The Joys and Sorrows of 1-Yen Pachinko

Along the national highway near Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, there is an area densely packed with pachinko parlors. Inside, rows of low-cost pachinko machines, such as “1-yen pachinko,” line the floors. A 70-year-old woman who moved in with her son's family after the earthquake but started playing pachinko because she felt uncomfortable at home. A man job-hunting who says, “Pachinko doesn't require talking to people.” Some spend the day in the rest area without even approaching the machines. The world of pachinko, incomprehensible to outsiders. Listening to the whispers amid the clamor.