Welcome to a different kind of Location Watch from what Arcade Heroes has done previously! In a specially prepared piece for the site, Oga-Shi from Sega Amusements has kindly written a look at a couple of locations in Japan, where he has been spending some time again lately. These offer a snapshot of how their Aeon Mall arcades are going right now, from the tried and tested Molly Fantasy to the new Feedy Diner & Arcade we briefly mentioned in the last regular Location Watch.
Originally we planned to feature a contribution from him in one such LW, but he has produced such a detailed and informative report for us that it deserves its very own post. Take it away Oga-san 🙂
Aeon Mall Arcades: Japan’s Most Famous Hidden Arcades
When you think of “Japanese arcades”, you might picture the dazzling neon lights of Akihabara, reminiscent of scenes from William Gibson novels or Mamoru Oshii anime. Or perhaps you imagine the dimly lit, nostalgic arcades like Mikado or Hey, which recreate the atmosphere of old-school arcades with a touch of East Asian chaos.
Of course, when you visit Japan, you’ll want to check out these places. I understand the appeal. You’ll likely have a great time at flagship stores like Round 1 or GiGO in Tokyo and Osaka.
But do you know which arcade chain currently has the most locations in Japan? GiGO? Round One? Bandai Namco? Or Taito?
No, the chain with the most locations is in fact “Molly Fantasy”. Molly Fantasy is a brand under Aeon Mall, which is part of the retail giant Aeon. Aeon operates 1,230 stores domestically and internationally, making it one of the largest arcade operators.
For arcade fans in the West, I’d like to introduce Molly Fantasy and other interesting Aeon developments, but first, let’s understand what Aeon is.
Aeon Malls
You can find information about Aeon on Wikipedia, but it doesn’t quite capture the essence of what it means to us in Japan.
Originally, Aeon was a large supermarket chain called “Jusco”. Imagine a three or four-story Tesco or Walmart. For us Generation X Japanese, the Jusco jingle “Let’s meet at Jusco” is unforgettable, though many boys sang a cheeky parody of it, “Shoplifting at Jusco”, during the 1970s. In subculture, Aeon is often contrasted with “fashionable urban areas”. In the Japanese movie “Kamikaze Girls” (下妻物語), there’s a line referencing Jusco in this context. Watching the movie will give you a sense of how it’s perceived.
However, for people in regional cities outside of major metropolitan areas like Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, and Sapporo, Aeon is like a “mini Disneyland” on weekends. Especially the large Aeon Malls, which are designed for car access, scattered in suburban and regional areas, and still serve as a family outing destination. Detailing this further would see us delve deep into Japanese sociology, but suffice it to say, Aeon remains one of the most typical places for the average Japanese person to visit.
Molly Fantasy
Molly Fantasy is Aeon’s main location-based entertainment brand. Aeon has expanded not only in Japan but also in Southeast Asia, and Molly Fantasy has followed suit.
The main customer base for Molly Fantasy is young children and their parents. The Molly Fantasy I visited, located away from the bustling center of Kyoto, was next to a McDonald’s and felt a little like a Japanese version of Chuck E. Cheese’s. Inside, alongside the amusement machines, there was a co-located soft play area, “Skids Garden”.
The machine line-up included Taiko No Tatsujin and Mario Kart Arcade GP DX for video games, and a variety of medal games, kiddie rides, and children’s card games.
For those who might not be so familiar with “medal games”, they are Japan’s nearest things to ticket redemption (though medals cannot be exchanged for prizes!). They can range from coin pushers, to mini cabinets featuring a basic game for children.
Recent new models like Sega’s Pokemon Corogarena and Konami’s Momotaro Densetsu use popular video game properties from the home. These were placed next to McDonalds’ seating area, with customers able to move freely between the two.
Amuzy make many lovely kids medal games and video pushers. Puzzle Monsters is their rare example that has released outside of Japan, with Wahlap and Amusement Source International.
Since the mini models are for kids, the play fees and difficulty levels are kept low. Some games cost less than 100 yen per play. You don’t see this much in other arcades, but it’s kind of like playing the 2 or 10-pence coin pushers at British seaside arcades. Kids have a blast. This shooting range video medal game by Enheart even has a Switch version…
Similar to kids medal games, children’s card games remain strong in Japan. They are located not just in Molly Fantasy and arcades, but also shop corners. You may know Mushiking, Love & Berry, and Dinosaur King by Sega from the 2000s, or Animal Kaiser by Bandai Namco. Bandai currently produces new card games for Kamen Rider and Dragon Ball.
