Contrary to popular belief us gamers do have social lives outside of games. Some of us like clubs. Like to dance. Have been in relationships. Are in relationships. Have engaged in sex. And like to get shit faced on alcohol. A large cross section of society will never believe this and continue to keep that iron clad stereotype in their minds that we all just sit in front of our consoles from dusk till dawn, unwashed and with no latch on what goes on beyond ye ole pixelated yonder. But it's true ya'll. GAMERZ GETS DWN IN REAL LIFEZ TU!
Unfortunately there are very few places which merge real life socializing, gaming, jamming to muzak and boozing all in one establishment - outside of us doing it with our friends at home. But they do exist. And it turns out such a place exists in Japan. Just as you would kind of expect it to. But it doesn't make it any less amazing. And to think that it was complete chance as to how I found out about the place. Something which never would have happened had I not worn my X-Men Magneto T-shirt. True story.
*cue Flashback sequence and a transitional haze to August 2012...*
My friend and I walk into a tiny little karaoke bar and before the barman can so much as catch a breath to greet us, this bald white guy jumps in front of me: 'DUUUUUUDE!!' He throws his arm around me and stares at my chest in awe with the ecstatic look of a child on Christmas day. 'Your t-shirt is fucking awesome dude!!' He steps back so I can see him in plain view and yanks on his own T-shirt, which I then realize has a picture on it of Super Mario and Donkey Kong. I crack a smile (Ninty fan here. Lover and hoarder of graphic print T-shirts). But before I can compliment him on his T-shirt he's telling me what I should be doing tomorrow night. 'I work at a video game bar, you should totally come down! It's called Space station'. 'Space station?' I reply with a bewildered look and the guy nods his head. Reeling off his hard sell of the bar, which is interjected with how tired he is and how much he really fucking loves my T-shirt - everything but where exactly this bar is. So in the one rare moment in which this guy stops for breath, I jump in 'So, where this is place?' He gives very specific instructions on how to get there from the bar we're in now, but upon seeing the look on my face which pretty much said 'I ain't gonna remember that after I get me some dranks tonight' - he tells us 2 easy-to-remember things: 'It's in Amerikamura. Look for the shop with the giant Octopus'. Seems easy enough. I tell him we'll see him there tomorrow, bump fists and he heads off home. I order 2 beers, grab the mic and begin to sing the shit out of the Arctic monkeys.
The next day. A temple trek in the sweltering heat, 2 pizzas and 4 glasses of Budweiser later...
My friend and I are walking through the streets of Amerikamura in search of Space station, on the look out for a shop with a giant Octopus. Three circuits around the same block, a conversation with a tramp and a desperate attempt to log into Google maps knowing full well we had no roaming signal to do so left us defeated and really wanting to head back home. Wondering if there could truly be a bar in an area which seemed so still and so quiet, and if we were completely stupid for not being able to find a giant Octopus.
A retread of steps and a leap of faith put us face to face with the giant Octopus. How did it take us almost an hour to find!? The thing is huge!! It's wearing a crown which is backlit brighter than the star of Bethlehem on the night Jebus was born.
True to his word, once we found the giant Octopus we found Space station, which is located up a flight of stairs. So if you happen to be a wheelchair user, you'd better attend this place with a friend who is willing to carry you up the stairs. In the sweltering heat of a Japanese Summer, I'm not willing to be that friend I'm afraid. Heavy lifting in Japanese heat makes me cry.
A playlist of retro VG choons blaring through the speakers. Consoles dotted about. Controllers strewn across the place. Bottles of alcohol. Mood lighting. This is the room I always wanted my house to have. Part of the dream which involves MTV cribs filming an episode of me showing it all off, with cameo appearances from Shigeru Miyamoto raiding my fridge for strawberry milk and Hideo Kojima chillin' in my infinity pool.
It took me all of 5 minutes before I could say anything to the bar man. I was too in awe and trying to process this place in my mind. I promised myself I would try to suppress how much of a gaming geek I was, but that went and dove straight out of the window, the second I opened my mouth tosay scream 'OH SHIT! THIS IS THE GAME GEAR MIX OF GREEN HILL ZONE ISN'T IT!' I should also note that I rocked up to this place wearing a Sonic the hedgehog T-shirt. I'm so smooth that silk is in the process of taking out a restraining order on me.
It would seem obvious that Japan would have a place like this, but even so this bar is very niche. Video game bars don't strike me as the type of bars which would particularly thrive. Not even in Japan. Perhaps less so in Japan. The climate of the gaming industry in Japan is very different now. I get the general feeling that there's a greater appreciation for the camaraderie and social aspect of gaming in the West than in Japan. But with that said, the crowd turn out of this place was a nice mix. There were the gaijin gaming neeks you would expect in a place like this, but there were also quite a few females too. Groups of Japanese women out for a tipple in a place which differs from your regular watering hole; complete with your bog standard oak counter top and a slew of world currencies and business cards pinned up behind the bar. Video games are a great ice breaker to break down pretences. You may not be able to speak the same language as the 3 other people you're playing Mario Kart 64 with, but the fun and understanding of what you're doing in the game is mutual and presents a common ground between people who perhaps wouldn't have anything to share otherwise.
You don't have to pay Japan's infamous cover charge to drink at Space station and you don't even need to play a game. Just kick back and relish in an environment populated by people who just want to chill with a drink and casually play a video game or two. It can become a cool self-challenge to see if you can still make it through Streets of rage with a gut full of Kahlua milk (I can), if you can stop crashing into pipes on Mario circuit whilst light headed on Pikachu shots (no comment) and play Super Bomberman without bombing yourself (leave me the fuck alone).
