Nintendo Home Race (ホームレース, ca 1966)

A Long-Wanted Rarity, Finally Found

Some of Nintendo’s past toys and games are much rarer than others. There are the big hits from the 1960s (Ultra Hand, Ultra Machine) that were produced in the millions, plenty of which survive to this day. Then there are the solid sellers, which are also not that hard to find for a collector who knows where to look.

On the other end of the spectrum are games so rare you start doubting if they actually exist. The game that is the subject of this post is an example of this. It took me more than twenty years of searching before I could finally add it to the collection recently. Based on its absence from the display of games at the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, it seems Nintendo does not even own a copy themselves anymore.

The three copies that appeared on Yahoo! Auctions Japan over the last 25 years

To my knowledge, only three copies of this game have appeared on Yahoo! Auctions Japan since 2000. I failed to grab one of the first two, but the third time, in December 2025, I was lucky.

Introducing Home Race

The game is called Home Race (ホームレース), and it dates from the mid-1960s. The front shows a series of tanks based on the American M4 Sherman. US military equipment was a popular theme for toys in Japan during and after the American occupation following World War II.

The game sold for 500 yen at the time.

The box has a hexagon outline that is not the most practical shape, but it does help make it stand out a little more on the toy shop shelf.

It shares this box type with a series of board games released by Nintendo around the second half of the 1960s.

Inside the box we find an instruction manual, a playfield, and game accessories.

The playfield measures 39 by 16 centimeters and is about 3 centimeters high.

Plastic poker chips are included for keeping score.

Nintendo Playing Cards catalogue from 2001

I regularly encounter people who are surprised to hear that Nintendo is still in the playing cards business today, although mainly in its home market of Japan. They know that the company started by making cards long ago, but assume this stopped after Nintendo joined the video game boom.

The Nintendo product catalogue from August 2001 shown here, which is fully dedicated to playing cards, illustrates how the company’s involvement in this area continued into the 21st century.

Nintendo Playing Cards brochure (2001) back and front

The booklet is called the Nintendo Trump Collection, where “trump” refers to the Japanese term for Western-style playing cards.

Inside the catalogue are ten pages, roughly A4 in size, printed in full colour on heavy paper stock.

The introduction text acknowledges that the cards are a “traditional” product:

As we move from the analog to the digital age, in a time when many good old things are being lost, playing cards continue to be loved by people even today.

Their appeal lies in the fact that, with a bit of ingenuity, they allow for countless different games, and every time you play, they offer new discoveries and fresh surprises.

[...] Playing cards are an eternal tool for communication, loved across generations.

The catalogue presents the full Nintendo range of card designs available at the time.

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), Love Tester (1969), Laser Clay (1973), Ten Billion (1980) and many others. 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.

The Nintendo Museum doesn’t name any of the individuals behind its many groundbreaking products. However, Satoru Okada’s contribution to the company's succession of ideas, as presented on a wall in the museum, 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.