Arcades are cool, but they're too damn expensive. Make each game 5c and I'll play all the time.
At 25 cents a play, I suspect that most of these places make the majority of their profits from beer & food. If you're too cheap to pay 25 cents for a game, I suspect that you're too cheap to buy your food & drink at the arcade. If so, the arcades are probably glad they don't have your business.
Note: I'm in Yokohama. I don't frequent arcades much so don't know about Tokyo, though I'll be in Diver City tomorrow to check out the ROUND1 (I heard it has a set rate for the facility).
Even the crane games are pretty heavily packed. My only major complaint, as an American, is that they reeked pretty heavily of cigarettes (though not as badly as pachinko parlors). It was like being taken back in time 5-10 years, back before major cities started mandating non-smoking environments.
My 10 and 12 year old boys like playing the old games just as much as I did when I was their age 30 years ago.