tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31190491883728876492024-03-09T16:06:25.037+01:00beforemarioBlog showcasing and celebrating Nintendo vintage toys and retro games from the period 1965-1983, including Love Tester, Ultra Hand, Ultra Machine, Ultra Scope, Light Gun series, Color TV Games, CTG-HC10 and Nintendo BlockErik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.comBlogger292125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-33222816139385714782024-02-20T18:03:00.001+01:002024-02-20T18:04:14.404+01:00I caught a Nintendo Time Bomb from the 1960s<p>In a previous <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2021/06/nintendo-time-bomb-1965-one-that-got.html" target="_blank">blog post</a> I discussed a very rare Nintendo item from the 1960s called the Time Bomb (タイムボーン). For decades, this Nintendo-branded licensed toy had remained out of sight, even to the most dedicated Nintendo collectors and historians. That is, until one appeared for auction on Yahoo Auctions Japan in 2021. An unknown lucky winner took it home for ¥256,555.</p>
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<p>As you can imagine, ever since that moment, I have been on the lookout for another <i>Time Bomb</i>. And last November, two and a half years after that first discovery, I managed to acquire one offered by an American seller through eBay. Fortunately, this one was a bit cheaper.</p>
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<p>So, without further ado, here's the second known Nintendo <i>Time Bomb</i>, now part of the beforemario collection.</p>
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<p>The box is a bit rough and squashed, with some rips. But all flaps are present and the colors of the artwork are still vibrant.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2024/02/i-caught-nintendo-time-bomb-from-1960s.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-997279843677806392024-02-16T15:08:00.002+01:002024-02-16T15:08:43.542+01:00Nintendo 1950s Takarazuka cards with box<p>A couple of years ago, I reported about a set of vintage Nintendo playing cards from the 1950s, that had attracted my special interest. They were for the <i>Takarazuka Revue</i>, a Japanese theater company, and represented some of the earliest (possibly <i>the</i> earliest) Nintendo <i>trump</i> (トランプ) decks with a marketing purpose.</p><p>It is a beautiful set of cards, with full color pictures. That previous post can be found <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/06/nintendo-takarazuka-playing-cards-from.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
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<p>Unfortunately, the deck that I had found at the time was missing the box. But that has since been corrected. Recently a version with box came into my possession, and you can see it here.</p>
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<p>The box turned out to be just as nice as the cards themselves. It features branding for both <i>Nintendo</i> and the <i>Takarazuka</i> company.</p>
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<a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2024/02/nintendo-1950s-takarazuka-cards-with-box.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-72677720029145632022024-02-04T16:21:00.002+01:002024-02-04T19:52:08.768+01:00First Nintendo product sold in Europe (probably)<p>In today's post, we'll delve into the first advertisement for a Nintendo product in Europe. At least, the earliest one discovered thus far.</p>
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<p>Displayed here is an almanac from Italy for the year 1973.</p>
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<p>This almanac, known as <i>Barba-Nera</i>, is a local institution and a synonymous term for almanac in Italy. Remarkably, <i>Barba-Nera</i> still continues its annual publication today, over 250 years since its inception in 1762.</p>
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<p>At its essence, the almanac provides information on sunrise and sunset times throughout the year, religious calendars, weather forecasts, and horoscopes.</p>
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<p>This is complemented by agricultural insights and diverse topics such as cooking.</p>
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<p>A large part of the book is dedicated to advertisements aimed at the Italian agricultural community. So you will find adds for Lamborghini tractors, rather than racing cars.</p>
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<p>The 1973 edition spans around 350 pages and includes a sweepstake for 1500 prizes. While the majority of these prizes consist of key chains, there are more substantial items up for grabs.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2024/02/first-nintendo-product-sold-in-europe.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-70771444304651812682023-10-01T12:54:00.003+02:002023-10-02T10:43:14.961+02:00Nintendo's 1989 company overview shows their bold network ambition<p>In today's blog post, we will explore Nintendo's 1989 company overview (会社概況). This document presents the then-century-old company poised to enter the networked information age, riding on the massive success of the <i>Famicom</i> and <i>NES</i> game consoles and their related games, as the company aimed for even greater ventures.</p>
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<p>The overview spans sixteen pages, all printed in full color, with all text in Japanese.</p><p>The opening pages depict an aspirational image of a home console soaring across the globe, accompanied by the caption: '<i>Leading the world of home entertainment'</i> (ホームエンターテインメントの世界をリードする).</p>
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<p>The text begins with:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>In 1983, the world of home entertainment entered a new era with the introduction of Nintendo's "Family Computer" or "Famicom" for short. The Famicom quickly became a household staple across Japan. In 1985, it was introduced in the United States under the name "Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)," and, like in Japan, it rapidly gained popularity in American households.</i></p></blockquote><div>But even greater things were on the horizon:</div><div><br></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>Nintendo is currently exploring the creation of "Famicom Network" to fully harness this power. The Famicom Network is a network of new gaming and communication possibilities using regular telephone lines. With this network, people can enjoy games with others from far away, engage in stock trading with information from securities companies, go shopping, reserve tickets, and more. Since the fall of 1988, we have already partnered with securities companies to offer various stock market information through "Famicom Trade," and the number of users has been steadily increasing.