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Showing results for tags 'japan'.

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  1. Have you noticed those adorable cat figurines waving at you in your local Asian restaurant or supermarket? Did you know the cat has a name and a long, interesting history? In Japanese, these cats are called Maneki-Neko, or "beckoning cat." They're often associated with hospitality and fortune, but there's more to the story than that. Would you like to learn more about this Japanese lucky cat and how it can improve your luck? Read on! The Story of Maneki-Neko The history of Maneki-Neko dates back to the 18th- and 19th-century Edo period in Japan. Legend has it that a wealthy lord named Ii Naotaka got caught in a violent thunderstorm. He saw a cat beckoning to him from a nearby temple and quickly moved into the temple from beneath a tree. Seconds later, a bolt of lightning hit the tree he'd been standing under! Moved with gratitude, the Lord Ii befriended the cat and the temple priests, sharing his fortune and prosperity. Other versions of the story feature an old shopkeeper or a Samurai warrior, but the moral of the story is always the same—a cat that brings good luck. Maneki-Neko Today The legend of Maneki-Neko spread and became popular in China, Thailand, and other Asian countries. It's also known by names like Lucky Cat, Welcoming Cat, and Waving Cat. Today the cat is a common sight in restaurants, hotels, markets, and private homes. If you're a Pokemon fan, you'll also be interested to learn that the Meowth character is based on Maneki-Neko. Variations of the Japanese Lucky Cat Traditionally, Maneki-Neko is a calico cat waving its left paw, but there are many cultural variations. 1. Paws A waving left paw is a sign of welcome for visitors and customers. A waving right paw is thought to invite money and luck into the home or business. If you see a Maneki-Neko with two raised paws, it's both very welcoming and very lucky! 2. Colors A white cat symbolizes happiness and good things to come, while black cats ward off evil spirits. A gold cat (not surprisingly) is connected to wealth and prosperity. There's also a green cat for good health and a red cat for success in romantic relationships. 3. Lucky Items You might occasionally see a lucky cat holding: a coin a fish a mallet (small hammer) a marble a gem a radish or gourd In Asian cultures, each of these items is associated with fortune and good luck. Do you see the common theme here? Japan's Neko Cat: Will It Help Your Luck? We may not know the exact story behind Maneki-Neko's origins, but we do know that the cat has a deep connection with luck. From saving ancient Japanese lords to greeting you at your favorite Chinese restaurant, Maneki-Neko has a rich and fascinating history. So the next time you see one waving at you, now you'll know why! How has your luck been at the casino lately? Could a Neko cat of your own help to turn your luck around? Invest in your own Maneki-Neko and then play of Maneki-Neko slots games, we covered all the best video slots themed with this lucky cat.
  2. The gambling industry is currently making over $41.7 billion in revenue, putting it at an all-time high. If you're someone who loves to gamble, you probably are always looking to media related to your hobby. After all, there's nothing quite like reading about characters doing what you yourself love, and when that hobby is gambling, it's even more fun. The stakes are always high in stories about casino games and betting! If you haven't looked into reading gambling manga yet, we highly recommend that you do so. Japanese comics and their unique, interesting drawings are the perfect media to capture the emotions and ideologies of those who love to gamble. Read on to learn what manga you'll want to start with as a gambling lover! Kaiji Kaiji is one of the most popular gambling manga of all time. This manga is still ongoing despite the fact that it began in 1996. Divided into six parts for easy reading, the latest installment began in 2017! If you're into trying the TV anime out before committing to reading the manga, you're in luck- there's an amazing anime adaptation called Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor. In any case, Kaiji follows a young man named- you guessed it!