Gaijin Tonic

Here’s an amusing picture of a pachinko parlour in Shimbashi, Tokyo. (For those who don’t know, Pachinko is a popular game, essentially vertical pinball for people who can’t be bothered to stand up. It appeals to shuffling, zombie-like gambling-addicts, who leave their pet sausage-dogs in stuffy compact cars to bake to death, while they stare vacantly at silver balls for hours on end. Fun fun fun!) The neon sign outside this particular pachinko place is funny, because the “P” and “A” lights aren’t working, so the sign says “Chinko,” which is Japanese slang for “penis”! No doubt, after the light-bulbs fizzled out, the place was heaving with sex-starved housewives.