..I'm a UFO catcher expert!..

UFO catcher of Arpakasso Alpacas in Sunshine City, Ikebukuro, Tokyo

Hi everyone, Irié speaking!
I feel better since my last post so today I'll blog about my passion in Japan: UFO catchers
all pictures are taken with my iPhone.

英語の難しいところは日本語でも説明します

What is UFO catcher
It's a kind of arcade game where the player uses buttons to moves an arm in order to get prizes such as plushies. Also called "claw crane", it can usually be found in game centers.

UFOキャッチャーとは
アームをボタンで操作してぬいぐるみなどの景品を取るゲームです!
クレーンゲームなどとも呼ばれる、ゲームセンターなどに置かれてます。

Typical UFO catchers area in a game center in Kanazawa, Ishikawa prefecture

My experience: differences between UFO catchers in Japan and Europe/America
In Europe and America the machines can not be considered as fair and the success rate is extremely low.
The strengths of both arm and claw are random so even skilled players win with difficulty.
The adequate strength comes out once in an hundred times!

In Japan however, the settings seem constant so there is always a way to win the prize.

私の体験では、日本のUFOキャッチャーと欧米の違い
欧米にはUFOキャッチャーがフェアではなく、成功率が非常に低い気がします。
アームやツメの力がランダムだから熟練したプレイヤーですらとても取りにくいですよね。
しかも、十分な力が１００回に一回しかでないと思います(>ω<) !

日本の場合は、
ゲーム機の設定がコンスタントだから確かに必勝法が存在します。

Lately I really got into UFO catchers.
To master them, I became an expert in how to get the prizes lol.

最近UFOキャッチャーにめちゃハマってます
UFOキャッチャー極めたいから、入手方法をとことん研究しました!(>ω<)

That's why when going out in Umeda or Namba (for karaoke, shopping, etc.),
we would first go in a game center so I can get whatever my friends want!

だから 梅田やなんばで遊ぶ時に（カラオケとか買い物とか）
先ずはいつもゲームセンターに行って、友達の欲しいものを取ってあげますよ!

Before the karaoke, I won 2 plushies for my friend...

And everyone ended up playing with them lol!

And now my personnal collection!
I play them as long as the prizes are cute, so they started to invade my room haha.
Anyway, I'll upload my collection below!

可愛いものの種類関係なく取るので部屋が占拠してます・・・笑
さて、景品は以下にUPしてまーす!

A friend taught me how to win this adorable Kapibara san.
That's how my passion started!

Got Choppa and Doraemon for 500 (4 USD) and 1 000 (8 USD).

Got Stitch for 1 000 (8 USD) and 5 small Alpacas for 200 (1.5!!

And the plushies started to invade my room...

Choppa is very trendy right now, I even started to read One Piece because I won so many of them!

Sometimes you can also win special collaboration items such as this Donald feat. Alpaca...

Does it mean that the duck killed the alpaca to make a coat out of it?!

More Choppa! More Alpaca! And Nemuneko!

I love Alpacas but I gave away most of them to friends.

Plushies I won for my sister.

My collection after a few months!
ぬいぐるみ達、そのままを集めた!