</i></div></blockquote><p>The conclusion states:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>As Nintendo envisions the Famicom Network expanding worldwide, we are confident that people's communication will become richer, and home entertainment will offer even more diverse and enjoyable experiences.</i></p></blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPufHPU6x4b6ugzm0J_OaNcLd2x-GU7ZYUQDdO2A1sE1AdAHArhXzgR92LQnGUaNqSFW0MxtYa94ddOdWr3WDZlrYI4jcgmV5yF_0nhnLAsZaHewNGqwMqgyvjsejWANkiofwJGdurMroxZ3SCaV9Lj8beAxYcjeL8iG4BDbG5Y23M1Pl9vlWDPhxoNlBg/s2000/nintendo_company_brochure_1989_03.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1639" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPufHPU6x4b6ugzm0J_OaNcLd2x-GU7ZYUQDdO2A1sE1AdAHArhXzgR92LQnGUaNqSFW0MxtYa94ddOdWr3WDZlrYI4jcgmV5yF_0nhnLAsZaHewNGqwMqgyvjsejWANkiofwJGdurMroxZ3SCaV9Lj8beAxYcjeL8iG4BDbG5Y23M1Pl9vlWDPhxoNlBg/s400/nintendo_company_brochure_1989_03.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<p>Next is an introduction by Nintendo's Director and President, Hiroshi Yamauchi (山内 薄). The title of the introduction is called 'Our company's direction' (当社の路線).</p><p>It begins by recounting the success of our first cartridge-based game console, the 1983 <i>Family Computer</i>, or <i>Famicom</i> for short, and its 1985 Western version, the <i>Nintendo Entertainment System</i>, or <i>NES</i>:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>... the "Family Computer" [...] has already spread to approximately 14 million households in Japan and the rapidly spreading "Nintendo Entertainment System" (NES) in the United States (the American version of the Family Computer), will be adopted by a combined total of several tens of millions of households in Japan and the United States by the mid-1990s.</i></p></blockquote><p>Based on this, the company positioned itself as a key player in a new market extending beyond toys, games, and entertainment:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Our company plans to build a vast network that was previously unthinkable, using these devices [the Famicom and NES] as communication terminals within households, utilizing the telephone network. We aim to provide information that is deemed essential for household life, including entertainment, as well as financial, securities, and health management information. Furthermore, we are promoting partnerships with authorities in each field and considering ways to make various beneficial information easily and inexpensively accessible.</i></p></blockquote><p>All of this was in placed the context of '<i>The advent of a highly information-oriented society.</i>' The introduction text mentioned the word 'information' no less than eight times while using 'entertainment' only once. This was a stark shift from the company's focus until just a few years earlier.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB08G93K1uwMT1IrmXWN_KzBSqhYXBvGxTGuZD1AKgiS8Md-Xdq61_cMQ76CCr3cd9dtJPY258h_wEXVobjuts_dboy0hX4-W5D_plBuQbp1opD0m23aCQSl4k_VeIlLMCI93D3dTOZPk2Ij7dLaRsiCo8iN1Qx_EuR8pmBagjRMIiRYWsNuEJUsRINYaW/s2000/nintendo_company_brochure_1989_04.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1414" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB08G93K1uwMT1IrmXWN_KzBSqhYXBvGxTGuZD1AKgiS8Md-Xdq61_cMQ76CCr3cd9dtJPY258h_wEXVobjuts_dboy0hX4-W5D_plBuQbp1opD0m23aCQSl4k_VeIlLMCI93D3dTOZPk2Ij7dLaRsiCo8iN1Qx_EuR8pmBagjRMIiRYWsNuEJUsRINYaW/s400/nintendo_company_brochure_1989_04.jpg"></a></div>
<p>Yamauchi-san was around 62 years old at this time, having already led the company for an astounding forty years, beginning as President at the age of 21. From 1989, he continued as Nintendo's President for another thirteen years, up until the GameCube era when he handed over his position to Satoru Iwata. He remained involved as chairman of the board of directors until his retirement in 2005 at the age of 77.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkq2rFdEwFHCwyz8zUoiecfDJkUsczvJWQeVrNXvmIKPBoJfGyUl5ZxG9Ake73sYAu-dUdmObXMXUquElvcBDPArFCOPo7YJBla33TxZdj3tcwz_BCgDlY-dBK7B5PnYV5BvGhM3VUd39nlq8cs3Ay_2iqmeUIts-q3apkuhjELLj9brXy8EOb69wrcuVc/s2000/nintendo_company_brochure_1989_05.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1499" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkq2rFdEwFHCwyz8zUoiecfDJkUsczvJWQeVrNXvmIKPBoJfGyUl5ZxG9Ake73sYAu-dUdmObXMXUquElvcBDPArFCOPo7YJBla33TxZdj3tcwz_BCgDlY-dBK7B5PnYV5BvGhM3VUd39nlq8cs3Ay_2iqmeUIts-q3apkuhjELLj9brXy8EOb69wrcuVc/s400/nintendo_company_brochure_1989_05.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<p>But all of that was still far into the future when this company overview was created. Let's delve into the company information provided.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/10/nintendos-1989-company-overview-shows.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-80075423578391194782023-08-27T11:54:00.001+02:002023-08-27T11:54:26.133+02:00Nintendo Mini Game Series number 52<p>As mentioned on this blog before, the <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/09/nintendo-mini-game-series-introduction.html" target="_blank">Nintendo <i>Mini Game Series</i></a> from the 1970s is one of my favorites from Nintendo's past. It consists of a wide range of colorful, fun toys and games. And the range is getting wider still! Not that new ones are released, but entries in the series are still discovered to this day. I mean, literally today.</p><p>For many years I thought there were fifty different ones in total. Of those fifty, I managed to track down copies of forty-eight games. The two remaining ones eluded me for the longest time: <i>Diving Shot</i> (ダイビングショット) and <i>Space Ball</i> (スペースボール).</p><p>In 2019, I managed to get the search list down to one, by finding a copy of <i>Diving Shot</i>. Well, actually, I found four copies at once. More about that <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2019/10/nintendo-mini-game-found-after-20-year.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhID7Wac-Ay3iARMh-2L0Z4-F_uGIOQovVCfEa-DNSQ0OdrtYNrKO9l9DzTSCYkvu5LW4adGFTB1UPMqjta_mm30a00WbwSNYKDKEUebe4EqAJOZbZsMVjFtG2lzWTo6pGlULHdSX3HOs0q3QFzKCrgw1nbxOV_5aMsevy_UwrT3rqSY02jymnpucehs3R_/s1600/nintendo_mini_game_diving_shot_02.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1255" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhID7Wac-Ay3iARMh-2L0Z4-F_uGIOQovVCfEa-DNSQ0OdrtYNrKO9l9DzTSCYkvu5LW4adGFTB1UPMqjta_mm30a00WbwSNYKDKEUebe4EqAJOZbZsMVjFtG2lzWTo6pGlULHdSX3HOs0q3QFzKCrgw1nbxOV_5aMsevy_UwrT3rqSY02jymnpucehs3R_/w314-h400/nintendo_mini_game_diving_shot_02.jpg" width="314"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copies of Nintendo <i>Mini Game Diving Shot</i>, found in 2019</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>Then three years ago, I discovered a game I had not heard of before: a unknown variant of <i>Picture Puzzle</i> (ピクチュアパズル). This <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2020/04/added-nintendo-mini-game-50-to-my.html" target="_blank">brought the the total list of known games to fifty-one</a>, of which I owned fifty.