No Puri No Life!: How to Take Purikura Part 3: Choosing Backgrounds and Posing

This will be a shorter post as I intend to cover posing in more detail on other posts.

Once you are in and have your options sorted you can choose your background. I remember when it was pretty much just choosing a colour but now there is a great amount of options! On most machines you can take six pictures and you usually choose three backgrounds then take the pictures then choose three more backgrounds and take your final pictures.

POINT This screen is timed so be quick!

TIP The first screen that pops up is usually the plainest screen so be sure to check the other tabs for more options.

Generally you’ll have the regular/normal (ノーマル)plain backgrounds plus a variety of options depending on the machine. Common ones are オーラー (aura) adds a different coloured or patterned aura around you. (Some machines have this option afterwards as well), パターン (pattern) フレーム (frame) these can be really fun, they add a frame or some stamps already for you. The newer machines have some with automatic dates on them. Sometimes these can be so nice that you really don’t need to add anything else!

Translation of purikura background screen

TIP It’s sort of puriquette to take turns choosing your backgrounds but it really depends who you are with.

Once you have your backgrounds chosen you are ready to take pictures!

POINT Look at the lens, not the monitor! Newbie mistake and yes, in my very first purikura I am looking at the monitor in the first few pictures!

I will go into much more depth on posing in other posts but in general, if you can’t think of anything just copy the guide models, the machine will show the guide picture as you take your picture so you can follow along. It’s always better to do something then just to stand there and smile. If you want a normal looking picture, what are you doing in a purikura booth?! (^_~) I usually consider the pose as well as the background when choosing a background!

TIP I know I take this too seriously but purikura looks nicer and more cohesive if everyone is doing the same pose or the same kind of pose.

Once you have taken all six of your pictures you then get to choose which ones to decorate. So if there’s once where you pulled a weird face or someone blinked, you don’t have to use that one, yay! The machines also have a “Choose all” (全選) button so you can pick all six.

Choosing purikura pictures for decoration

You’ll then be directly to go to the 落書きコーナー (graffiti/scribble corner) The machine will tell you which side to go to, and remind you not to leave anything behind. Occasionally the machines are pushed into corners so you might have to walk right round.