A beginner's guide to airsoft in Japan

One of the hobbies that I picked up when I first moved to Japan was airsoft. Although I ended up getting hooked on hiking and don’t really go too often these days, I feel like it’s quite a niche (but interesting) hobby that could be worth checking out, especially if you’re looking for ways to make new friends in Tokyo.

What is airsoft?

Airsoft is known as “sabage” (サバゲー) in Japanese, which is short for “survival game”. It involves shooting other people with BB guns. For people that haven’t heard of it, I usually explain it as similar to paintball, but without the paint.

How do you play airsoft?

Unlike paintball, which leaves an obvious mark on your body, Airsoft is played with an honesty system. If you feel a hit on your body, you need to immediately make a “hit call” - i.e. say in a loud voice “hit!”, and then make your way off the field. Optionally, as you leave the field you can continue to yell out something like “hit passing through” or wave your arms above your head. If it’s not clear you’re out of the game, you might end up getting hit again!

Depending on the game mode, being hit once means you’re out of the game, but if you’re playing a game that let’s you respawn, you can make your way back to the starting point, and then get back into the action after that.

Of course, there are probably players that don’t always announce their hit calls, but I find people are generally pretty good with it. There is also a judge on the field who can intervene if it’s obvious you’re ignoring the rules.

If you’re playing on an indoor field, games generally run for 5 or so minutes. This might seem really short, but airsoft is unexpectedly tiring, even if you spend the entire game standing still. Just being in a state of high alert and keeping your gun held up in case someone pops out from around a corner really gets your heart going. Of course, if you’re playing on an larger outdoor field, that’s obviously quite tiring too since you will be properly running around.

Does airsoft hurt?

Whether it hurts or not is probably the most common question I get asked. The short answer is: sometimes yes.

There’s a couple of factors that come into play here - distance, how much protective gear you’re wearing and where exactly you got shot. If you’re shot on your mask (which is always required) you’ll definitely hear it bouncing off the plastic, but you won’t feel it. If you’re shot on your torso, but at a distance, and you happen to be wearing a thick sweatshirt, you might feel it like a little ping. If you’re shot at close range on your hands, it will probably sting a bit, even with gloves on. And if you’re brave enough to run around with bare skin, that’s definitely going to hurt at close range and might draw blood or leave a bruise.

To be safe, I’d wear a thick, protective layer of clothing and proper gear at all times.

What clothes should I wear to play airsoft?

The one thing that is compulsory at any airsoft field is eye protection, and/or a full face mask. Airsoft fields tend to provide a rental set, which includes long-sleeve clothing, mask, and gloves.

• Face protection: Generally, you wear a mask to protect your face and eyes. Some people prefer wearing eye protection and then a separate piece for the mouth, but different airsoft field have different rules regarding this. The mask probably won’t fully cover your forehead, so I wrap a bandana around my forehead and then put my mask on top. Other people wear baseball caps, although I find this still leaves a tiny gap where a BB pellet can hit, so I prefer the bandana.
• Full upper body protection: if you wore a t-shirt and a thick hoodie on top, you would have no problems.
• Pants: I wouldn’t recommend anything made out of a super lightweight fabric. Thicker cargo pants are good.
• Shoes: I just wear my regular sneakers. Some people wear cool-looking combat boots. Whatever is comfortable and is going to let you run around for multiple hours.
• Gloves: the skin on your hands is quite sensitive, so a thick pair is good here.
• Neck protection: optional, depending on how much is exposed. Usually I skip this, but if you are renting gear, it usually includes a scarf to go around your neck.

Sometimes when it gets hot, you’ll see braver people wearing short-sleeve shirts, or guys wearing exercise shorts and leggings. I’ve seen a man wearing a suit before, which looks very cool, but also seemed like it hurt very much when he got shot in the balls so I’m not sure I’d recommend it.

Even if you are wearing protection, a shot can leave a pink mark for several days on the skin. I’m ok with this if it’s on my arms or legs, but it’s definitely the face where I don’t want this showing up so face and forehead protection is the most important to me.

Your first time playing airsoft

For your first time playing airsoft in Japan, I recommend trying to find a group to play together with. If you’re in Tokyo you’re in luck, as there is the Tokyo Airsoft Hobbyists group which holds monthly events. When I first moved to Japan, this group was nice enough to welcome me so I recommend giving them a go, they’re good people. Otherwise it looks like there is also a “Tokyo Airsoft Group” on Facebook which also holds events.

If you’re okay with speaking Japanese, then the site サバゲやろうよ！ may be useful to find a group to play with as well. The group I occasionally play with nowadays is from there.

If you can’t find a friendly group, or want to give it a go alone, I would recommend trying a field that provides beginner sessions. It looks like Asobiba Ikebukuro does, like their recent October event here. In a beginner session, you’ll be able to have all the rules explained to you, and it’s less nerve-wracking when you know that the people around you are at a similar skill level.

For an indoor field, expect to spend up to 5000 yen for 4 - 6 hours of playtime, plus additional fees for rental gear. The fields sometimes will have a (paid) unlimited drink bar and sell snacks on-site, but I generally bring my own lunch and plenty of liquids to drink as well, as you will sweat a lot. The fields will also have a change room, so you don’t have to wear your airsoft gear on the commute over. Outdoor fields tend to be a bit cheaper (3000 - 4000 yen) and also have the option to order a paid bento for lunch.

Also note that you will need to be at least 18 years old to play airsoft, and to be safe you should bring along photo ID of some kind (a passport will work) to verify your identify.

