Japanese UFO catcher prizes just keep getting weirder…
“Oh shoot, I’m out of dish soap, let’s go to the game center.” If this sentence seems incongruous, you clearly have not spent enough time in Japanese game centers. Sure game centers have good old fashion arcade games, air hockey and photo booths , but a lot of the space is taken up by UFO catchers (adorably pronounced, oo-fo in Japan), aka claw/crane games.
Usually, UFO catchers are filled with cute toys or cool figurines, but sometimes things get a little too practical . Other times, the prizes are just a bit… off. Twitter users across Japan have shared their strange finds with us before, but they just keep coming and they keep getting weirder.
▼ The slot machine area of game centers can reek of smoke, so we can kind of understand the incentive here.
この間行ったゲーセンにあった景品がファブリーズのみの台 http://t.co/icSHQjiHno
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はいいろぐま (@haiiroguma22) May 27, 2013
▼ This machine might be catering to the bored mothers waiting for their children.
これが秋田のゲーセンや http://t.co/ZhMJ8UvU9r
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ちーば (@nekoeco222) April 19, 2014
▼ Unless you are a UFO catching master, I doubt you’d save any money getting your soap this way. I’m pretty sure Daiso sells it.
今秋田のゲーセンでサランラップが取れるとありますが隣の台を見てみましょう http://t.co/yxReZ9VJas
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エールン (@A_run_ra) April 19, 2014
▼ Who needs toys when you can win laundry detergent?
弘前のゲーセンのクレーンゲームの景品は洗剤 http://t.co/XZ3J4ijiFA
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hood兄knit (@Gedou1341) August 10, 2014
▼ You know the game center is pushing its limits when they offer trash bags in UFO catchers, but this machine has trash bags that you can only use in Tachikawa City.
UFOキャッチャーの景品に立川市指定のゴミ袋があった http://t.co/MqEPI3d6nt
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秋穹@がんばるぞい (@Akisora_kanade) July 22, 2014
▼ This may seem like an odd prize, but these backpacks, called randoseru, are used by every elementary school kid in Japan and cost between US$100-400. If you could get one in a UFO catcher, that’d be a steal!
今の時代ってUFOキャッチャーでランドセルとれるんですね……… http://t.co/2qP7F2DhKq
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ろろみ» (@roromi0x0) March 27, 2014
▼One UFO catcher in Akihabara taunts customers with a wooden “samurai katana.” But you’d have to be pretty good to catch it…
【プライズ】
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どどん！(和太鼓)
これ…クレーンゲームの景品なんだぜ…？
なんと木製の鑑賞用刀、『武士の刀』が登場です。外国からいらしたお客様にも大人気です！！(ﾟ∀ﾟ)ｸﾞｫﾒﾝ!
担当：店長 #akiba http://t.co/YQxDRCOJqF
タイトーステーション 秋葉原店 (@Taito_Akihabara) January 24, 2014
▼ Speaking of things hard to catch, a piece of real cake?
なんだこのUFOキャッチャーの景品はー！！wwww本物のケーキwwww http://t.co/0dNjuQ8Lxb
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∠小鳥遊:蒼い孤島を愛するなしたか (@Takanashi8111) January 16, 2014
▼ The game centers in the Ishikawa area, on the other hand, are apparently promoting healthy eating.
流石は石川のゲーセンやな http://t.co/2UkokaaGAv
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アナザーゴッドAMON (@xxxxAMON) October 23, 2014
▼ Why go to the grocery store? You can even get salad dressing at game centers!
残業調整で早上がりだったからゲーセンいったんだけどドレッシングが景品になってたよ…怖い山梨 http://t.co/owIxcL9Azn
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ねおん (@melody_cos) April 24, 2014
▼ I’m pretty sure you can get these sweet potatoes from a stand on the side of the road for much less time and money.
ゲーセンのクレーンゲームの景品にサツマイモがあるんですが（） http://t.co/E4b9WD0Gzu
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パンツマンまさお〜旅立ちの朝〜 (@ooyakesakana) November 04, 2014
▼ More sweet potatoes?!
ゲーセンの景品に
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芋(本物) http://t.co/c4GO47Akv5
蒼(ソウ) (@morpho_1017) November 05, 2014
▼ Uh… anyone want a charm with the face of the head plastic surgeon at the Takasugi Clinic…? Perhaps a picture of him shirtless?
ゲーセンの景品に高須クリニックの院長のストラップあるんやけど誰に需要あんの、、、？
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とりあえず１回やったんだけど、これ魔除けとかに使えるのかな、、、
誰かいる？ww http://t.co/3igil3CF3f
MIyazaCKEY (@miyazackey) November 18, 2014
▼ Politician Ryutaro Nonomura may never live his crying press conference down, but at least he seems to have a cult following…
香川県にはこんな
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クレーンゲームが、、 http://t.co/fg5XxIjQmo
Textile/旧S_tExTi1E (@Spheld_fps) August 13, 2014
▼Just a doormat to many, at least one guy is excited for this mat featuring stairs from Dragon Quest.
ゲーセンの景品にドラクエの階段がデザインされたマットがあるらしい。ひさしぶりに心底欲しいと思えるモノに出会った。玄関の隅に敷いておけば ドラクエやったことがある人が来たときに 大喜びしてもらえるだろう。絶対に乗りたくなるだろうし（笑） http://t.co/jtj3BCq0m4
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ぶるまにあ (@BLMNA) October 01, 2013
▼ Oops! She forgot her skirt !
下北ゲーセンにて
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にこにー・・ http://t.co/8wMXvXmtdH
林堂スミヨシ@こみトレ4号館二20a委託 (@rindosumiyosi) October 28, 2014
▼ While this prize is pretty normal, it’s kind of an odd arrangement…
ゲーセン行ったら黒バス置いてあったんだけど 配置が面白かったwwww http://t.co/CMwstTtP4f
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りっか (@purigum) December 15, 2013
▼Given its popularity, one shouldn’t be surprised to find Youkai Watch toys in a UFO catcher, but wait… these are knock offs.
【狙った?】妖怪ウォッチっぽいキャラ…ゲーセンに登場 news.livedoor.com/article/detail… クレーンゲームに、ジバニャンに似た「オーロラニャンコ」なる景品。隣に「妖怪ウォッチ」正規品があり、混同させかねない。 http://t.co/nW1jkjMebm
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ライブドアニュース (@livedoornews) August 17, 2014
▼ It’s not a Youkai watch, it’s an “Ayakashi” watch. (Ayakashi means “suspicious,” ironically.)
スーパーのゲーセンにおいてあった景品めちゃくちゃウォッチだった http://t.co/hsz6IXuibR
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亜沙 (@asaduke9n) November 05, 2014
▼And then there are those frustrating times when you were so close to getting your prize…
UFOキャッチャーとれたー！と思ってこれはトラウマｗｗｗ http://t.co/1TfUhdXmdT
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トラウマ.bot (@torauma__bot) October 22, 2013
▼ That’s just the worst.
だれやゲーセンで5000かけてとられへん景品はないっていったやつぶっころすぞ http://t.co/xhPWIwQNxe
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μ鼠(希推し)@ (@oT_souna_To) April 06, 2014
▼ And we finish off with perhaps the oddest of them all… A LIVE CAT?!
このUFOキャッチャーは、景品が、動くんです…。 http://t.co/VNggH9FPHS
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(@yakisoba) November 20, 2014
These prizes are pretty hard to beat in the strange category, but there is probably some good competition out there. What’s the weirdest prize you’ve come across? Let us know in the comment section below!
Source: Naver Matome
