Paper short abstract:

Adopting the analytical tools of actor-network theory, the present paper investigates the controversial role played by pachinko and pachinko halls in the everyday life of suburban Japan, focusing on the spatial production of habits and addictive behaviours.

Paper long abstract:

In 2015 the turnover of Japanese pachinko halls exceeded 23.2 trillion yen, making pachinko the biggest leisure business in Japan. Electronic machine gambling is an enormous economy, which profoundly affects the life of millions of Japanese citizens. But how and where does this concretely occur? While the psy-sciences have developed a wide literature on gambling addiction, few works in the social sciences have focused on the topic of gambling, and researches concerning Japanese pachinko are especially scarce. Compared to any other country, Japan has an exceptionally widespread network of electronic gambling halls. Pachinko halls are located nearby train stations, in commercial districts, next to shopping malls and in every densely populated area. A geography of electronic machine gambling is thus required in order to complicate our understanding of gambling, as well as of the so-called "gambling disorder", in the specific context of Japanese cities. Following demographic, economic and technological shifts of the last decades, since the early 1980s pachinko halls have rapidly transformed. Spreading across suburban areas and increasing in size, pachinko halls have come to be known as one of the entertainment attractions par excellence of Japanese suburban working-class. However, less known is to what extent and how pachinko halls have been participating in the construction of Japanese suburban space. How has the increasing accessibility of gambling facilities mediated the everyday experiences and practices of Japanese suburban population. Drawing from an ongoing fieldwork and adopting the analytical tools of actor-network theory, the present paper investigates the controversial role played by pachinko and pachinko halls in the everyday life of suburban communities of Kanto region.