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilByiMihF0FkojM4CEhtZR4eZ134pbWi4djZr64JJVpZwZuPd54EHkaiGS_i6v7sul4rFJ_jWbq2yJD7ODTdvhl6X3g-P0AJaTjUQmjAEsRl6vohj3Yy6BJHq-nbBd1ChP5tTi-3cPLanwupzVkilsP4ak9XuKtgb-nXgsI5Ojo72_blL5815aw9t1FHpO/s2000/nintendo_mini_game_puzzle_update_01.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilByiMihF0FkojM4CEhtZR4eZ134pbWi4djZr64JJVpZwZuPd54EHkaiGS_i6v7sul4rFJ_jWbq2yJD7ODTdvhl6X3g-P0AJaTjUQmjAEsRl6vohj3Yy6BJHq-nbBd1ChP5tTi-3cPLanwupzVkilsP4ak9XuKtgb-nXgsI5Ojo72_blL5815aw9t1FHpO/s400/nintendo_mini_game_puzzle_update_01.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo <i>Mini Game Picture Puzzle</i>, found in 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>And today, that happened again! I stumbled upon yet another version of <i>Picture Puzzle!</i> One that includes, as one of the three puzzles in the pack, a scene from Disney's Sleeping Beauty.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xhGuFGp-lQBYO0FPW2C9y6-Hn73NiUdZTmKehKtPQum3abAAFkwl1YZqqyUhAsQUSxw3v1V7PUx-yilCdR2X0FpDfTA_VTgUdUJmSuEVyJAPaYf6JSXJpJcrq3v2CONH6PZ0jeysFDMeG7XiycqPhWrC2IN2etZnQ7KVT-4Z17CmrxdTIBo6tsDli1Hj/s2000/nintendo_mini_game_series_picture_puzzle_4_01.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1526" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-xhGuFGp-lQBYO0FPW2C9y6-Hn73NiUdZTmKehKtPQum3abAAFkwl1YZqqyUhAsQUSxw3v1V7PUx-yilCdR2X0FpDfTA_VTgUdUJmSuEVyJAPaYf6JSXJpJcrq3v2CONH6PZ0jeysFDMeG7XiycqPhWrC2IN2etZnQ7KVT-4Z17CmrxdTIBo6tsDli1Hj/s400/nintendo_mini_game_series_picture_puzzle_4_01.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old, but new to me. Nintendo Mini Game <i>Picture Puzzle</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>The copy is unused and complete. It is not in perfect shape, but pretty good, considering it is fifty years old. And I could not be happier, to have found it.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/08/nintendo-mini-game-series-number-52.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-16126137500845735032023-07-16T14:28:00.003+02:002023-07-16T14:28:54.388+02:00Meet the Collectors - #12 - Christian Puryear<p>Sometimes good things take a while to come to fruition, and today's blog post is a good example of this.</p><p>When I started the <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/p/meet-collectors.html" target="_blank">meet the collectors series</a>, back in 2012, one of the people I reached out to was a collector called Christian (aka Vinelodge). I had known him as a serious collector of vintage Nintendo toys and games already for a while, at a time when this hobby was still quite uncommon. He was (is) one of the pioneers.</p><p>Christian was interested to participate, but said that the presentation of his collection needed some attention before he was happy to have it featured. "Give me a chance to get everything organized and looking nice and I'll send you some pictures.", he said.</p><p>Well, that took a little longer than expected. :-) Fast forward to 2023 and here he is.</p>
<hr>
<p>"My name is Christian Puryear. I live in Nashville, Tennessee in the United States with my wife and three children."</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dUGNI-Et8mH8NvANTn-TDsneuuA3C98Bfc5TpefHWFiWZ0s7sh-N1t63_3UdYwssDG7lOpYl__E2xrYHHNojbvPj26WrpsbP7MQLIG6sHW-h-z_8aIsLxD-DqbtI_yetcnlRebM2c_sHRsccPbhcBqKMueC3a053_PebFg90mmomtBCdBncJUyqQsc9l/s2000/before_mario_meet_the_collectors_Christian_Puryear_01.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1454" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dUGNI-Et8mH8NvANTn-TDsneuuA3C98Bfc5TpefHWFiWZ0s7sh-N1t63_3UdYwssDG7lOpYl__E2xrYHHNojbvPj26WrpsbP7MQLIG6sHW-h-z_8aIsLxD-DqbtI_yetcnlRebM2c_sHRsccPbhcBqKMueC3a053_PebFg90mmomtBCdBncJUyqQsc9l/s400/before_mario_meet_the_collectors_Christian_Puryear_01.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<p>"I have collected Nintendo items for many years. When I was young, some Japanese families with kids my same age moved to our neighborhood. They brought with them many things not available in the United States at the time; including <i>Game & Watches</i>!"</p><p>"I found them all very interesting and each had its own unique charm. There seemed to be so many, and always more to discover."</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncbQUnszTmMr0h0SM2Jw6rKC2Gx2b1q3o2UNxb9TCDUcUyxLHV4Rtt-wRxMwnkQATl6Gw_eW9SoBZP3YEmjCHGMlmUDVue4RaVnnX0Ze5Z_UtP5-Sfc7QLcoeGrIFL5Z9rkLipm0dR_ULRUP7xoF5ael9n3kB31ew3SlluyXxyIc7t2rHmcvXjyYLdK2o/s2000/before_mario_meet_the_collectors_Christian_Puryear_02.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1631" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncbQUnszTmMr0h0SM2Jw6rKC2Gx2b1q3o2UNxb9TCDUcUyxLHV4Rtt-wRxMwnkQATl6Gw_eW9SoBZP3YEmjCHGMlmUDVue4RaVnnX0Ze5Z_UtP5-Sfc7QLcoeGrIFL5Z9rkLipm0dR_ULRUP7xoF5ael9n3kB31ew3SlluyXxyIc7t2rHmcvXjyYLdK2o/s400/before_mario_meet_the_collectors_Christian_Puryear_02.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<p>"A few years later, the <i>NES</i> came out and was a big part of growing up in the 1980's. That same polish & charm was evident in all other Nintendo games now available. At that time, I knew there was much more available over in Japan; but it just wasn't accessible here in the States."</p><p>"After college, 'retro' video games at that time were cheap and easy to find and so I enjoyed hunting to find 'unknown' games. I especially enjoyed the boxes; the art on the packaging was always the most interesting but it was also the least likely to be found! Typically, I will only acquire items that also come with the original box. I often joke that I collect cardboard more than video games."</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerQP-gdUrmebSaXwaOiLuANJTlvVde_3a3YrHqRQ1FefdMzi_AeSpcZo24LxfnCvb7Sg9Wr4BkitjlwJxSEgC0gxkBdpEpZC8kRj-MSxBF_nTIpWWf55cS85DTeJwGQLUvA1V50fXfzgrcbH_nr9sCNi7vgONh73_8BpHFdvX8foVRX3eHYbuMoHF1mef/s2000/before_mario_meet_the_collectors_Christian_Puryear_03.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="654" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjerQP-gdUrmebSaXwaOiLuANJTlvVde_3a3YrHqRQ1FefdMzi_AeSpcZo24LxfnCvb7Sg9Wr4BkitjlwJxSEgC0gxkBdpEpZC8kRj-MSxBF_nTIpWWf55cS85DTeJwGQLUvA1V50fXfzgrcbH_nr9sCNi7vgONh73_8BpHFdvX8foVRX3eHYbuMoHF1mef/s400/before_mario_meet_the_collectors_Christian_Puryear_03.