Old Japanese arcade "discovered" in Chiba

I don't think this has been posted before, but the album is a couple of months old.

The story is that the photographer's girlfriend's grandmother bought a building, of which two floors used to be an arcade. He happens to speak English and posted the photos online.

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2014/07/06/lost-90s-arcade-excavated-by-elderly-japanese-woman/

It seems rather strange that an arcade would close suddenly and leave all the machines there for 15-20 years. If they rented, the landlord is going to want the building back. If they owned the building but could afford to keep the machines there and not use it for so long, why wouldn't they keep the arcade going? It seems to me like it might be a fabricated story, somewhat like that amazing classic car barn find in Europe, allegedly a farm bought and hundreds of cars were found sealed in a barn. It turned out that it was a private collection and the owner allowed / asked for photos to be taken at a point when he was having some work done on the barn / door. I would have thought it was a private collection, or stock.. and they're trying to get Internet hits. Call me cynical if you like! ;-) And the second album has prices on it.

Still, it's a nice collection!

http://imgur.com/a/yqxip
http://imgur.com/a/7VLpv

 

Still awesome thx for the share, did not see it (but hehe, im not realy following arcade yet.)

 

I do not think this is fake. No point really in faking something like this.

The place sure has an unkept look. There are many stories of "forgotten places" such as this in buildings. Maybe you have seen those pictures of luxurious appartment that was abandonned in a hurry when the nazis invaded france.
It belonged to a rich french lady and was rediscovered recently and nobody had been in it since. Everything inside was intact.

 

It's not fake, there was a post on neogaf weeks ago. The guy was asking for help and took lots of pics.

 

The reason the building would have just been left there is because the original owner would have to pay a shit load to have it demolished (that's if he was the owner). So many people just move on without a trace leaving the building and sometimes whats inside too. Fantastic find though.

 

Seems strange in Japan, where space is a premium (well, Tokyo anyway), that someone would leave a building empty and not use it, though.

Here in England, you'd have seen one of the following happen:

- Landlord serves eviction notice. Op sells machines to raise funds.
- Landlord serves eviction notice. Machines left. Landlord sells machines.
- Building owned by op. Arcade closed. Machines sold either as-is or for scrap. Building leased / sold (maybe for demolition).

It would seem odd to leave machines, which were worth a lot back then, and a building (likewise) abandoned. Whilst you did get a lot of abandoned buildings in the past, it's not all that common nowadays. Buildings get sold for redevelopment all the time.

The machines are typical generic Japanese cabs, yes - but you saw them in all arcades over there in the Nineties.

Johnny, what help did he want?

 

Identify the games, what to do to check if they were working or not, value and so on.

Here's the topic: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=822145

 

A few miles in to the country there used to be a road side arcade that I would pass. For years it was left abandoned but still had all the arcade stuff inside. I even though about calling the sale's number just to buy the arcade stuff but the missus was dead against it. Anyway, after about 2 years the machines went but the building remained. It's still there now! A total of 8 years later.

Also, in 2000 there was a massive typhoon in this city which wiped out the local amusement park. That place was just left for ruin for many years and again all the stuff was still there but probably broken since that area was flooded up to 1meter. It took them 5 years before the council started to remove stuff and tear down the rides. Now it's a massive hospital.

 

He wanted people to price everything up and clean for him.

 

in japan it seems to be a cultural phenomen, leave everything behind and start something new. if u google a bit, you can find lots of japanese urban explorer blogs with pictures of abandoned buildings with mostly intact interior. something like this is next to impossible to find in europe.

 

You just answered your own question. Outside of Tokyo, land is free.

Japan has a phenomenon of the country side depopulating at a rapid pace. The entire country is facing a demographic crisis, but coupled with the fact that all the jobs are in Tokyo, the countryside takes the brunt of the blow. Japan is a very Tokyo-based society, which is why people aren't more up in arms about the course they're on.

 

Japan is a place that consistently surprises with its weirdness! ;-)

Yeah, exactly. Whilst it was cool posting it, he just wanted to make a profit... and not have to do much. When he sold the stuff, it looks like he removed the list, which is a shame.