1989年11月參加了學校組織的見學（短期旅行觀光）活動回來後，找了工資高的在派金宮裡打工，每小時800日元。
但是得不償失，不僅要忍受賭場裡嗆人的煙味，嘈雜的視覺和聽覺環境，還受到了誘惑，下了班後也會去玩一會兒。坐在彈子機前不知不覺中時間就過去了。
先把500日元投入「投幣口」，下方的出珠口裡會滾出一些鋼珠。放進上盤裡，捻動開關把手，鋼珠就會沿著圓框內側左邊的弧線往上打。手勁兒用大了，這500日元的鋼珠，往上亂竄一會兒就打光了，沒打到點子上還都輸掉了。手上要悠著點，慢慢來，但是用力不足的話，鋼珠蹦得不高，也就會滑下去，浪費了。
在見學途中，聽第一次去派金宮一起玩兒的同學說，使的勁兒要恰到好處，將那鋼珠朝一個點打，下滑時遇到觸發口的機率就大，小的觸發口會滾出十顆左右的鋼珠。就接著玩兒，如果鋼珠滾進了下面中部的大觸發口的話，那就是贏了，開獎了。它會不斷地一開一合，吸進珠子吐出珠子，吸進的少吐出的多。
1989年的最後一晚我們說好是去參加J的一位私教學生家舉辦的派對的。結果我在派金宮裡忘了時間，回到家J已經去了。1990年的跨年時光是一個人度過的。
還有一次，是1991年12月7日回上海之前的頭兩天。我又去玩兒了，這次是玩老虎機，感覺玩老虎機比玩彈珠機自己更能控制。老虎機的玻璃窗裡有三個並列著滾動的輪子，上面有著不同的花樣和數字七。當輪子停下後，玻璃窗裡會有九個圖案，上中下各占一行，如果圖案花樣對齊了你就贏了，但是只有三個七對上了才是大額開獎。你摁按鈕時可以根據自己喜歡的圖案摁，比如數字七，以及小紅果櫻桃，還有BAR。一旦它們在頭一條出現的次數多了往往離開獎不遠了。當然了也不是你想讓這些「喜」性的圖案出來就出來的，有時候它們就是不出來，因為時間沒到。但是時間到了的時候，也就是走勢上升期，就比較容易摁出來。
每次投幣三枚鋼幣，當然了投放一枚或兩枚鋼幣也行，但機率小。投放一枚的屏幕中只有中間那一行圖案或字母對齊的才管用。如果三個七對齊了，但出現在上一行或下一行也沒用。好不容易三個七出現了，但失之交臂，會後悔。投放兩枚鋼幣的，數字或圖案對齊的有三橫道，都能贏。投入三枚鋼幣的，圖案與數字對角線對齊的也管用。但是如果自己覺得盈利週期沒到，就放一枚或兩枚鋼幣，跟機器耗時間也可以，一旦發覺有上升趨勢了，比如說，第一個輪子上的小紅果出現的次數多了，則馬上投放三枚鋼幣，錯過了週期就沒轍了。
那次我坐在一溜老虎機的第一台前，玩兒了很久，一次也沒開過獎。通過玻璃窗的縫隙往裡看，那滾輪下面一兩尺見方的空間裡堆滿了鋼幣。越是輸，越捨不得離開座位，擔心一旦離開了，別人上來一下子把我餵給老虎的「食物」都「吐」給他人了，這就虧大了。那天玩兒的人還真不少，往右邊看一溜人頭，但不知咋地，在我右側第四個位置上沒人久坐。一會兒來了一個，機子不久就開獎了，那人也沒接著玩，一般老玩家見機子開了都會盯著玩兒，不出幾把獎都不挪窩的。那天也就奇了怪了，只見那位置上來了一個，開獎了，走人了。又來了一個，開獎後又走了，眼見著第三個人，開獎又走了。我也輸得差不多了，想著去那個位置碰碰運氣吧，手裡就最後一把鋼幣了。當我剛剛坐下，不久就開獎了，接著玩，又開了，一連開了幾次。結果把我在第一台機器裡投放的鋼幣都吐給了我，還不止這些。好險！好險！差點兒就回不了上海了。
打這次之後我就決定不再去派金宮玩兒了。記得在派金宮裡打工的一位歐巴桑也跟我說過：「不要玩，不要玩，女人玩派金宮的都是『瓦盧一』（壞）人。」不僅會耽誤了自己，也會影響夫妻關係。
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Chronicles of Japan (1989–1991): Pachinko Steel Balls, Slot Machines, and the Temptation of Being 'Warui'
After returning from a school-organized field trip (a short sightseeing tour) in November 1989, I found a high-paying part-time job at a pachinko parlor earning 800 yen per hour, though the loss ultimately outweighed the gain. Not only did I have to endure the choking cigarette smoke and the noisy visual and auditory environment of the gambling hall, but I also succumbed to temptation and would play for a while after getting off work. Sitting in front of the pinball machine, time slipped away without me noticing.
