I love Akita for its distance from the crowds and the distraction of the fun city life that Tokyo comes with but there is one classic Japanese distraction that is conveniently located right across the river from the apartment I stayed in there that I indulge in whenever I visit Japan: Round1. 

Not as popular in the US, this arcade chain boasts floor after floor of activities and is located in many major cities all across the country of Japan. The Akita Round1 is no exception and has over 7 floors of things to do. 

My secret is to go during the weekday while everyone is at school and work so you have the whole building to yourself. The 3 hour passes and day passes only range from about $12-25 during the weekday, so you have plenty of space and time to try out all the activities it has to offer. I personally suggest the full day pass. I went for the 3 hour one and found it to be just not enough time to test out all of the activities and also have a little transition and rest time in between.
I started off my time there in the top floor where they had basketball, tennis, archery, large inflatable balls you could climb inside of and roll around and batting cages. From my other blogs you already know I spent a good portion of my time on this floor in the batting cages. The other floors were filled with so many other activities from basic sports games to play soccer and tennis against machines to even giant trampoline rooms, a rodeo bull, go karts and a roller skating rink.

They also had a room filled with traditional arcade games and cabinets that were all free to play with your pass. After some time in the cages before I tried my hand at some Street Fighter I was even able to grab a beverage, a smoke break, then take some time to scroll on my phone for a bit while sitting in a giant room of massage chairs right next to the enormous manga library. 

This place has endless options for fun and it’s a perfect place for those who get overstimulated and need spaces to recharge before jumping back into having fun, all while being super affordable.

After your time is over on your pass, the next two floors below that can be accessed without a pass are filled with even more things to do. The second floor balcony is packed with video games and pachinko machines bouncing and flashing their bright lights. The whole bottom floor is filled with the famous Japanese claw machines, which might get a whole blog of their own. 

While I’m sure visiting and Round1 in Osaka or Tokyo might be great, I definitely prefer going to the location in Akita where I got to play in rooms completely by myself, no waits for anything and be able to take my time and explore all the games without worrying I was getting in someone’s way.