It was a huge blow to the area and has left what feels like a gaping hole in the landscape of one of Tokyo's biggest gaming and entertainment districts.

It was a piece of the area's history and now it's gone.

The building sits there empty even months later and it wasn't the first or the last to get the chop, sadly, game centers have been closing right, left and center all throughout Tokyo and the rest of Japan areas like Winos, a Miyoko market used to be filled with game centers around every turn and while some still remain, the majority have been converted into other shops over the years, it has been a sad progression to watch unfold.

But then the news came of peek a boo Karos, Sega G go closing down And honestly this was huge.

The most legendary game center in all of Japan, quite possibly the world was closing its doors after 28 years in business and its final day was just around the corner.

Mm hmm.

Absolut vodka.

Nobody here.

I know that's gonna be there.

Total condition.

Come on.

Hi, you must name.

I actually have no uh uh uh uh what do you got?

Hi Ikebukuro gigolo was the Sega flagship store at 28 years.

It was also one of the longest standing Sega game centers in all of Japan located in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district on what is known as Sunshine Street.

It was of course beloved by fans but was also seen as a sort of mecca for Sega employees.

Countrywide, the Ikebukuro location was the one where everyone wanted to work.

It was the dream job, a dream location, the place to be.

Mm everyone really seems to love their job and it shows everywhere you look, staff are genuinely happy to be there and spend a great deal of their time interacting with the customers.

It's not uncommon to even see them adjusting the prize to make it easier for someone to get if they've been struggling a bit and for some it runs even deeper.

Well that's all you've got.

Hi, all of this creates an atmosphere that becomes a culture of its own.

Oftentimes you'd even see staff sticking around with lingering customers for as much as ours after the shop is closed.

Honestly, you could be a daily visitor or a first timer and you would feel this atmosphere, this culture from the second that you walked into the shop and this is really what gave this location its charm And I can attest to this.

On my very first day in Japan back in 2005, I visited Ikebukuro as one of the first areas of the city I went to and this game center was my first stop.

I had never been to a game center in Japan before and that memory stuck with me and the area of peekaboo grow itself much like the area of Akihabara carries a culture based strongly around enemy and gaming and everything in between.

For many Ikebukuro is their comfort spot.

And at the center of that is this game center.

Uh huh uh huh Yeah whatever.

Uh uh uh uh uh uh okay.

Uh huh uh huh Oh Monica Monica nick.

Oh my God, you got to get some money to look at them.

One thing was clear for sure.

This place, this arcade was really rooted in love and care.

When I reached out to Sega asking them if I could document the closing of the shop, they asked me if I would be their guest for the final day and that was an invitation.

I wasn't about to turn down.

Mhm mhm mhm mhm mm skinny.

But what it does because I want to hear it and I should get going to the high energy except how do you say you could?

Good I hear your cyber card.

Mhm mm hmm.

Thank you.

I got a high snap, you know our money, this ceiling.

Yeah donors forming a particular material.

Mhm mhm Yeah, so today is actually the last day of Segi here in Ikebukuro and have you been given me like a little arm band that I can put on so I can go around and get shots and talk to people.

It just feels really weird as this was the very first ever game center that I have the chance to experience in Japan.

So mhm Why?

Yeah, yeah.

On the final day, the wall is almost completely full actually.

It took a second for me to find the one that I wrote.

It would be really nice to see this totally filled up.

By the end of the day, people are coming through and still writing them out and putting them on.

So there is hope.

Yeah.

The final day reminded me a lot of what these places used to feel like the energy, that noise, excitement and even the expertise that some people bring to their games knowing that this would be my last time to ever visit this shop.

I spent the entire day just taking it all in.

I honestly couldn't believe how quickly the day flew by and luckily by the end of the day the message wall did fill up moreover toe myopic and all that honey have you?

She's expected.

Okay.

I think I got a call, that sandwich woman hit them with it.

Okay.

Each.

Yeah.

Mhm Right.

Yeah.

How do you do there?

Mhm, mhm uh mm uh hi uh it's a brand new state.

You can see the sunshine during.

I hated by this.

Okay.

So I got a chance to worry about making the list.

My important at the time in the parana and I don't think that the most Oh no, I'm not.

Oh that was a long time to see what they see.