Civility and the City

When I was a kid, arcades were used to fill unneeded spaces in front of bowling lanes, next to the shoe counters. They were where delinquents expressed their vandalistic attitudes in a compromise with society that stopped them bothering the world at large. It was an arrangement begrudged from both sides.

But Tokyo arcades are not for yobs: the patrons are smart-cazh.

Arcading in Japan is a respectable pastime – or a shameful pastime enjoyed by respectable people, at least.

Shirts and jackets queue up and don’t talk to one another. No posing – except maybe on the racers.