AMOS USA Take-off
by MJS
The story was started with one email we received from AMOS, the well-known automatic mahjong table manufacturer. We used to talk about how we would love to get a sponsorship from AMOS and play on their new tables at LAPOM.
That email said, “Could you meet with us in Los Angeles?”
Wait, what?
A meeting with AMOS here in Los Angeles?
No way!
Let us explain a little bit about AMOS. Their automatic mahjong tables are used by various studios for mahjong broadcasts, including the M.League and Three Arrows Channel. The model used in the M.League is a special version of the REXX2, which comes standard with the ability to deal each player’s starting hand and reveal the dora indicator at the start of a hand. AMOS has a long history of sponsoring mahjong tournaments, and it is common to see the AMOS REXX at mahjong parlors. When a mahjong player in Japan thinks about automatic tables, the name that comes to mind would have to be, “AMOS”.
I learned how to play riichi mahjong on an AMOS Gabin back in the day.
Everyone here in Los Angeles is familiar with this make, and we have also had the opportunity to play on some of AMOS’s other models, including the REXX.
So of course,
we would reply to that email,
“YES”!
At the meeting, the person who appeared was CEO Uenishi.
Not a sales representative, but the President of AMOS.
We were nervous, but we started telling him about the riichi mahjong scene in the United States, how we started LAPOM, and what our goals were.
Then, Mr. Uenishi gave us an unbelievable offer.
Could we work together as a distributor for AMOS in the United States?
We were so happy to hear that offer; we were at a loss for words. However, we told him that not many people here would be able to afford automatic tables for various reasons, with the major one being that many of the clubs in the United States are run for casual players by volunteers. There is no membership or play fee, so there would be no money to buy an automatic table.
However, Mr. Uenishi told us his purpose.
He had been thinking about how to spread riichi mahjong to other countries. It would take considerable time and effort. AMOS may be a business, but they also want to support the mahjong community and see it grow.
Again, we were at a loss for words.
Since then, we have been working with AMOS to set up our company here in the United States, and it is almost ready to open for business.
But please do not misunderstand; LAPOM as a club will continue running as it always has. However, the club is now supported by Mahjong Stars and AMOS.
We are working to help not only the mahjong community in the United States but the riichi mahjong community as a whole. Together with AMOS, we hope to grow the community so that more people can enjoy the game we love, mahjong!
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