Popular airsoft game modes

In airsoft, you are split into two teams, red or yellow. Players are distinguished by either wearing red or yellow armbands. Some of the popular game modes include:

• Elimination or “zenmetsu” (全滅戦): once you’re hit, you’re out of the game. The game continues until the time limit, or when all of one team is eliminated. You can go where ever you want on the field.
• Team deathmath or “counter” (カウンター戦): once you’re hit, you have to go back to your starting point and click a little counter to record your death. Then you can rejoin the game. There’s line that the opposing team can’t cross, to make sure that the enemy doesn’t just “spawn camp” outside the starting area. The team with the least amount of deaths wins.
• Capture the flag (フラグ戦): each team stores a box with a buzzer at their starting point. You have to successfully defend your own box, as well as go out and press the buzzer of the opposing team’s box.
• Domination: there are 3 red and yellow cylinders placed at different locations in the centre of the field. You have to try and flip the cylinder so that your team’s colour is on top. The team that has the majority flipped on their colour wins.
• President (大統領選): one person on the team is the president. If they’re hit, your team loses.

Elimination and capture the flag are the most heart-pounding, as one false move gets you eliminated out of the game. Team deathmatch is more beginner-friendly, as you can try out different tactics to try and take out the enemy, and keep on playing even if you get eliminated.

Buying your first airsoft gun

The rental guns available at fields are not that great, so after a while of playing airsoft, I’m sure you’ll want to buy your first gun. If you are playing with friends or a group, I’d recommend seeing if anyone lets you borrow their gun to try it out. Airsoft people are really quite nice, and the more involved they get in their hobby they end up having an over abundance of guns and will be more than happy to lend one to you.

Airsoft guns generally fall into one of two size categories: a pistol or a rifle.

Pistols are lightweight, and great in close-quarter situations. You can optionally attach a scope to the top of it for greater accuracy. Rifles are larger, which means they are heavier, but they are more accurate over longer distances. Video games make aiming down a sight look easy, but it’s actually harder than it looks!

The other differentiator when it comes to guns is electric and gas. Gas guns have a realistic blowback when fired (very cool), but require you to buy gas canisters to refill the magazines with and the guns overall are more expensive. Electric guns only use rechargeable batteries.

I personally own a gas blowback pistol - a friend lent me theirs while I was still a beginner, and I really liked it, so that’s what I decided to stick with when I bought my own! I bought it from a site called first-jp, which also provided a painting service, and so I got it repainted from black to white. Unfortunately it looks like they have gone bankrupt now.

If you’re looking to go airsoft shopping, a good place to start is Akihabara, which has a lot of airsoft shops like AIRSOFT97.

Finding an airsoft field in Tokyo

These are some of the Airsoft fields that I’ve visited in Tokyo, and my thoughts on them.

Indoor airsoft fields

• BravePoint Shinjuku: This is my favourite indoor airsoft field. The theming is really good, and they do a variety of game modes, play music, and even sometimes do a “dark mode” where they turn off most of the lights. It can be a little hard to navigate the maze that is Shinjuku station, but once you make your way out of the station, it’s located next to the Toho Cinemas building in Kabukicho. I find that BravePoint can be quiet in the mornings but tends to fill up by the afternoon.
• Area41 Yokohama: This is another good indoor field, with a little bit of theming in its decor, although not as nice as BravePoint. I think it actually used to be a restaurant of some sort, because one of the room is a gutted out kitchen. It’s inside of a shopping mall a 10 minute walk from Center Kita station (センター北駅) in Yokohama. Since it is quite far from central Tokyo, I find it tends to be less crowded than Shinjuku.
• Arena Shangrila: This one is most inventive indoor field I’ve been to, although it is in Chiba so it’s a bit hard to get to. There’s the main playing field, with an upstairs section at either end where you can look out over parts of the field, and then the coolest part is that there is an underground corridor section, so you can try and infiltrate into the enemy’s side from that way. I went with a group that organised to rent out the entire field, so I’m not too sure how popular it is for solo players.
• Asobiba Ikebukuro: I’ve only ever visited the Asobiba Akihabara branch, which unfortunately looks like has since closed down. Honestly speaking, the Akihabara Asobiba had pretty horrible theming (just plywood board for walls) and the field was just a really narrow corridor and not too much fun to play in. The one upside is that they did host beginner sessions, which it seems like the Ikebukuro store also does, so I would check it out if you wanted to participate in one of those.

Outdoor airsoft fields

Space is at a premium in Tokyo, so a lot of the fields tend to be out in Chiba where land is cheaper. I’m not too much of a fan of outdoor fields, so this list is a lot shorter.

• OPS Survival Game Park: This outdoor field is located in Kanagawa, so it’s easier to get to for Tokyo-siders. There isn’t a direct train, but can be accessed via a local bus and a bit of a walk. It’s located on the side of a hill, so running uphill at the start of each session can be a little tough. It is amongst a small forested area though which provides some nice cover.
• Oasis Survival Game Field: One of the fields in Chiba I’ve been to. It’s in a clearing with lots of wooden blocks to take over behind, and some buildings as well. This one is only accessible via car.

In terms of indoor vs outdoor fields, with the people I’ve played with, it feels like I’m in a minority in preferring indoor fields! Indoor fields have a lot of close quarters combat, which is well-suited if you are carrying a pistol, while outdoor fields tend to have a lot more long-range encounters, where you might be better suited with a rifle. I would probably enjoy the outdoor field experience more with a larger gun, but I’ve grown quite attached to my pistol.

A side note: shooting ranges

If you don’t want to jump straight into playing games of airsoft, but want to see what shooting an airsoft gun is like, there are airsoft shooting ranges in Japan which are also an option. You can google to find one near you, but TARGET-1 has two branches in Shinjuku and Akihabara, for example.