Have you ever tried Purikura in Japan? If you haven’t, you’re missing one of the perks of visiting Japan! What is Purikura? And how to enjoy it? No worries! Let’s take a peek at one of the biggest parts of Japanese kawaii culture with me today!
♪What is Purikura?
Purikura stands for Print Club (purinto kurabu), and it’s a booth for taking cute photos and creating stickers instantly. It was first invented by a Japanese game company called Atlus in July 1995. Later, Atlus became part of SEGA, which now runs the purikura business. And this year, 2025, is the 30th anniversary of this phenomenal machine.
♪Place
There are a variety of Purikura booths here and there all around Japan. It’s especially easy to find them in shopping malls and amusement arcades in big cities.
♪Cost
It usually costs between 400 and 600 yen per session. In most cases, 2 to 4 people enjoy it in the same booth together, and many young people split the bill, so they just need about a few hundred yen per person.
♪Time
Usually it takes 10 to 20 minutes to take several pictures, decorate them, and print out a sheet. It depends on how much decorating you do.
♪How to do it
- Prepare some 100 yen coins to use. Most booths don’t accept bills, credit cards, nor code payments. You can usually find some change machines there.
- Choose a booth. You can choose some backgrounds at some booths. Each booth is different, but if you are a beginner, don’t worry. Just trust your intuition.
- Get dolled up before inserting the coins. Have you combed your bangs? Are your clothes okay?
- Insert the coins. Choose your favorite song or theme to liven up the mood using the small screen outside of the booth. Move into the photo booth.
- Put unnecessary stuff on the shelf besides the camera. If you want to record all the process, put your smartphone on the stand (There is a stand for that!) and start recording.
- Take photos. Usually you can enjoy taking 6-8 photos. Listen to the announcement and pose following it. If it’s hard to keep up with it, just make whatever pose you want.
- Decorate. Get out of the booth and move to a touch-screen panel outside. You can add some texts, stamps, doodles, and even make up effects. You can’t get a sticker with all the photos, so you have to choose which ones you want. (Sidenotes: Teenagers like to take other photos using their smartphones in this area. According to them, the light there helps them brighten up.)
- Print & Share. Wait for a few minutes, and you can get a sticker with your photos. Many booths give you a QR code to download digital copies too. Share the sticker. It’s usually easy to split into two. If you want to cut it out, some areas kindly prepare scissors for you to use.
♪Enjoy!
By the way, did you know what kind of announcement you will hear while taking the photos? “Make a heart!” “Cats’ pose!” or something like that. If you are a Japanese learner, try to catch the phrases! If all the members can do the same pose, you are the master of Japanese! But no worries. If you are not familiar with Japanese phrases, just pretend to be like a model. Now, you are the master of Purikura!
Purikura is an easy and fun way to spend time with your friends or family. Young girls, especially from elementary to high school students, are experts and know how to enjoy it. I think not only girls but also boys or adults can have a blast posing while laughing. Just be aware that many booths don’t allow men to come without women, but I hope many people regardless of genders and generations experience posing in the special booths and laughing at the unique faces of yourself in the stickers!
Working for an English language school. My source of energy is our students’ smiles full of curiosity. I love visiting my friends in and outside of Japan.
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