- Kaiji. This character really should be looking for a job, but he isn't having any luck of finding one, so he turns his attention elsewhere. He decides to focus his energy on playing cheap pranks on others, becoming intoxicated, and, yes, gambling. In comes a loan shark, Endo, who tells him all about high-stakes gambling. Immediately interested Kaiji accepts, only to be double-crossed by Endo. He takes him to an underground labor camp and tells him he must work for 15 years to pay off all the gambling debt he's in! This is obviously not an ideal situation, but Kaiji learns that he has hidden gambling skills. He uses them to get out of many, many situations. You'll need to read the manga to learn what they are, though! We aren't going to spoil you! Kakegurui Kakegurui is different from the rest of the series on this list in that it's shojo. Its art style is slightly different than the other manga we're talking about, and its primary target audience is women! However, men can also enjoy these spirited and lively stories with no shame. This is especially the case when Kakegurui is such a high-stakes series! This series follows students who attend a private school called Hyakkaou, where wealthy and privileged teens must compete in a series of games in which they wager their fortunes against one another. The prize? Elitism in the social hierarchy of the school! However, this social hierarchy is a bit... extreme, to say the least. The poorest students, who lost their money in the gambling that they partook in, are then seen as slaves to the rich students that won their fortunes. However, a new student shortly arrives at the school who simply loves gambling for the thrill of it. She wreaks havoc across the school and its hierarchal structure as she continues to defeat the student council in its attempts to eliminate her time and time again. Legendary Gambler Tetsuya Moving back into the shonen genre, Legendary Gambler Tetsuya is a classic that ran from 1997 until 2004. It has also been adapted into an anime series that ran in 2000 and 2001, so you can check it out that way, too! The plot is set in a post-WWII world, so it's also a historical series for all you history buffs out there. People are struggling to survive after the war has ended and the Axis powers have lost miserably. People lack money, and they can't buy food, shelter, and other necessities, so many of them begin to gamble away what money they do have in hopes of striking it big. The series follows Tetsuya, who is, as you may have guessed, a legendary gambler. He makes his fortune off playing Mahjong, a game in which he defeats his opponents with pretty much zero trouble. However, that all changes when Tetsuya meets a man who is very skilled at the game and realizes that he still has a lot to learn. This action-packed and heartfelt series is sure to have you rooting for Tetsuya to win at his chosen game against any odds that may be stacked against him. Akagi Like Legendary Gambler Tetsuya, Akagi also follows a player of the classic Chinese game Mahjong. This is unsurprising considering the game's popularity in Japan, which persists to this day. Akagi is also known as 'Akagi: The Genius Who Descended Into Darkness,' which is a much more descriptive title. The series follows a boy called Shigeru Asagi, a teenage boy who beats yakuza (Japanese mafia) members in Mahjong. He doesn't know the rules of the game, though- he just relies on his intuition to beat these dangerous men. He winds up disappearing, as those who meddle with the yakuza tend to do. However, six years later, he returns to the game carrying the status of a legend. His ultimate rival is called Washizu. He's one of the wealthiest men in the Japanese underworld who tempts people to bet their lives for great sums of money. The two of them create and play a variety of the game that Akagi calls 'Washizu Mahjong', in which three tiles for every tile type are transparent so that players can see what's underneath them. Bring Gambling Manga to Life No matter which of these gambling manga you choose to read, you're sure to be riveted. After all, the characters and plotlines are all high-stakes, all the time! Now that you know some of the best Japanese gambling manga that you can enjoy, it's time to learn more about gambling and casino games. Head over to the GamblersPick home page and sign up for our newsletter. We'll give you the latest gambling-related news and facts so that you can be as amazing a better as possible in bringing the strategies you learn in manga into the real world. Good luck out there!