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo <i>Chiritori</i> (1979), <i>Kôsenjû SP Riffle</i> (1970),<br><i>Love Tester</i> (1969) and <i>Ultra Scope</i> (1971)</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>"After I completed most of the North American Nintendo items, the internet came around and suddenly overseas toys were much more available. I started to obtain <i>Game & Watches</i> and quickly found that there was a much deeper Nintendo history with even more interesting items to be found."</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/07/meet-collectors-12-christian-puryear.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-57676638752591221442023-05-20T08:02:00.000+02:002023-05-20T08:02:05.013+02:00Nintendo's Games for Adult<p>Nintendo is generally considered to be making games for kids (of all ages, of course). However, in its long history, it also focussed part of its attention specifically on adults. </p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTV8J0T5kQec-KEbg8OrsrwgWjBYhOzieaZtIwcPYeCUhfj2jvATdI5a6jyywZBkfZEP7JZ3f9Y4CGI6tdmZueiFjhwpSjZeJo-ws1ipjZNPtrFAW1OcDoD1MNV41kSCbD1Fa4OSrsktvbqSXRbTlvu_pofAkQGDBbWbQcLSKLdSoaNPA6EAaxyuZMmQ/s2000/nintendos_games_for_adults_01.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1434" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTV8J0T5kQec-KEbg8OrsrwgWjBYhOzieaZtIwcPYeCUhfj2jvATdI5a6jyywZBkfZEP7JZ3f9Y4CGI6tdmZueiFjhwpSjZeJo-ws1ipjZNPtrFAW1OcDoD1MNV41kSCbD1Fa4OSrsktvbqSXRbTlvu_pofAkQGDBbWbQcLSKLdSoaNPA6EAaxyuZMmQ/s400/nintendos_games_for_adults_01.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo's Games for Adult (leaflet, outside) </td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>This little brochure is a nice example of this.</p>
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<p>It is roughly A4 in size, with two folds, and is titled "Nintendo's Games for Adult" (sic).</p><p>It features traditional games that adults might play: <i>Chess</i>, <i>Checkers</i>, <i>Domino</i>, <i>Roulette</i>, <i>Poker </i>and <i>Mah-jongg</i>. The front of the leaflet even mentions <i>Dice</i> and <i>Bingo Game</i>, though these are not actually included inside.</p>
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<p>There is no direct indication of a publishing date on this, but it is most likely from the early 1960s. Nintendo used the company name "Nintendo Playing Card Co., Ltd." between 1950 and 1963. Because this is a full color print on shiny paper, it feels more to be from the end part of that period.</p><p>Also, and more importantly, it is aimed at an English speaking audience. During the 1960s and 1970s, Nintendo increased its effort to expand its market outside of Japan (examples <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/04/nintendo-slugger-mate-1967.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/08/nintendo-challenge-dice-1969.html" target="_blank">here</a>), and this would fit right into that as an early example. [The first real break-trough abroad would come with <i><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/09/nintendo-ten-billion-1980.html" target="_blank">Ten Billion</a></i> and <i>Game & Watch</i>, but that is a different story.]</p><p>Still, I am speculating here about its age, and could be wrong.</p>
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<p>The leaflet is aimed at importers and distributors of games, indicating wholesale box details like number of units included, size of the box and weight. </p>
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<p>The games listed are dedicated chess or checker sets. Nintendo also produced sets that featured both options, with a board that can be flipped depending on which of the two to play, but these are not shown here.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/05/nintendos-games-for-adult.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-16331899435611813042023-05-10T10:53:00.001+02:002023-05-10T10:53:53.143+02:00Kyoto Souvenir Playing Cards, closer look part 2<p>We continue with the second part of detailed look at each of the individual cards in Nintendo <i>Kyoto Souvenir</i> playing cards from the 1950s. The first part <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/05/kyoto-souvenir-playing-cards-closer.html" target="_blank">can be found here.</a></p>
<p><b>Diamonds</b></p>
<p>The diamonds cards show a wide variety of landmarks and topics related to Kyoto:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Kamikamo Shrine (上賀茂神社)</li><li>The Mifune Festival (三船祭)</li><li>The Hozu Rapid (保津急流)</li><li>The Golden pavilion (金閣寺)</li><li>The Tower of Toji Temple (五重塔, 東寺)</li><li>Maiko, Geisha Apprentice (舞妓)</li><li>Kyoto Minami-za Theater (南座)</li><li>The Ryoanji Temple (竜安寺)</li><li>Kyoto Station (京都駅)</li><li>Kyoto Prefectural Government (京都府庁)</li><li>The Silver Pavilion (銀閣寺)</li><li>City Hall (京都市役所)</li><li>Gion Festival (祇園祭)</li></ul>
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<span></span><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/05/kyoto-souvenir-playing-cards-closer_10.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-14058550637446862942023-05-10T10:48:00.003+02:002024-02-11T20:44:03.634+01:00Kyoto Souvenir Playing Cards, closer look part 1<p>In this post we will take a closer look at the each of the individual cards in the 1950's Nintendo <i>Kyoto Souvenir</i> deck.</p>
<p>The virtual tour is split up over two posts. Here is the first half, with the spades and hearts. The other half, with diamonds and clubs, <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/05/kyoto-souvenir-playing-cards-closer_10.html" target="_blank">can be found here</a>.</p>
<p>Let's take a tour around Nintendo's hometown!</p>
<p><b>Spades</b></p>
<p>Of course we start with the spades, in particular with the ace of spades. Besides this trademark card, the images on the cards cover the following landmarks and events in Kyoto:</p>
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li>The Fushimi-inari Shrine (伏見稲荷大社)</li><li>The Higashihongangi Temple (東本願寺)</li><li>The Honnoji Temple (本能寺)</li><li>The Tofukuji Temple (東福寺)</li><li>The Katsura Imperial Villa (桂離宮)</li><li>Maruyama Park (円山公園)</li><li>Thirty-Three-Span Hall (三十三間堂)</li><li>The National Art Museum (京都国立博物館)</li><li>The Nanzenji Temple (南禅寺)</li><li>The Kiyomizu-dera Temple (清水寺)</li><li>The Tower of Sanpoin Temple (醍醐寺, 五重塔)</li><li>Jidai Matsuri (時代祭)</li></ul>
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<span></span><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/05/kyoto-souvenir-playing-cards-closer.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-73085372309378315822023-05-07T12:41:00.005+02:002023-05-12T15:53:23.325+02:00Nintendo Souvenir Kyoto Playing Cards, at last<p>This is a story about a very special item in my collection, the Nintendo <i>Souvenir Kyoto Playing Cards</i>.</p>
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<b><p>Nintendo's hometown Kyoto</p></b>
