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Getting married? Love video games? Why not hold your wedding at this Tokyo video arcade!

Kay Jun 2, 2014
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Now, I’m sure that to most people, weddings are a big deal. And finding the right venue is surely one of the most important steps in planning a wedding. What, then, would be your ideal wedding location? You may say Disneyland, or if you’re a train fan, maybe a ceremony on the JR Yamanote Line is what you would call the wedding of your dreams.

Well, if anyone out there thinks a video game arcade is the perfect wedding venue for them, then there’s an arcade in central Tokyo that could actually make your dream come true!

Yes, according to a recent tweet by Mikado, a game arcade located in the Takadanobaba area of Tokyo, they’re perfectly serious about encouraging couples to consider getting married on site at the arcade.

▼The actual tweet reads, “Notice: We realize there have been rumors that you can have a private wedding renting the entire arcade here at Mikado. Well, these rumors are … indeed true. We’d be happy to discuss possible plans with you. Any couples out there prepared to have a once-in-a-lifetime event at Mikado, we’re waiting for you!”

Mikado is well-known among game fans in Japan as an arcade that carries an exceptionally extensive line-up of video games and also has a reputation for being well-managed and promoted, for example, by hosting numerous events and large-scale game tournaments that may otherwise be difficult to hold due to noise and electricity usage concerns. The arcade occupies two floors in a building very conveniently situated within a minute’s walk from the Takadanobaba Station, with many dining options nearby to choose from, so it’s not surprising that with its ideal location, wide selection of games and various promotional events, Mikado has built itself a reputation among video game fans.

▼The arcade seen from outside:

▼This is what the interior of the arcade looks like. The overwhelming number and variety of games has made it a kind of mecca for video game fans.

But are they really up to hosting a wedding? Well, the staff at Mikado seem to be quite confident that they’ll be able to put on a splendid wedding, incorporating game-themed activities depending on the couple’s preferences.

Want to have a “Street Fighter Tournament” wedding? They’ll make it happen for you! And they actually do have reason to be comfortable offering services as a wedding venue. Firstly, it’s been reported that the arcade manager’s wife previously worked in the wedding business, and secondly, they’ve already had the experience of hosting a concert-slash-wedding announcement party for game music creator Go Sato which took place a few years ago. That being said, there haven’t yet been any couples who have actually had their wedding ceremony at the arcade. Yet!

Although the tweets from Mikado didn’t include any price information, word is that it should cost about 250,000 to 300,000 yen (US$2,450-$2,940) just to rent the entire arcade, which we guess doesn’t sound too bad considering how expensive everything else can be for a wedding, and the rest of the costs would depend on the kind of ceremony you want to have.

Japanese game fans appear to be intrigued by the idea of an arcade wedding but their comments online seem to reflect the sentiment that they would first need to find that special someone before even thinking about a wedding! So, any gamers interested in becoming the first couple to get married at the Mikado? And, more importantly, can we come?

Source: web R25, IT Media, Niconico Pedia, Mikado official website
Top image: Toy-Tma.com
Photo of tweet by Mikado: Mikado Twitter page (@babamikado)
Photo of Mikado exterior: Pinball wa Bakuhatsu da! Blog
Photo of Mikado interior: Mikado Facebook page