Weird Way to Battle Heat in Tokyo's Arcades

TOKYO — It’s been a terribly hot month here in Tokyo, and to fight the heat arcades are finding interesting ways to spread the cool air on the oftentimes cramped — and sweaty — game floors. I stopped by an arcade earlier — I did indeed play a few rounds of Deathsmiles, as planned — […]

Air_conditioning

TOKYO -- It's been a terribly hot month here in Tokyo, and to fight the heat arcades are finding interesting ways to spread the cool air on the oftentimes cramped -- and sweaty -- game floors.

I stopped by an arcade earlier -- I did indeed play a few rounds of Deathsmiles, as planned -- and after I sat down in front of the cabinet I was hit by a blast of cool air blowing on the back of my head. Turning around, I spotted the creaturelike tube and air conditioning unit combo you see pictured.

I'm not complaining. Unlike a lot of the arcades I've been in the past few weeks, the basement floor of Sega's Gigo game center in Ikebukuro is without a doubt very cool, and it makes for a welcome respite from the uncomfortable heat outside.

I feel for the Akihabara penguins.

Photo: Jean Snow/Wired.com