<p>Kyoto is famous for many things. Before Tokyo, it was the official capital of Japan for over a thousand years, and it is still considered the cultural capital. With hundreds if not thousands of historical sites, it is a major tourist attraction for domestic and foreign visitors.</p><p>Kyoto is also the town where Nintendo was founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi, 133 years ago. It has remained the heart of the company's operation to this day.</p><p>If you would check Mario's passport, and that of countless other Nintendo creations, you would find Kyoto as the place of birth.</p>
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<p>A nice example of the tie between Nintendo and Kyoto is this photo taken at the start of the year in 1949. Nintendo was already sixty years old at the time.</p><p>The photo shows a group of (or all?) company employees posing in front of the gate of the <i>Fushimi-inari Shrine</i>, located in the Fushimi ward in the south of Kyoto. This shrine is a popular location to celebrate the start of the new year, one of the most important traditions in Japan.</p>
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<p>The gate of this shrine can easily be recognized by the two fox statues standing on either side in front of it.</p>
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<p>This photo is a great document of the company at the time. Unfortunately we do not know who all people are that we see here, in their best kimonos and suits. We suspect that the company president at the time, Fusajiro's successor Sekiryo Yamauchi, must be in it. As well as his grandson and future president Hiroshi Yamauchi. But we do not know for sure.</p><p>What is undoubtably clear, is that this is a company that is part of the fabric of the city of Kyoto. The two banners on either side of the picture state "Kyoto Nintendo" (京都任天堂).</p>
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<p>This connection between Nintendo and Kyoto has remained strong ever since, as is also evident from the images below, taken from <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2014/11/nintendo-takes-to-air-in-ther-2012.html" target="_blank">a Nintendo company guide from 2012</a>.</p>
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<p>Although the company's playfield has become global, Nintendo conducts that business from one place: Kyoto.</p>
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<b><p>Nintendo Souvenir Kyoto Playing Cards</p></b>
<p>From the moment I first saw the content of <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/06/nintendo-report-from-1950s.html" target="_blank">the 1950s company report</a> shown below, I have been searching for a particular set of Nintendo playing cards.</p>
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<p>This deck, called <i>Souvenir Kyoto Playing Cards</i>, was presented in this document together with many other types of playing cards that Nintendo offered at the time. Of all the products included in this catalogue, this one intrigued me the most.</p>
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<p>The concept of playing cards with photos aimed at tourists is not original in itself.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/05/nintendo-souvenir-kyoto-playing-cards.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-58207092644202722092023-04-23T15:25:00.000+02:002023-04-23T15:25:34.060+02:00Nintendo Playing Cards catalogue from 1975<p>From their earliest beginnings well over a century ago, up until the present day, Nintendo has continuously been updating its range of playing cards, responding to trends and changes in customer taste, to sales successes and failures, as well as to new ideas by competitors.</p>
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<p>Sales material provides great snapshots of what was available at a specific point in time. In today's post, we will take a look at Nintendo's offering presented in this <i>Playing Cards</i> catalogue from the mid 1970s.</p>
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<p>The full-colour brochure is printed on heavy glossy paper. The publication date was July 1975.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_FfsiI1TZzHLOPkVHBZwDzN66IMmqNfsZgRX1mpuMRMWBCNwaLO3bhGvQBzR7MI3jyeDTgPeH_dWUYViqOar_xUENnXYoiIumZGgnTOouqvPXtBufhira5TZvyU__aCpwN2lRKnGkLbNVSbHcwx8vYycUTFOkKAZVRRi-8QTpv5ZvOcClAJnfY3y1g/s2000/nintendo_playing_cards_catalogue_1975_02a.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="967" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif_FfsiI1TZzHLOPkVHBZwDzN66IMmqNfsZgRX1mpuMRMWBCNwaLO3bhGvQBzR7MI3jyeDTgPeH_dWUYViqOar_xUENnXYoiIumZGgnTOouqvPXtBufhira5TZvyU__aCpwN2lRKnGkLbNVSbHcwx8vYycUTFOkKAZVRRi-8QTpv5ZvOcClAJnfY3y1g/s400/nintendo_playing_cards_catalogue_1975_02a.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo Playing Cards catalogue (front and back)</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>It is a single sheet, that has two folds to create six pages in total. When folded close, it is about A4 in size.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRax-4dMYHf44dXoVWLokUUvY5LjSp7g1X3xi3lw22fv4FxarRcxtTa17BnoiqebNDxUr6VfnCBwAU6_K9uyP2f3W846f1AuIZkPi9S6IzHzwR44YB84prl5nbc8UVCNHtwbzBSQPYOcEvBPcgmQnZyuBt0M9ml_NEsfIuaH2UxbwyFcgkOMHPBV6bA/s2000/nintendo_playing_cards_catalogue_1975_02.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRax-4dMYHf44dXoVWLokUUvY5LjSp7g1X3xi3lw22fv4FxarRcxtTa17BnoiqebNDxUr6VfnCBwAU6_K9uyP2f3W846f1AuIZkPi9S6IzHzwR44YB84prl5nbc8UVCNHtwbzBSQPYOcEvBPcgmQnZyuBt0M9ml_NEsfIuaH2UxbwyFcgkOMHPBV6bA/s400/nintendo_playing_cards_catalogue_1975_02.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo Playing Cards catalogue (inside)</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>The image on the front shows a little porcelain statue of a couple playing music and singing. It would have been more appropriate if they had been playing cards, but the feeling of playful social interaction and style is portrayed well.</p><p>The top of the line products are shown underneath, with the most luxurious package version (with product code NAP 1505) taking centre stage.</p>
