Hong Kong and Tokyo November 2011 - Part 10

My wife and I are both great Disney fans. We visit Disneyland Hong Kong as often as we can, but not on this holiday! We had never been to the Tokyo park, so we decided to give that a try instead. We had great expectations as we entered through the arched entrance. And Tokyo Disneyland delivered! We were there in November, so the park was dressed in Christmas decorations. Just like the American parks, they have old looking town buildings near the entrance, and in the middle of the "town square" was a beautiful gigantic Christmas tree!
But.. What was that building on the right? Does that say.. ARCADE?

Of course I had to go inside. The wife went for some shopping instead. I guess she needed a break from games after the long day in Akihabara. Imagine that. Well, I certainly wanted more!
I shouldn't have been surprised, but this game arcade was very different from the modern technological marvels of the electronics district. This place was obviously all about the mechanical amusemets of yesteryear. I'm not a hundred percent sure if all of the games were original, but I have no reason to doubt it. I just wonder when they all arrived in Japan. Did they come here when they were new, or has Disneyland Tokyo imported them from USA in recent years?


First up was.. A crane! You've got to be kidding me, more cranes? This one felt very different, though. Although it mostly played like its modern counterparts, the feeling is very different. Not only is the crane a part of a theme (miniature steam shovel). The wooden cabinet and the sign on top set the mood in a whole different way than the cranes I'd seen all over Akihabara. This is one crane that I can like.

And here's another one! The Japanese obviously like their cranes.

The change machine was also old-looking and ornate, but something makes me believe that this is made quite recently.

Chicago Coin's Goalee is a two player ice hockey game. The condition is almost too good for a 1946 model. The backglass looks perfect!
Take a look at this random YouTube video for gameplay.

And here's a beautiful Rock-Ola 1937 World Series baseball game. The picture doesn't do it justice. I found a YouTube video showing the game, please take a look!

World Sprint is a bicycle game. I'm not sure about how it plays, because I didn't test it. But look at that condition! It doesn't look like it's from the time when your grandparents were young.

They also had a football (soccer) game with similar controls. I love the look of all the mechanical figures with the beautiful painted backdrop.

Now this is really something! Ever since I watched the Tom Hanks movie Big as a kid, these old style fortune teller machines intrigued and scared me. The doll inside this one didn't look very impressive, but I didn't dare to try it nonetheless. You remember what happened to Tom Hanks, don't you? :-)

Hand shake with Uncle Sam, test your strength! This one almost looked oddly out of place in Tokyo, Japan. Just looking at this picture makes me imagine that I'm in some southern state fair!

There isn't much information about this Automaton Palm Reader on Klov, but it was made by the New York based company Mike Munves Corp. Arcade Equip. and featured readings from "the celebrated palmist Fletcher".

Now this one just freaks me out. I fear that grandma will break through the glass at any time. Moving along!

This Flip Skill from the Mills company is from 1938. That's more than 70 years old, and look at that condition!

I'm not sure if Play-Golf is the original name for this, but it sure is beautiful! Just look at how the backdrop blends in with the playfield and creates a complete illusion of a great golf course! It's more like a piece of art than an amusement machine.

I tested a couple of rounds on this Bally-Round. It's certainly very random compared to the pinballs of today, and in that regard it's almost more similar to a modern pachinco machine. But it's beautiful, and the condition is like the other games they had on display: Nearly perfect!

Here's another pinball model, the 1932 Daisy Pinball from Peo Manufacturing Co. The year of manufacture is actually not accurate, according to Klov. It could have been made any time between 1931 and 1932, but no matter when it's made it's old!

Tokyo Disneyland's collection of old mechanical games impressed me, and I could see that that they were popular among its visitors. It's amazing that future generations can enjoys these ancient machines for years to come!
Needless to say, the rest of the park was also a wonderful experience. We spent so many hours there, and didn't leave until it was closing time. What a wonderful way to spend a day.