The actual alleys looked very well maintained. The button to move onto the next game appears on the bottom right, after the current game is over. The results screen had some Japanese on it, but you don’t need to be able to read any of that to see your score. There are music videos playing at the end of the lanes. There were the usual displays above the lanes, and on the side. The rest of the bowling alley looked pretty standard. The text explains that they are less likely to damage your nails. They are lighter, have larger finger holes, and contain rubber inserts.

The yellow ones were labled as ‘easy balls for ladies’. The orange ones (there were other colours as well) were standard bowling balls with different weights, and finger sizes. They have a selection of different bowling balls to choose. Fortunately you can ask them for larger sizes. Too small for my fairly average European feet. The machines did however only go up to 27.5 cm. You press the button, and the shoes come out. Each had a button, and an opening at the bottom. They had a line of shoe vending machines with the sizes written on them (in cm). They allocate you lane at the reception, but you don’t pay them until after you are finished. If you are really keen they were offering 6 games for ¥1500. The weekday cost at this branch was ¥500 per person per game, plus ¥350 each for shoe hire. They have a complicated system of memberships that can get you discounts if you visit more than once (see their Japanese website for details), but you can just go bowling without having to sign up as well. They have skating, a games arcades, pool, karaoke and racket sports. If you are thinking that this building is a bit big for a bowling place that’s because there is much more inside. The one I went to was in Takamatsu, Kagawa. I went to a big chain called Round 1 which has locations all around Japan. If you want to go ten pin bowling in Japan there are plenty of bowling alleys in the cities.

Round one karaoke prices