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<p>The font used and the lily flower symbol print on the table cloth all add to the sophisticated, classic look they were clearly going for. The visual message: this is is not about toys, but serious fun for adults.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dagcjJFw-JnvWZsQUqCc_-Xtsz6L-SE2A_d56edH2vtLyByTRPpP2qzvzfy_f8e3ikY1hUX1S1-BNz0s5va9mW2UUqpLhyVQ3t39v8GsC4XWdmwXZWx8DAuD_oI6X7E9ruU15nTvCBu3WpGcg_1km50D7uLz43YtDSvk1Gv-flHIdJKhLSl5WMUECA/s2000/nintendo_playing_cards_catalogue_1975_11.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1238" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_dagcjJFw-JnvWZsQUqCc_-Xtsz6L-SE2A_d56edH2vtLyByTRPpP2qzvzfy_f8e3ikY1hUX1S1-BNz0s5va9mW2UUqpLhyVQ3t39v8GsC4XWdmwXZWx8DAuD_oI6X7E9ruU15nTvCBu3WpGcg_1km50D7uLz43YtDSvk1Gv-flHIdJKhLSl5WMUECA/s400/nintendo_playing_cards_catalogue_1975_11.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<p>Most of the card decks included in the brochure are variations of the typical graphic, geometrical card back designs.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/04/nintendo-playing-cards-catalogue-from.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-15488181860178435372023-04-02T19:20:00.006+02:002023-04-02T19:24:13.071+02:00Nintendo Mini Game Series leaflet (ca 1975)<p>The <i>Mini Game Series</i> (ミニゲームシリーズ) was a collection of around fifty simple plastic toys, brought to market by Nintendo in the first half of the 1970s (roughly 1971 to 1976). The series covered a wide variety of play options, with prices for each toy ranging between ¥300 and ¥900.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK93BbBAciAe7UxbJN08TXl6WK1xqM2KGaQzm0aIbDeOjJPNQ2wrc8xH6tryXkmFALdCr7dbiTh4D01-OLVN73KldcN6yvMf6f5AsPZnImGtFVbnrwaQqFk-57BcMUrmX0kLW8gvx_7KMI3fTJ1I5CjvB1SpycqaOQq30JgsPKnmZtWNIiOtDTWN0zYg/s2000/Nintendo_Mini_Game_Leaflet_00.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1305" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK93BbBAciAe7UxbJN08TXl6WK1xqM2KGaQzm0aIbDeOjJPNQ2wrc8xH6tryXkmFALdCr7dbiTh4D01-OLVN73KldcN6yvMf6f5AsPZnImGtFVbnrwaQqFk-57BcMUrmX0kLW8gvx_7KMI3fTJ1I5CjvB1SpycqaOQq30JgsPKnmZtWNIiOtDTWN0zYg/s400/Nintendo_Mini_Game_Leaflet_00.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A selection of Nintendo <i>Mini Games</i> (1970s)</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>In today's blog post we will take a look at this piece of marketing material targeted at toy dealers and distributors.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_lwf9u3F9U9rloQz4cRbjbxyahKsQAzrvYQKOCns1RTxvUPK83i8onD8_rOUCrhsHErNgpPWHLq90PXchXeNK3-eCYtG3iQ8TXYd2d6yBpC2HTTaALvry_uPCcmd7j_0sEQIAAfgaU6EzVJ64r8BuIHVVG11sZphcJPfkZ-QrHi-IHOIPzuW0LF21w/s2000/Nintendo_Mini_Game_Leaflet_01.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1417" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz_lwf9u3F9U9rloQz4cRbjbxyahKsQAzrvYQKOCns1RTxvUPK83i8onD8_rOUCrhsHErNgpPWHLq90PXchXeNK3-eCYtG3iQ8TXYd2d6yBpC2HTTaALvry_uPCcmd7j_0sEQIAAfgaU6EzVJ64r8BuIHVVG11sZphcJPfkZ-QrHi-IHOIPzuW0LF21w/s400/Nintendo_Mini_Game_Leaflet_01.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo <i>Mini Game Series</i> leaflet<br>(ca 1975, front)</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>It's a single page leaflet, printed on both sides in colour. It measures 18 by 25.5 centimeters, slightly smaller than A4.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4Q13JL2LpcM6u4iIdYqFVKlyp97HSNoIG0Rpm5jn5LDShbJ7T_KERSqdWpwEls3m6vtAsRTZLnbFL_r6uoRmZwwP4dWOYcjriTRkDcoaWU4vvv4aYZZ3SmT0TVNV-4qcoPzM5QOMpKV-qv7MC7zRKY6xY6s-cXaKm4FVxwyhKgMdhLrzOkuW0l3XMw/s2000/Nintendo_Mini_Game_Leaflet_02.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1417" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL4Q13JL2LpcM6u4iIdYqFVKlyp97HSNoIG0Rpm5jn5LDShbJ7T_KERSqdWpwEls3m6vtAsRTZLnbFL_r6uoRmZwwP4dWOYcjriTRkDcoaWU4vvv4aYZZ3SmT0TVNV-4qcoPzM5QOMpKV-qv7MC7zRKY6xY6s-cXaKm4FVxwyhKgMdhLrzOkuW0l3XMw/s400/Nintendo_Mini_Game_Leaflet_02.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo <i>Mini Game Series</i> leaflet<br>(ca 1975, back)</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>The leaflet dates from around 1975. The 'new release' (新発売) claimed in the top left corner of the front is a bit of a stretch, as most of the series was already a few years old at the time, although it may refer to some of the individual new(er) games.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/04/nintendo-mini-game-series-leaflet-ca.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-56076419906743463762023-04-01T15:03:00.006+02:002023-04-23T16:52:26.202+02:00Nintendo playing cards price increase in 1976<p>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_oil_crisis" target="_blank">1973 / 1974 global oil crisis</a> hit the Japanese economy relatively hard, because of the country's large dependency on foreign energy, mainly in the form of oil. The resulting increasing energy cost caused a strong inflation that echoed on for years.</p><p>Like so many other Japanese manufacturers, Nintendo was forced to increase the prices for its products, as we can see in the message below called "guide to partial price revision of playing cards", date December 20th 1975.</p><p>The one-sided printed memo measures 18 by 25 centimeters.</p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBz23-XKEIw-WneIgjfcaay6MnhYXnbVYBJ91zghHq9VQRyydxXCQwjogzu5TrjOcrtuR-CuVoNOar4cMeWOyo4l9pOd_D__M2nlMQUGjn5mIVkP1sHEWrjwx910hktIUkBl5cAiPI6riBIVC6-Fs_K5qpPwH01QskNgzhu-C5a8zM5tRPN7b9fQRrQ/s2000/nintendo_playing_cards_price_increase_1975_01.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1406" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBz23-XKEIw-WneIgjfcaay6MnhYXnbVYBJ91zghHq9VQRyydxXCQwjogzu5TrjOcrtuR-CuVoNOar4cMeWOyo4l9pOd_D__M2nlMQUGjn5mIVkP1sHEWrjwx910hktIUkBl5cAiPI6riBIVC6-Fs_K5qpPwH01QskNgzhu-C5a8zM5tRPN7b9fQRrQ/s400/nintendo_playing_cards_price_increase_1975_01.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Message from Nintendo to Distributors<br />(December 20 1975)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<p>The message reads:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i>"Dear Distributor,</i></p><p><i>We would like to express our sincere gratitude for your continued patronage.</i></p><p><i>Now, due to the increase in raw materials and processing costs for playing cards, we have decided to revise the following prices for playing cards from January 21, 1976.</i></p><p><i>In any case, I would like to ask for your understanding and understanding of the circumstances."</i></p></blockquote><p>This is followed by a table in which the changes are outlined.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0BSGSPKSCHr7h9M2H2vupLk5rELX_-veHnOKcdrNuPcomWfJt0d-Z6Xu6xcv-XnojmqceMmcrdsJkHlH_l7z4BSALbQAkJWoSMhgb6oUTHUvg5eWSkqc3kD7UDkbb8Nc9qmBcEyLjUbJnMvFHz2ZmEuw68j9IOfhAiX82K2cOuVtszdMXIh3sQFtrw/s2000/nintendo_playing_cards_price_increase_1975_02.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0BSGSPKSCHr7h9M2H2vupLk5rELX_-veHnOKcdrNuPcomWfJt0d-Z6Xu6xcv-XnojmqceMmcrdsJkHlH_l7z4BSALbQAkJWoSMhgb6oUTHUvg5eWSkqc3kD7UDkbb8Nc9qmBcEyLjUbJnMvFHz2ZmEuw68j9IOfhAiX82K2cOuVtszdMXIh3sQFtrw/s400/nintendo_playing_cards_price_increase_1975_02.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>Three types of cards are included in the price increase:</p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>Disney playing cards (ディズニートランプ)</li><li>Ado playing cards (亜土 トランプ)</li><li>Girl playing cards (少女 トランプ)</li></ul><p></p>