  3. More than 4 billion people around the world gamble at least once every year. In casinos, online, and in many other forms, the gambling industry is worth billions of dollars. And while some forms of gambling games are new, most of these games have a long history. Pachinko is one of those games. Pachinko is a Japanese game that is at least a century old. While not formally a gambling game, it's extremely popular among Japanese people and increasing in popularity online. So what is pachinko, where does it come from, and how is it played? We'll tell you all of that and more in this story of pachinko. Origins and History of Pachinko Pachinko takes its name from "pachi pachi". It's a sort of onomatopoeia. The saying refers to the clicking noise that small objects make on a crackling fire, not unlike the noise that these games make. Pachinko dates back to the 1920s when a children's toy game called the "Corinth game" came to Japan. This game was a form of the Corinthian bagatelle, which came from the US. Japanese pachinko is somewhat like pinball in that it uses small, metallic marble-like balls. These get bounced around nails and the point is to hit the jackpot holes. It's mainly a game of chance rather than skill, especially since the flippers on the old machines are now electronic. Although it was intended as a recreational arcade game, pachinko is used mainly for gambling in Japan. And, because of the money that stands to be made from it, it has historically attracted criminal activity. For example, the Japanese Mafia was well-known for controlling the money exchanged in Pachinko winnings. Today, however, that has changed. Parlours are generally run by Korean Japanese who started taking over the industry after World War II, when they were unable to secure other forms of employment in discriminatory Japan. Online vs Offline Pachinko Machines Japanese pachinko is mostly played in pachinko parlors. If you've ever stepped foot in Japan and walked by a large casino-looking establishment, with bright, flashing lights and lots of cigarette smoke, you know what we're talking about. The game works by getting the pachinko balls into the jackpot holes. Unlike pinball where you get coins for hitting jackpots, you get more balls. Top wins can give you as many as 10,000 pachinko balls. And those balls are then exchanged for gifts from the gift shop in the parlor. If you get three balls with three matching symbols, the prizes you can win are even bigger. This game is incredibly popular in Japan but it's also begun to spread outside of the country. This has led to the adaptation of pachinko for online purposes. You can play online pachinko with a smartphone, a tablet, a laptop, or a PC. There are two ways of playing pachinko online: for free or for payment. You can easily find free pachinko online. You won't make any money playing the free versions. But this is a great way to try your hand at the game before deciding to pay for it. The other way to play is to pay an online casino. You pay to play because you make money when you win. You can pay through your credit card, but make sure you always choose an online casino that's credible. Government Regulations and Restrictions Japan has considered gambling illegal for a very long time and doing so was considered criminal activity. But Pachinko sits in a legal grey area in the country. Things like betting on horse racing, motorsports, and the government-sanctioned lottery have enjoyed freedom when it comes to the laws surrounding gambling. Pachinko also managed to squeeze into that category, but largely because they've circumvented the exchange of money in the parlors themselves. They've done this by allowing winners to exchange the gifts they win at the gift shop for cash, but in a building that's separate and apart from the parlor. But other government regulations have been placed on pachinko that parlors can't necessarily circumvent. One of these laws is cutting the maximum payout of each machine. This law is supposed to make it impossible for someone to win more than $450 in a session lasting four hours. Another recent law has to do with casinos. Although long illegal in Japan, casinos are now allowed to operate. But residents of the country aren't allowed to visit them more than three times per week. More than that, they'll have to pay an entrance fee every time they visit. Pachinko Stats Here are some fun stats that reveal just how popular pachinko is and who's playing it: there are more than 10,500 pachinko parlors around Japan almost half of all the available leisure time in Japan is spent playing pachinko in parlors it's estimated that 40 million people play pachinko every year those 40 million people draw more than 30 trillion yen into the gaming economy 30 trillion yen is the same as $270 billion, which is 30 times the annual gambling revenue of Vegas and double the amount that Japan's export car industry makes the pachinko industry employs more people than the top 10 car manufacturers in the country The Future of Pachinko Pachinko parlors are actually on the decline in Japan. Compared to 1995, there are 40% fewer pachinko machines today. They're also drawing in a third less profit than they did in 2005. One of the major reasons for this decline in pachinko playing in Japan is the advent of online options. For the casual player, free online pachinko is readily available. And for those looking to cash in on the potentially high winnings that pachinko offers, paid pachinko can be easily accessed on numerous online casinos. The best part of online casinos is diversity. You're not restricted to playing just pachinko, you can choose from any number of games. Check out the games we have on offer to get started.
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