Secret Unlocked!

Day 3, Tokyo

I was particularly looking forward to the third day of our trip, if only to figure out what the “secret plan” was that Brittney had blocked off two hours for on our planning calendar. We met up with Tyler at his Tokyo-sized apartment where we cooked the three of us homemade crumpets with jam, and then RUSHED US to catch a train so that we wouldn’t be late to this secret plan. This involved one mad dash to a bus stop in which we had to cross a set of train tracks right as the “oncoming train” lights started to flash.

Brittney was… not amused.

We did make our train in time, and as we disembarked from the train station we just happened to run into the rest of the group, all waiting patiently for us with someone new. Our tour guide introduced herself as Hirolynn and she led us into a towering building that looked exactly like every other towering Tokyo building from street level. The elevator was a standard Tokyo-sized elevator, so we had to ride up to the 7th floor in groups.

I still had no idea where we were going.

What awaited us at the 7th floor was another door that looked exactly like any other door, except that when Hirolynn opened the door, we heard this familiar tune…

This is the sound that plays in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time when you discover a hidden treasure or a secret room. We had found 84 café, a secret meeting place run by former Nintendo engineer Toru “Chokan” Hashimoto. Chokan founded 84 (the number is pronounced “hashi” in Japanese) as a place for his friends at Nintendo and other acquaintances in the video game industry to gather for drinks after work and relax. It is now open to the wider public, but only by reservation and with the stipulation that you not reveal its secret address.

Chokan’s history with Nintendo dates back to 1984 (one year after the release of the Nintendo Entertainment System home console), where he worked for the Super Mario Club, Nintendo’s internal debugging team. Chokan worked to help create so many of the games that shaped so many of my childhood memories.

Equal parts bar and museum, 84 is covered floor to ceiling in Nintendo memorabilia, artwork, and history. Artwork adorns the walls with autographs from people you may not know their name, but you know their work. Koji Kondo, composer of the Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda soundtracks; Atsuko Nishia, character designer for Pikachu; Shigeru Miyamoto, game designer and creator of Mario; just to name a few.

Hirolynn and Chokan served us delightful Japanese snacks and brightly colored drinks and invited us to sit back and enjoy the nostalgia trip. I personally enjoyed pointing out all the trinkets and games I recognized. “I had one of these!” over, and over, and over…

My favorite item at 84 is the original sheet music for the Super Mario Bros. World 1-1 theme, signed by Koji Kondo. But having said that, I immediately want to caveat it with “but a close second would be…” so many wonderful memories captured in one small room.

And one new memory to cherish with friends and remember for many birthdays to come.