A Nintendo Pilgrimage [part 7 of 7]: My Unforgettable Week in Kyoto

A Short Stop in Osaka Before Heading Home

After the incredible days in Kyoto in the first week of October 2024—including two visits to the Nintendo Museum and many other memorable moments—we had one more day left before our flight home.

As the airport is a little way south of Osaka, we decided to spend that last day in Japan's second-biggest city.

While in Osaka, we had to visit Den-Den Town, of course—the electronics, games, and anime shopping area, similar in concept but smaller in scale than Tokyo's Akihabara.

Super Nintendo World

Another must-visit destination was Super Nintendo World in Universal Studios Japan (USJ).

It was my second time at USJ, having also visited in 2023.

Once I made it into Super Nintendo World—which was crowded as always—darkness had already set in.

A Nintendo Pilgrimage [part 6 of 7]: My Unforgettable Week in Kyoto

Meeting and Honoring Two Cornerstones from Nintendo’s Past

Although our main objective in Kyoto was to attend the opening of the Nintendo Museum on Wednesday, October 2nd, the entire week turned out to be filled with bonus moments.

On Tuesday, we had already enjoyed time at Nintendo’s former headquarters and the founding Yamauchi family residence—now transformed into the Marufukuro hotel.

Then on Thursday and Friday, we had the great privilege of meeting one of the key figures behind Nintendo’s rise and honoring another.

Two Legends from Nintendo's R&D Department

Before we get to those moments, here’s a brief detour for those less familiar with the people behind some of Nintendo’s most iconic products.

I recently came across the photo below, taken 36 years ago. It shows Tetris creator Alexey Pajitnov and his business partner Henk Rogers during their first joint visit to Nintendo’s Kyoto offices.

Just a year earlier, Mr Rogers' company Bullet Proof Software had published a Famicom version of Tetris, and he had now secured the deal that would allow Nintendo to publish the first handheld version of Tetris, on the brand-new Game Boy.

Kyoto 1989
(Source: Tetris Forever documentary, Digital Eclipse 2024)

In the photo, Rogers and Pajitnov are joined by four key Nintendo executives (from left to right): Genyo Takeda, Gunpei Yokoi, Hiroshi Imanishi, and Satoru Okada.

Gunpei Yokoi (横井 軍平), head of Nintendo Research & Development team 1 (R&D1), had been instrumental in shaping the company’s success since joining in 1965. His creations include the Ultra Hand (1966), Ultra Machine (1967), and Love Tester (1969). Under his management the team also delivered the Game & Watch series (1980–1991) and the Game Boy (1989).

Satoru Okada (岡田 智), who joined Nintendo in 1969, served as Yokoi’s right-hand man for over twenty-five years. He was crucial in turning Yokoi’s ideas into fully realized products.

(Source: Tetris wikipedia page and Super Mario Land wikipedia page)

In 1989, Nintendo’s R&D1 team delivered both the Game Boy hardware and two of its early smash hits: Super Mario Land and Tetris, with Yokoi producing and Okada directing.

Satoru Okada – From Right-Hand Man to Leader

When Gunpei Yokoi left Nintendo in 1996 to start his own venture, Koto Laboratory, Satoru Okada stepped up to lead Nintendo’s hardware development team, now known as Nintendo Research & Engineering.

Under Okada’s leadership, the team launched the Game Boy Color (1998), Game Boy Advance (2001), and Nintendo DS (2004). After 43 years of service, Okada retired in 2012.

Nintendo R&D power duo: Satoru Okada and Gunpei Yokoi
(Source: 4gamer.net)

When I released my Before Mario book in 2014, I was deeply honored that Mr. Okada agreed to write the preface.

He also generously signed several copies.

Though the Nintendo Museum doesn’t name the individuals behind its many groundbreaking products, Satoru Okada’s contribution to the company's succession of ideas is more than substantial.

A Wonderful Dinner in Kyoto

Back to 2024 and our Kyoto travel report—we could hardly believe it ourselves, but there we were, sitting down for dinner in downtown Kyoto with Okada-san, who had kindly accepted our invitation.

Over some delicious food, we enjoyed a lovely and interesting conversation about Nintendo’s history and Okada-san’s current activities in retirement.