Danica Davidson
September 21, 2021 
COVID has hit arcades hard, causing multiple large arcades in Japan to shutter, including the Silk Hat Ikebukuro arcade, Adores, and the Sega Akihabara Building 2. Yesterday the Sega Ikebukuro GiGO, which debuted in 1993, closed its doors. But it might not be for forever.
The arcade had warned people in August that the building would close soon. Leading up to the closure, customers received bags that said “Thank you for 28 years” and there was a note on the receipts that promised, “We know we’ll meet each other again someday.”
When the final day arrived, the area was thronged with gamers, fans and well-wishers. Someone dressed in a Sonic the Hedgehog costume was there to meet and greet people. Mr. Noda, the manager of the arcade, gave a speech (which can be seen in this video):
Mr. Noda expressed gratitude toward his workers, saying, “If we could have, I wanted to go on operating the arcade, right here, forever, being able to see everyone’s wonderful smiles.”
And he gave fans hope for a return by remarking, “From tomorrow, Sega will not have an arcade in Ikebukuro, but we believe that the culture of arcades will not disappear. We will be working hard so that one day we can put up the Sega sign in Ikebukuro again, turn on the lights at a new facility, see you all again, and make new memories together.”
There’s another clue that the arcade might be back in some form. The building put up a large timeline of the arcade that includes the sentence, “2021: Closed after 28 years and 3 months in business.” After that is one final line, which says “202_” and leaves an open space after that.
Here’s hoping Sega Ikebukuro GiGO can make a comeback in the future!
Source: SoraNews24
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