First, you insert 500 yen into the coin slot, and some steel balls roll out from the dispenser below. You place them into the upper tray, twist the control knob, and the steel balls shoot upward along the curved arc on the left inner side of the circular frame. If you use too much wrist strength, these 500 yen worth of steel balls will bounce wildly upward and run out in no time, losing everything without hitting the right spot. You have to take it easy with your hand and go slowly; however, if you don't use enough force, the balls won't bounce high enough and will simply slide down, wasted. During the field trip, a classmate who had gone to a pachinko parlor with me for the first time told me that the force applied must be just right, aiming the steel balls toward a single spot so they have a higher chance of hitting the trigger pockets as they slide down. A small trigger pocket will release about ten steel balls, allowing you to keep playing. If a steel ball rolls into the large trigger pocket in the lower center, you win—you hit the jackpot. It will continuously open and close, swallowing balls and spitting them out, taking in a few while pouring out many.
On the last night of 1989, we had agreed to attend a party hosted by one of J's private tutoring students. As it turned out, I lost track of time at the pachinko parlor, and by the time I got home, J had already left. I spent the New Year's Eve transition into 1990 all by myself.
There was another occasion, two days before I returned to Shanghai on December 7, 1991. I went to play again, and this time I played the slot machines, feeling that I had more control over a slot machine than a pachinko machine. Behind the glass window of the slot machine are three spinning reels side by side, featuring various patterns and the number seven. When the reels stop, nine symbols appear in the window, occupying the top, middle, and bottom rows. If the symbols align, you win, though only lining up three sevens yields a major jackpot. When pressing the stop buttons, you can aim for your favorite symbols, such as the number seven, the little red cherries, and the "bar." Once they start appearing frequently on the first line, a jackpot usually isn't far off. Of course, it's not as if these "auspicious" symbols will appear just because you want them to; sometimes they simply won't come out because the timing isn't right. Yet when the timing arrives—that is, during an upward trend—it becomes much easier to press and land them.
Each play takes three metal coins; of course, inserting one or two coins also works, though the odds are smaller. With one coin, only an alignment of symbols or letters across the middle horizontal row counts. Even if three sevens line up, if they appear on the top or bottom row, it doesn't count. Seeing three sevens finally appear only to miss out on them by a hair makes you regretful. With two coins, aligning numbers or symbols across any of the three horizontal rows wins. With three coins, diagonal alignments of symbols and numbers also count. However, if you feel the payout cycle hasn't arrived yet, you can insert one or two coins just to stall for time with the machine. The moment you sense an upward trend—for example, when little red cherries start appearing more frequently on the first reel—you immediately put in three coins; if you miss the cycle, there's nothing you can do.
That day, I sat in front of the very first machine in a long row of slot machines and played for a long time without hitting a single jackpot. Peeking through the gap in the glass window, I saw the space of one or two square feet beneath the reels piled high with metal coins. The more I lost, the more reluctant I was to leave my seat, worried that the moment I walked away, someone else would step up and have the machine "spit out" all the "food" I had fed the tiger—that would be a huge loss. There were quite a few people playing that day; looking to my right, there was a whole row of heads, yet for some reason, nobody stayed long at the fourth seat to my right. Before long, someone came over, and the machine soon hit a jackpot, yet that person didn't keep playing—normally, seasoned players will stick to a machine once it pays out and won't budge until they hit a few jackpots. That day was truly strange: someone sat in that spot, hit a jackpot, and left. Another person came along, hit a jackpot, and left again; right before my eyes, a third person sat down, hit a jackpot, and walked away. Having nearly lost everything myself, I figured I might as well try my luck at that seat, holding just my very last handful of coins. Almost as soon as I sat down, it hit a jackpot. I kept playing, and it hit again—paying out several times in a row. In the end, it spit back all the coins I had fed into that first machine, and then some. How close! How close! I nearly didn't have enough money to fly back to Shanghai.
After that incident, I decided never to play at a pachinko parlor again. I remembered an obasan (middle-aged woman) who worked at the parlor had also told me: "Don't play, don't play—women who play pachinko are all warui (bad) people." Not only does it hold you back in life, but it also harms marital harmony.
特別感謝 Gemini AI 提供充滿活力的翻譯和文本潤色。
Special thanks to Gemini AI for providing the spirited translation and text refinement.
第四百四十七篇
