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Japanese crane game serves up actual slices of cake – and we got some!【Photos】

Shannon McNaught Dec 6, 2019
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Forget about stuffed animals and candy bars – now it’s time for gourmet prizes!

Yeah, you can get some of your favorite toys, or even household supplies, in crane games, but what about getting something once in a while that’s fresh and sweet?

When we heard about the prizes being offered in a crane game center in Sweets Cranes Yokohama, we just had to check it out. If you’ve read the title of this article, then you’ve probably already figured out what it is: cake. For 100 yen (US$0.92) a pop, you can have a chance to grab and win a slice of cake made by a dedicated patisserie.

▼ If you’re in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai neighborhood, we highly recommend stopping by the World Porters shopping center, where Sweets Cranes Yokohama is located.

Once you enter the building and go to the fifth floor, you’ll find the Sweets Cranes center.

▼ It may not look like much, but it’s worth a closer look.

When we wandered in and asked the staff about the cakes inside the machines, they said that they’re supervised by certified patisseries that select gourmet cakes especially for these machines.

▼ Here’s what some of the machines look like inside.

Honestly, the cakes inside were of a quality that easily have been on display in a fancy independent bakery. Our field reporter Great Muromachi, who visited the crane game, found himself wanting to say, “One chocolate slice, please!” He quickly snapped back to reality, though, and faced the truth: if he wanted that chocolate cake, he needed to win it.

Most of the machines are 100 yen (some are 200 yen), and when you think about the fact that some of these sweets would go for at least 300 yen in a convenience store, it’s a potential bargain for skilled gamers.

▼ For 200 yen a play, you can win a whole assortment of cakes!

▼ Great Muromachi started off by trying to win some strawberry cream treats.

After testing the first machine to a couple of rounds of grabbing, Great Muromachi decided to move onto a less challenging machine.

▼ Ah, yes, the old S hook.

The hook is meant to swing a little bit and catch onto the handle of a metal basket in which the cake slice is placed.

▼ So he decided to give it a whirl, and…

Bam! Great Muromachi got it on the first try!

▼ Here is his well-earned prize, a piece of strawberry vanilla roll cake which must taste sweeter than just buying your dessert.

Sweets Cranes Yokohama even has some tables set up so you can enjoy your prize right there!

We can easily picture crane game and cake fans being trapped in an endless cycle of gaming and eating all day. We wouldn’t blame them either, honestly.

▼ At 100 yen per play (in most cases), how could you resist?

Great Muromachi spent a total of 1,000 yen with his companion here, but if you know what you want and you’re already an expert, it should only cost a few coins. And hey, what’s wrong with 1,000 yen spent as long as you had fun?

▼ Here are some of the cakes in other machines! Most are delicious classics like chocolate cake and strawberry shortcake.

Interested in going? You’d better be. Don’t forget our helpful tips on how to win crane games, and here’s some information on where it is and when it’s open.

Game Center Information
Sweets Cranes Yokohama / スイーツクレーンズヨコハマ
Address: Yokohama-shi, Naka-ku, Shinko 2-2-1 Yokohama World Porters 5th floor
横浜市中区新港2-2-1 横浜ワールドポーターズ5階
Open 10:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Website

Photos ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]