Kabukicho 1am

I often portray Tokyo’s arcades as grimy, miserable places, but it’s a fiction.

This Sega arcade is in a total Tokyo dive: Kabukicho. Kabukicho is the late-night party district east of Shinjuku station, which is the busiest station in the world. Kabukicho and Roppongi are foreigner-favourite nightspots. As a result they’re dirty, noisy and full of drug-dealers and street-pissers.

This photo was taken after kicking-out time, 1am – the latest of any of Sega’s Tokyo arcades.

It looks like they just waxed the floors and wheeled in two brand-new UFO catchers for a magazine shoot.