Purikura in Japan: Japanese Photo Booths Explained

Walk into almost any Japanese game centre and you will pass a wall of bright booths with pastel curtains and posters of smiling faces. These are purikura (プリクラ), Japan's photo-sticker booths. They look like a photo booth, but they behave quite differently, and the first-time experience is full of small surprises: a rule about who may enter, screens that are almost entirely in Japanese, and a sheet of stickers instead of a strip of pictures. This guide explains how it all works so that you can try one with confidence. Official shop page checked on 21 October 2026; the rest is general knowledge.

What purikura are

Purikura (プリクラ) is short for プリントクラブ (purinto kurabu), 'print club'. The idea was invented in Japan in the mid-1990s and spread quickly among teenagers and young adults, who traded the little stickers with friends. The format is simple: a booth photographs you, makes the pictures look flattering automatically, lets you decorate them on a touch screen, and then prints them as stickers.

How purikura differ from a Western photo booth

• Automatic beautifying. After the shots, the machine processes your face for you. Depending on the machine and the course you choose, it can enlarge the eyes, smooth the skin and lighten the whole image. Some machines offer a natural-looking setting; others are more dramatic.
• A decorating stage. In a Western booth you sit, smile and wait for a strip. Here you take the pictures first, then move on to write, draw and stamp on them with a pen and stamps on a touch screen.
• You stand, and you stand together. Most booths are roomy, with a plain backdrop and strong lighting, and are designed for a small group rather than one sitter.
• A sticker sheet, not a strip. The result is a single sheet of small pictures on sticker paper that you cut apart and share. That is why friends often swap them.
• Staff-free but social. There is normally no attendant to help you. You work it out together, often while people queue for the next machine, which is part of the fun.

Where to find purikura

• Game centres. Purikura machines are often on an upper floor, sometimes a whole floor, of a large game centre. Look for the signs, as the machines are often grouped together.
• Dedicated purikura shops. Some shops do nothing but purikura, with many machines in one place and sometimes free extras such as hair tools or costume props.
• Shopping centres. Machines also turn up in malls and entertainment complexes, especially in busy districts.

For the wider game-centre picture, including how arcades work and what to expect on each floor, see Japanese arcades: a first-timer's guide.

The rule many visitors do not expect: women and couples only

Many purikura areas are limited to women and couples. In practice this means that a group of men, or a man on his own, may be refused entry to the machine area. Signs usually state the rule, and staff may enforce it. In Japanese the notice more often restricts men than lists who may enter, for example 男性のみのご利用はご遠慮ください (dansei nomi no go-riyō wa go-enryo kudasai), 'men on their own are asked not to use it'. Another common form is 女性・カップルのみ (josei, kappuru nomi), 'women and couples only'. This wording is general and not taken from a specific sign.

This is a convention, usually explained as keeping women comfortable and preventing unwanted photography. It is not a law, and it varies from venue to venue and sometimes from floor to floor. The sensible approach is simple: look for the sign, ask politely if you are unsure, and accept the answer. If an all-male group is refused, there is usually somewhere else in the venue to wait, and you can come back with a different group.

Step by step

• Choose a machine and a course. Machines are named after their brand and model, and each offers choices such as how strongly the face is retouched. Photos on the outside show the style, so pick the one that matches your taste.
• Pay. You normally pay at the machine with coins, and some accept IC cards or other cashless payment. Check the machine, and carry some 100-yen coins to be safe.
• Follow the prompts. Instructions are usually Japanese-only, but spoken and on-screen prompts are simple, and many machines show illustrations. Press the button for the course you want and continue.
• Pose within the time limit. Each shot has a short countdown, so decide your poses in advance. Most machines take several shots in a row.
• Move to the decorating booth. When the shooting ends, the machine tells you to move to the booth at the side of the unit, so the camera is free for the next group. Do this promptly.
• Decorate within the time limit. Choose your best shots, then add text, drawings, stamps and frames with the pen and tools. This stage has a timer too.
• Print and collect. Confirm the layout, wait for the print, and take the sheet from the slot at the side of the machine.

Digital copies

Most machines also let you receive the images on your phone, usually through a Japanese app or by scanning a QR code and visiting a website. This may need an app account, an email address, a LINE login or, on some machines, a Japanese phone number, so a visitor should assume that the printed sheet is what they get and treat any digital copy as a bonus. The details differ by machine, so read the screen or ask a friend who reads Japanese before you rely on it.

Practical tips

• Bring friends. Groups of two to four fit best; more than that and someone is cropped out.
• Decide poses in advance. Time limits are short, so agree two or three poses before you step in.
• Expect the pen tool to be finicky. Drawing on a touch screen takes practice. Stamps and text are easier for a first go.
• Remember the sheet is cut into small stickers. Use the scissors if there are any, or bring your own.
• Bring a case or sleeve. A clear plastic sleeve or the inside of a notebook keeps the stickers from curling in your bag.

How much does it cost?

A session usually costs a few hundred yen, and it is normally paid once for the whole group rather than per person, so splitting it is easy. As a rough, unofficial range from general knowledge, not from any official page, expect somewhere around 400 to 800 yen depending on the machine and options. Prices change and differ by venue, so read the machine's price before you insert coins.

For cash planning across the whole trip, see how much cash to bring to Japan.

Etiquette

• Do not hog the camera booth while you decorate. Move to the decorating booth as soon as you are told, so the next group can start.
• Be quick. Other people may be queueing, and the timers exist for a reason.
• Keep the noise down. Enjoy yourselves, but remember that other groups and the staff can hear you.
• Do not photograph other people's sessions. Many people have chosen the booth because it is private.
• Tidy the booth. Take your belongings and any waste with you when you leave.
• Mind the step. You do not remove your shoes, but booths often have a raised floor or a small step, so watch your footing, especially in a group.

What the controls say

You can usually work out the next step from the pictures, but a handful of words often appear. Many machines use katakana or English instead, such as スタート (sutāto), コース (kōsu) and プリント (purinto). Here are the ones worth recognising.

Is it worth doing?

Yes, if you are with friends. It is cheap, it takes only a few minutes, and the result is a genuinely Japanese souvenir of the trip that fits in a pocket. It is also a good way to see a part of everyday youth culture that most guidebooks skip. It is less fun alone, and if you are a man travelling in a group of men, you may find the entrance rule makes it impractical.

For other souvenir ideas, see what to buy in Japan: souvenirs and gifts, and for another group activity, karaoke in Japan.

Vocabulary

For more useful phrases, see essential Japanese phrases for travelling in Japan.

Official information

On 21 October 2026 we loaded the website of Purikura Land NOA, a purikura shop in Harajuku, Tokyo. It describes itself as Japan's first purikura-specialty store, gives an address on Jingumae, opening hours of 8:00 to 23:00 with last entry at 22:30, machines from the FuRyu lineup, and free loans of hair tools and costume headgear. The page did not list prices, an entry rule or how digital copies work. We could not load the official pages of the large machine makers or game-centre chains from our tools, so the rest of this guide reflects general knowledge and should be checked against the machine in front of you. Hours and prices change.

Purikura Land NOA (official site, English).