<p>The 'Ado' cards are designed by famous illustrator Ado Mizumori (水森亜土).</p>
<p>Examples of the three types of effected cards are shown below, <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/04/nintendo-playing-cards-catalogue-from.html" target="_blank">taken from a Nintendo product catalogue from July 1975</a>, published a few month before the price change announcement.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuoJekKqHulSR36I6Y0biVMh7kOKEigJxAMlaqTcJ5DujRR32RNEdaZsD4aTSfKSR9LU3Ms2gvagWgGhWA1ESS39HK3qGNyJIiVdJcOivMu1Fa1_6oTa0bMZxYCYKCCSYkFs0j9nQKf8ISUNOo4PPkUA_mPq3d95koR6siLiFCVwIOjwBk9DAVpMC8A/s2000/nintendo_playing_cards_price_increase_1975_03.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuoJekKqHulSR36I6Y0biVMh7kOKEigJxAMlaqTcJ5DujRR32RNEdaZsD4aTSfKSR9LU3Ms2gvagWgGhWA1ESS39HK3qGNyJIiVdJcOivMu1Fa1_6oTa0bMZxYCYKCCSYkFs0j9nQKf8ISUNOo4PPkUA_mPq3d95koR6siLiFCVwIOjwBk9DAVpMC8A/s400/nintendo_playing_cards_price_increase_1975_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<p>For all three types the price is increased from 500 円 to 600 円, a steep 20% increase.</p>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-15510295541005030672023-03-31T20:03:00.002+02:002023-03-31T20:08:18.188+02:00Hiroshima 1929 expo booklet with Nintendo ad<p>Today we will take a look at the booklet shown below, which is almost a century old. Inside we will discover a nice little nugget of Nintendo history.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXeCgDutH5ybsRZHDmep--3PsjDnL73H39Di7dYc2ZCPlzBlKQw1_BthloEZPthKkDaeBWAumLE7Bw-Bu-ZRU_kRxPFreKd3_UjHAom0fJgphrhMbhol8WLysHxr8suUk9dKDhF7c4qH_5tm8gg6qeXtosbhNSDhL1HHFxepia65speNDd8-ODB_uvw/s2000/hiroshima_exhibition_1929_nintendo_ad_01.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1914" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibXeCgDutH5ybsRZHDmep--3PsjDnL73H39Di7dYc2ZCPlzBlKQw1_BthloEZPthKkDaeBWAumLE7Bw-Bu-ZRU_kRxPFreKd3_UjHAom0fJgphrhMbhol8WLysHxr8suUk9dKDhF7c4qH_5tm8gg6qeXtosbhNSDhL1HHFxepia65speNDd8-ODB_uvw/s400/hiroshima_exhibition_1929_nintendo_ad_01.jpg"></a></div>
<p>The booklet is roughly B6 size (132 by 190 mm), contains 128 black and white printed pages, a color pullout and a color printed front and back.</p><p>The title is <i>Great Hiroshima Guide</i> (大廣島案内), which is printed in large red kanji on the front.</p><p>The sub title reads <i>Showa Industry Expo Conference</i> (昭和產業博覽會恊贊會), which is <i>sponsored by Hiroshima City</i> (廣島市主催).</p><div>As an aside, for those of you not familiar with the changes over time to the writing style of Japanese script, this booklet stems from an era when the custom was to write top-to-bottom and right-to-left.</div><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9CVvtxm7M7NEOImDfmu5GgHXlm9CAhY0Uwgs1dOrEFsss3EYkXfX2_xLARFijp2m2n4LPOinbrjlpHMsYXMbRPaGGeo05XMhsZbXeh2sHZGneuc_vorfVZAiWz7rREweX2MKSJCYIWL5ySO6RfAXf-sZwfATpZ39Nn7T2hpQRczXUY6ZHCggzSHg5w/s2000/hiroshima_exhibition_1929_nintendo_ad_02.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1403" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw9CVvtxm7M7NEOImDfmu5GgHXlm9CAhY0Uwgs1dOrEFsss3EYkXfX2_xLARFijp2m2n4LPOinbrjlpHMsYXMbRPaGGeo05XMhsZbXeh2sHZGneuc_vorfVZAiWz7rREweX2MKSJCYIWL5ySO6RfAXf-sZwfATpZ39Nn7T2hpQRczXUY6ZHCggzSHg5w/s400/hiroshima_exhibition_1929_nintendo_ad_02.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Great Hiroshima Guide (1929) front page</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>The drawing on the front shows various landmarks of the city of Hiroshima, including <i>Hiroshima Castle</i>.</p><p>On the back we immediately recognize the <i>Itsukushima shrine</i>, located at the shoreline of the nearby Itsukushima island (also known as Miyajima).</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUJ198tbGBS3eAC-k3FDHhXMKntJdetfsVhdoHPavLqfYQqWNl9OGxwt7fAG4rfdjk83UGJzMe6zSr6O_BNx3Yad2V4oWh-6k57X36pRuvk_p0LaH4cb9agOuPazHC9ZVS7Z4OJUj_cWKUy0gMFyrp3K0nz3T6c3DmyXurL9IE5cBSUuy6mu1B_JKIQ/s2000/hiroshima_exhibition_1929_nintendo_ad_03.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1405" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmUJ198tbGBS3eAC-k3FDHhXMKntJdetfsVhdoHPavLqfYQqWNl9OGxwt7fAG4rfdjk83UGJzMe6zSr6O_BNx3Yad2V4oWh-6k57X36pRuvk_p0LaH4cb9agOuPazHC9ZVS7Z4OJUj_cWKUy0gMFyrp3K0nz3T6c3DmyXurL9IE5cBSUuy6mu1B_JKIQ/s400/hiroshima_exhibition_1929_nintendo_ad_03.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Great Hiroshima Guide (1929) back page</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>The colofon at the back of the booklet indicates that it was printed in March of 1929. That is 94 years ago!</p><p>It also states that the booklet was not for sale (非売品).</p><p>The booklet was commissioned by the city of Hiroshima, in cooperation with the "Showa Industry Expo Association" (昭和產業博覽會恊賛會), and presumably handed out for free to (prospective) visitors of the expo.</p><p>The publisher and editor was Yakichi Ishikawa (石川彌吉).</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdxRlX0kc78h7Wy6BJnkB5rU8WoOkV8G0G47PSh-S9mVfTERWRvNLdT62De9FYV9BqPUpBjh6z9YgOFrTgXtWtBLTZurDac5PJ8j5GlD-zPNOsAUYjzHaPx--I5Z2lPzdYyHjsUgGsEUYxxjjTEDadsIdSHyRUYcBk06DT5c0uKTbwdqbYwMUfdKkqw/s2000/hiroshima_exhibition_1929_nintendo_ad_04.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1556" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsdxRlX0kc78h7Wy6BJnkB5rU8WoOkV8G0G47PSh-S9mVfTERWRvNLdT62De9FYV9BqPUpBjh6z9YgOFrTgXtWtBLTZurDac5PJ8j5GlD-zPNOsAUYjzHaPx--I5Z2lPzdYyHjsUgGsEUYxxjjTEDadsIdSHyRUYcBk06DT5c0uKTbwdqbYwMUfdKkqw/s400/hiroshima_exhibition_1929_nintendo_ad_04.jpg"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colofon</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>In the preface, the editor explains that the booklet covers the main attractions ("famous places") of the city of Hiroshima and surroundings, using "as many pictures as possible". Information about shops and products is "provided by advertisements".</p><p>Indeed, besides editorial content, more than half of the booklet is filled with advertisements.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRNW4TKUfjqPtuAdI-VroV4nMpUrZcEPyej3QqMMwr312CV_oezJGudtm6wV_B5w1HsmWnO1VJ7PaOjp05yizd1QFkiD0yejcFccDW7wSaM5qjN1ZWHU5sL5I7It3g0daNrVFSL0RdsZDiKHZXvl9R15pCs_UeCkyoPXKmzVG89F-g8S_ZHld2qPeYA/s2000/hiroshima_exhibition_1929_nintendo_ad_05.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1556" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRNW4TKUfjqPtuAdI-VroV4nMpUrZcEPyej3QqMMwr312CV_oezJGudtm6wV_B5w1HsmWnO1VJ7PaOjp05yizd1QFkiD0yejcFccDW7wSaM5qjN1ZWHU5sL5I7It3g0daNrVFSL0RdsZDiKHZXvl9R15pCs_UeCkyoPXKmzVG89F-g8S_ZHld2qPeYA/s400/hiroshima_exhibition_1929_nintendo_ad_05.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preface</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>At the front of the booklet, there is a very nice pullout map, printed on one side in color. When pulled out, it measures about 46 centimeters wide.</p><p>The front of this map shows a drawn aerial view of the city of Hiroshima, with indication of the tram lines and tram stops as well as the locations of the expo. The back shows a map of the greater Hiroshima area, with all railway connections.</p>