Fellow gamers. You would love this place. With establishments in London such as The loading bar, this place may seem less special to some than it would have a year ago. But Space station is still a gem, with a sparkle which glimmers on the virtue of it being in Japan alone. In the home city of Capcom no less. So if you are a gamer or just a fan of niche places to hang out in which are different from the norm oft frequented holes in the wall you can find in your Japan holiday guides, then be sure to drop by this place. And if you do, tlel 'em Random J sent you.
Here's a cool video featuring an informal interview with Matt, the guy who owns the bar. I'd met him on my first visit to Space station and he was super cool. He let me take a bunch of photos of the place and talked me through each of his cool bits 'n' bobs in the bar you could easily miss: such as his Resident evil drinks coasters and his Portal mirrors. Too bad every single one of my photos of each of these things came out looking like dark, fuzzy, pieces of shit. I blame the alcohol. More reason for you to check it out for yourself.
Unfortunately there are very few places which merge real life socializing, gaming, jamming to muzak and boozing all in one establishment - outside of us doing it with our friends at home. But they do exist. And it turns out such a place exists in Japan. Just as you would kind of expect it to. But it doesn't make it any less amazing. And to think that it was complete chance as to how I found out about the place. Something which never would have happened had I not worn my X-Men Magneto T-shirt. True story.
*cue Flashback sequence and a transitional haze to August 2012...*
My friend and I walk into a tiny little karaoke bar and before the barman can so much as catch a breath to greet us, this bald white guy jumps in front of me: 'DUUUUUUDE!!' He throws his arm around me and stares at my chest in awe with the ecstatic look of a child on Christmas day. 'Your t-shirt is fucking awesome dude!!' He steps back so I can see him in plain view and yanks on his own T-shirt, which I then realize has a picture on it of Super Mario and Donkey Kong. I crack a smile (Ninty fan here. Lover and hoarder of graphic print T-shirts). But before I can compliment him on his T-shirt he's telling me what I should be doing tomorrow night. 'I work at a video game bar, you should totally come down! It's called Space station'. 'Space station?' I reply with a bewildered look and the guy nods his head. Reeling off his hard sell of the bar, which is interjected with how tired he is and how much he really fucking loves my T-shirt - everything but where exactly this bar is. So in the one rare moment in which this guy stops for breath, I jump in 'So, where this is place?' He gives very specific instructions on how to get there from the bar we're in now, but upon seeing the look on my face which pretty much said 'I ain't gonna remember that after I get me some dranks tonight' - he tells us 2 easy-to-remember things: 'It's in Amerikamura. Look for the shop with the giant Octopus'. Seems easy enough. I tell him we'll see him there tomorrow, bump fists and he heads off home. I order 2 beers, grab the mic and begin to sing the shit out of the Arctic monkeys.
The next day. A temple trek in the sweltering heat, 2 pizzas and 4 glasses of Budweiser later...
My friend and I are walking through the streets of Amerikamura in search of Space station, on the look out for a shop with a giant Octopus. Three circuits around the same block, a conversation with a tramp and a desperate attempt to log into Google maps knowing full well we had no roaming signal to do so left us defeated and really wanting to head back home. Wondering if there could truly be a bar in an area which seemed so still and so quiet, and if we were completely stupid for not being able to find a giant Octopus.
 |
| Locals will tell you that 'You can't miss it', but you can. We fucking did. |
True to his word, once we found the giant Octopus we found Space station, which is located up a flight of stairs. So if you happen to be a wheelchair user, you'd better attend this place with a friend who is willing to carry you up the stairs. In the sweltering heat of a Japanese Summer, I'm not willing to be that friend I'm afraid. Heavy lifting in Japanese heat makes me cry.
 |
| So many games... Such little time... |
A playlist of retro VG choons blaring through the speakers. Consoles dotted about. Controllers strewn across the place. Bottles of alcohol. Mood lighting. This is the room I always wanted my house to have. Part of the dream which involves MTV cribs filming an episode of me showing it all off, with cameo appearances from Shigeru Miyamoto raiding my fridge for strawberry milk and Hideo Kojima chillin' in my infinity pool.
It took me all of 5 minutes before I could say anything to the bar man. I was too in awe and trying to process this place in my mind. I promised myself I would try to suppress how much of a gaming geek I was, but that went and dove straight out of the window, the second I opened my mouth to
 |
| Lots of cartridges for you to blow all night. |
You don't have to pay Japan's infamous cover charge to drink at Space station and you don't even need to play a game. Just kick back and relish in an environment populated by people who just want to chill with a drink and casually play a video game or two. It can become a cool self-challenge to see if you can still make it through Streets of rage with a gut full of Kahlua milk (I can), if you can stop crashing into pipes on Mario circuit whilst light headed on Pikachu shots (no comment) and play Super Bomberman without bombing yourself (leave me the fuck alone).
Fellow gamers. You would love this place. With establishments in London such as The loading bar, this place may seem less special to some than it would have a year ago. But Space station is still a gem, with a sparkle which glimmers on the virtue of it being in Japan alone. In the home city of Capcom no less. So if you are a gamer or just a fan of niche places to hang out in which are different from the norm oft frequented holes in the wall you can find in your Japan holiday guides, then be sure to drop by this place. And if you do, tlel 'em Random J sent you.
Here's a cool video featuring an informal interview with Matt, the guy who owns the bar. I'd met him on my first visit to Space station and he was super cool. He let me take a bunch of photos of the place and talked me through each of his cool bits 'n' bobs in the bar you could easily miss: such as his Resident evil drinks coasters and his Portal mirrors. Too bad every single one of my photos of each of these things came out looking like dark, fuzzy, pieces of shit. I blame the alcohol. More reason for you to check it out for yourself.