- 18 Jan 2005
- 11,682
- 3,638
Home-use fully automatic mahjong tables are selling well. Even units priced at around 200,000 yen are benefiting from the boom. A gift children want.
["Know More" / "Good! Morning" (March 20, 2026)]
It may be fair to say that the image of mahjong has changed compared to the past. In this Reiwa era, an unprecedented mahjong boom is taking place. Riding this wave, home-use fully automatic mahjong tables are seeing very strong sales.
■ Even 200,000-yen units boosted by the boom
This year marks the 8th season since the launch of the professional mahjong league "M-League." With total prize money exceeding 100 million yen and a championship prize of 70 million yen, excitement continues to grow.
Last summer, a national high school tournament was held, showing that the popularity of mahjong is expanding to a wider audience.
What's selling now are fully automatic mahjong tables that automatically set the tiles. Prices range from around 100,000 to 200,000 yen per unit.
At Taiyo Giken, which also supplies official tables to the M-League…
Akira Furuta, Taiyo Giken:
"We ship about 200 to 250 home-use automatic tables per month."
At this manufacturer, annual sales were around 700 units in 2018, but they surged dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales have continued at a steady pace since then.
"Mahjong allows communication across three generations—grandparents, parents, and grandchildren—without barriers. We often see families coming together at events, so it's a great form of entertainment."
■ A gift children want
We visited a household that purchased a fully automatic mahjong table last autumn.
When shown where the table was, we found a foldable model set up.
Three sisters worked together to prepare, and in less than 10 minutes, it was ready to play.
Originally, their mother, Ai, had been watching M-League on the living room TV for the past eight years, which led the entire family to learn how to play mahjong.
Then last summer, the eldest daughter, Kei (18), finished as runner-up in the National High School Mahjong Tournament.
Ai:
"The winner received a mahjong table as a prize, and since she didn't win, we thought, 'Should we just buy one?' She said, 'I kind of want one,' so we decided to get it."
Kei:
"It's really convenient to have."
However, the retail price of this automatic table is in the 260,000-yen range—a fairly expensive purchase.
Ai:
"(Q: No hesitation?) I figured it's not like it costs a million yen. It feels similar to how we used to play the Family Computer together when we were kids."
Kei:
"It's almost like a gift. I often invite my friends over—like classmates."
Ai:
"Even if they don't know how to play, we get them involved and teach them."
Since people under 18 are not allowed to enter mahjong parlors, opportunities for children to handle real tiles are quite rare.
Ai:
"There aren't really any strict restrictions. It's mainly a way for them to communicate with friends. As long as it doesn't affect their school performance, we let them enjoy it."
(From the broadcast on March 20, 2026)
["Know More" / "Good! Morning" (March 20, 2026)]
It may be fair to say that the image of mahjong has changed compared to the past. In this Reiwa era, an unprecedented mahjong boom is taking place. Riding this wave, home-use fully automatic mahjong tables are seeing very strong sales.
■ Even 200,000-yen units boosted by the boom
This year marks the 8th season since the launch of the professional mahjong league "M-League." With total prize money exceeding 100 million yen and a championship prize of 70 million yen, excitement continues to grow.
Last summer, a national high school tournament was held, showing that the popularity of mahjong is expanding to a wider audience.
What's selling now are fully automatic mahjong tables that automatically set the tiles. Prices range from around 100,000 to 200,000 yen per unit.
At Taiyo Giken, which also supplies official tables to the M-League…
Akira Furuta, Taiyo Giken:
"We ship about 200 to 250 home-use automatic tables per month."
At this manufacturer, annual sales were around 700 units in 2018, but they surged dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales have continued at a steady pace since then.
"Mahjong allows communication across three generations—grandparents, parents, and grandchildren—without barriers. We often see families coming together at events, so it's a great form of entertainment."
■ A gift children want
We visited a household that purchased a fully automatic mahjong table last autumn.
When shown where the table was, we found a foldable model set up.
Three sisters worked together to prepare, and in less than 10 minutes, it was ready to play.
Originally, their mother, Ai, had been watching M-League on the living room TV for the past eight years, which led the entire family to learn how to play mahjong.
Then last summer, the eldest daughter, Kei (18), finished as runner-up in the National High School Mahjong Tournament.
Ai:
"The winner received a mahjong table as a prize, and since she didn't win, we thought, 'Should we just buy one?' She said, 'I kind of want one,' so we decided to get it."
Kei:
"It's really convenient to have."
However, the retail price of this automatic table is in the 260,000-yen range—a fairly expensive purchase.
Ai:
"(Q: No hesitation?) I figured it's not like it costs a million yen. It feels similar to how we used to play the Family Computer together when we were kids."
Kei:
"It's almost like a gift. I often invite my friends over—like classmates."
Ai:
"Even if they don't know how to play, we get them involved and teach them."
Since people under 18 are not allowed to enter mahjong parlors, opportunities for children to handle real tiles are quite rare.
Ai:
"There aren't really any strict restrictions. It's mainly a way for them to communicate with friends. As long as it doesn't affect their school performance, we let them enjoy it."
(From the broadcast on March 20, 2026)