Molly Fantasy kids games include rides and sitdown bench shooters or racers, too. This exclusive game is by Mine’s.
These locations have little attention online, because they don’t have the current music games or Wangan/Initial D style driving games that Japanese arcade fans love. But if you love amusement and ever come to Japan, I also recommend looking for an Aeon and then finding a Molly Fantasy just to see one at least once. Aeon Malls are everywhere!
Feedy Diner & Arcade
Now, Molly Fantasy are not the only Aeon Mall arcades. In November 2024, Aeon opened a new concept store, “Feedy Diner & Arcade”. Unlike Molly Fantasy, which targets toddlers and young children with family, the store is aimed more at Generation Z. Located in the massive Aeon Mall of Ibaraki City, a suburban area between Kyoto and Osaka, this place is known as a “liveable city” with many universities nearby and a large population of young people.
Typically, Aeon stores have two types of arcade facilities: one is Molly Fantasy, and the other can be Plaza Capcom or NAMCO. The latter two cater to teenagers and young adults as well. However, Aeon Mall Ibaraki does not have Plaza Capcom or NAMCO. With Feedy Diner & Arcade, Aeon have ventured into operating their own “youth-oriented game center”, introducing a new American-style amusement facility that combines dining and entertainment.
This may be surprising, as previous attempts to combine dining or bars with arcade concepts in Japan have often not lasted long (do you remember Sega’s Kids Bee? Or the Hooters in Shibuya, Tokyo, where you could play Bandai Namco games?). On the other hand, there have been recent efforts to revisit this model, such as the new GiGO Arcade Cafe Osaka, and a revamp to NAMCO Tokyo in Kabukicho.
Today, let’s take a visit to the Feedy Diner & Arcade. It’s relatively close to my home in Kyoto. The overall impression is like “Five Guys meets the Arcade”.
The store is divided into five main areas: prize and restaurant, purikura (photo booths), medal machines, and video games. The significant difference from Molly Fantasy is the extensive purikura and video game areas.
The arcade game area includes the latest Japanese releases (GoldStorm Pirates, Minecraft), music games (Maimai, Chunithm, Ongeki, BEMANI & Taiko), racing games (Wangan, Initial D) and others.
Minecraft Dungeons Arcade has been localized and sold by Konami in Japan since late last year, but is manufactured by Wahlap. American, Chinese, and Japanese arcade companies working together.
GoldStorm Pirates’ cabinet is different to the upcoming Western model, using environmental motion theater format.
Meanwhile, the medal machine area features large machines from Sega, Konami and Taito.
I also believe these Nintendo IP medal games by Capcom will be of interest to any overseas visitors.
There are slot machines, pachi-slot and pachinko too. The slot machines include slightly older SIGMA models, evoking a sense of Japanese nostalgia!
After all of that exploration, I finally enjoyed a meal. The ordering system uses QR codes, and the chicken burger set I had was 1600 yen. Although slightly more expensive than Aeon’s food court, there are discounts available, such as 200 yen off with a movie ticket or after playing a certain number of medal games.
The meal was crispy and delicious. Watching Initial D and Wangan while eating was a nice touch.
If you get chance to, check out Feedy Diner & Arcade too!
Other Aeon Mall Businesses
As the Aeon tour comes to an end, here are some extra suggestions of their businesses for those who may still be hesitant to visit:
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3 Coins: Look for Muji-like controllers. You might find them in the store if you’re lucky.
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Food Court: Try Mos Burger or Tenkaippin (Tenichi). Be mindful of the accent of “Tenichi” in Kyoto and Osaka to avoid being seen as “Visitors from Tokyo”. Yes, Tokyo is a rival of these cities…
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Village Vanguard: If you’re interested in Japanese subculture goods, visit Village Vanguard (Vi-le-ban).
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Coffee-kan: Come on, Smokers! you can smoke inside the café!
If you do come to Japan, please see as many arcade types as you can: known chains like NAMCO, Round1, GiGO, legendary old-school game centers like Mikado, and the variety Aeon Mall arcades. (But of course, I would never condone “shoplifting at Jusco”!)
So there you have it, a whistle-stop tour of the lesser-known, but prolific Aeon arcades and locations from our man in Japan. Huge thanks to Oga-san for this report, and his continued support and contributions to AH – it’s always great to have an international lens through people like him, and Ted in the UK. Would you like to visit Aeon Mall arcades?
