Smartball New Star

The Smartball New Star features a facade covered in old-fashioned, colorful neon signs that flicker against the dark wood of the arcade entrance. Inside, rows of manual pinball machines line the floor, where players use a single lever to launch steel balls into the playfield. This establishment keeps a version of the game alive that largely vanished from Japan in the late twentieth century. Owner Masahiro Inagaki maintains these vintage machines by hand, often scavenging parts from closed parlors across the country.