Out of the office, pop your umbrella. Hide your eyes and shuffle with the crowds: synthetic-mix suits are both the camouflage and the background.

Japanese crane game prizes: you must admit they’re inventive.

 "Maru de pan mitai na series" is helpfully translated on this UFO catcher as "like a bread" – proof, if proof be need be, that understanding Japanese is not the same as understanding Japanese things.

I was in the Kabukicho Sega at kicking out time (1am). Everyone dutifully cleared off when they heard Auld Lang Syne but I hung around.

Taiko no Tatsujin: very Japanese but known out West after its PS2 dip in 2004.

Something I love about Tokyo is the prevalence of handmade signs. It’s totally normal even for high-end department stores to stand staff-constructed cardboard beside the till with laminated announcements and explanations. But this is just silly…

The alleys are black and muggy with old incandescent lights steaming away the summer. Insects chirp quietly.

Through Chinese Dragon Pretty Chance you will come to terms with your harrowing desires.

There’s one game genre you can always depend on in Tokyo.

There’s energy in the air but what’s it for?

Alive in Tokyo’s arcades is the subtle and dignified art of Japanese taiko drumming (to the Super Mario Bros. theme tune).