a song to play.
i didn't get to use all my cards but i did my best to use my favorite ones. i got to use like two different coords.
here are the list of songs available to play on the machines that i saved from twitter/x awhile back. it probably will be still useful even now!
♡ things to keep in mind ♡
if you want to play more than 1~2 songs i suggest you come to the store on different days.
come early as possible probably on a weekday.
bring your aikatsu cards with you ready.
bring at least 2,000 yen+ to purchase something in order to play.
if you want to play both machines, i suggest you come on one day and the other for another day.
i haven't got the chance to play the aikatsu on parade machine so i don't have much knowledge to give you, but it probably works similarly with the og katsu machine except it's different songs and parade cards work on parade machine only and vice versa. hopefully, next time i'll be able to play parade!
if you have any questions feel free to ask in the replies or message me via dms and i'll try to help as much as possible! :) happy aikatsu!