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<a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/03/hiroshima-1929-expo-booklet-with.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-39358316598656112632023-01-07T13:13:00.000+01:002023-01-07T13:13:40.079+01:00Meet the Collectors - #11 - Nikita Shigov<p>We are back with another episode of Meet the Collectors. </p><p>This time we travel to South-east Asia, where we meet Nikita.</p>
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<p>"My name is Nikita, and I am 30 years old. I am originally from Russia, but I have spent the last five years in Malaysia, specifically in Kuala Lumpur. One day I decided to move to another country together with my wife, and I found a job here, on this sunny country with very friendly people."</p><p>"After realising that I wouldn't make it as a pro video gamer, I spent many evenings learning new foreign languages and studying social sciences. All my life I have worked as Digital marketing manager. I am very much a kid at heart, love to cook, play video games and travel whenever i can."</p><p>"When I was a kid I played the Soviet Game & Watch clone <i>Elektornika</i> because we didn’t have official Nintendo products. A Taiwanese clone of Atari 2600 and Sega Mega Drive 2 were my first consoles, and they made me love videogames."</p><p>"I had started collecting Nintendo portable consoles, and later I dug into the big N's history. I was surprised how big it was. It amazed me how Nintendo follows its traditions and carries them over time until modern days. It makes them a unique company in the current market."</p><p>"First, I bought a <i>hanafuda</i> deck. And then it started... "</p>
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<p>"Since 2015 I’ve been collecting vintage Nintendo stuff produced before the Famicom. My collection is modest compared to other collectors. I am trying to find unique and old Nintendo toys without overpaying a huge amount of money. I do not care about box condition."</p><p>"During my first trip to Kyoto that year, the first place I visited was the former Nintendo HQ, and it charmed me by its architecture. Visiting it is like a mecca for Nintendo toy collectors :-)."</p>
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<p>"Mostly, I find new stuff for my collection mostly on eBay and Japanese online second hand stores. However, also in Malaysia I can find old Nintendo board games and playing cards, in Japanese thrift stores. You will be surprised how much Japanese thrift stores with used clothes, kitchenware, and toys there are in Kuala Lumpur."</p><p>"I collect Game & watch games all over the world while I do travelling and try to find them at local flea markets."</p>
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<p>"Nintendo was never officially distributed in Russia or Malaysia till the 2000s, and finding all these items is really a challenge! In Malaysia it is more easy to order online stuff from Japan because shipping is cheap. However, the Malaysian ringgit currency is quite weak compared to the US dollar or Yen and that makes buying items abroad pricey."</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2023/01/meet-collectors-11-nikita-shigov.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-33104420935528756542022-12-04T11:12:00.003+01:002022-12-04T14:47:36.759+01:00Nintendo Ele-conga manual restored<p>The <i>Ele-conga</i> (エレコンガ) is an electronic percussion instrument, created by Nintendo and released in 1972. It offers five different analogue sounds: Snare, Maracas, Claps, High Congas and Low Congas.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBVxoHvC3Mw7yCx38DGrE1kDEsBfhpEGv0vtRB9ekdNcR57g66wrxfGM0y0zVtv6iLxMNMj8F24SLLAaLCThiiHPzx5W-Qvvd58GcWEFP2Jg8xYjCFzmlXUzcRt3VFDTdI66PvEySoAzLdrg2xhVTqmI6BKf0FRKUdG7B0gWvJKzAF1Ixw1NfPruhsQ/s2000/nintendo_eleconga_manual_restored_01.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBVxoHvC3Mw7yCx38DGrE1kDEsBfhpEGv0vtRB9ekdNcR57g66wrxfGM0y0zVtv6iLxMNMj8F24SLLAaLCThiiHPzx5W-Qvvd58GcWEFP2Jg8xYjCFzmlXUzcRt3VFDTdI66PvEySoAzLdrg2xhVTqmI6BKf0FRKUdG7B0gWvJKzAF1Ixw1NfPruhsQ/s400/nintendo_eleconga_manual_restored_01.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>I recently came into contact with <i>Forgotten Futures</i>, an organization whose mission is <i>"to revive lost and forgotten yet vital artifacts of electronic musical instrument history by collecting, faithfully restoring and preserving original instruments"</i>.</p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo2ncw6QX75edp6aVEc1W7mr94JWgGD30vMZqeVbYgQVayu-m25BaY91riJK72WZJnfAqbi_iWz1Cnp_3kY45ir-aDccCRXGbp23EftuRGvsP8JdHFCWXHoj-P5_Pbei9lT-LUckiST3hhdKwQFLgK3aSKzlor3mcgPlcTFc4lxxrs4tSVSgul3aM-g/s2000/nintendo_eleconga_manual_restored_02.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1425" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAo2ncw6QX75edp6aVEc1W7mr94JWgGD30vMZqeVbYgQVayu-m25BaY91riJK72WZJnfAqbi_iWz1Cnp_3kY45ir-aDccCRXGbp23EftuRGvsP8JdHFCWXHoj-P5_Pbei9lT-LUckiST3hhdKwQFLgK3aSKzlor3mcgPlcTFc4lxxrs4tSVSgul3aM-g/s400/nintendo_eleconga_manual_restored_02.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo <i>Ele-conga</i> (1972) manual front</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<p>They were interested in preserving the <i>Ele-conga</i> manual and I gladly provided a scan of a copy from my collection.</p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfKJc5GNdyIIem_RGTRZ3yI_QSj3EvsxeRbNPHzV1SVXeBsQjjyhWSNj8zAoGxps0KKvpwGIc3q_KqiIHkjty2GPmdDVj9h_FZHj3E6CGzwHu0vYPcJpaKf3EANElETVXiGJXJ0BZSN8Mp5ORqe-WrhuDsFVT88zyGn-VYSp57fWiySQH8FOIgoSPRA/s2843/nintendo_eleconga_manual_restored_03.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2843" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXfKJc5GNdyIIem_RGTRZ3yI_QSj3EvsxeRbNPHzV1SVXeBsQjjyhWSNj8zAoGxps0KKvpwGIc3q_KqiIHkjty2GPmdDVj9h_FZHj3E6CGzwHu0vYPcJpaKf3EANElETVXiGJXJ0BZSN8Mp5ORqe-WrhuDsFVT88zyGn-VYSp57fWiySQH8FOIgoSPRA/s400/nintendo_eleconga_manual_restored_03.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo <i>Ele-conga</i> (1972) manual inside</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<p>The document was digitally restored by Mike Buffington (his site <a href="https://mikebuffington.net/" target="_blank">here</a>). I believe he did a great job, removing all stains, creases and other damage. You can see the result here.</p><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIR4JZp8fauOKj-0ydUH3ly6fzxIEiARVJ2E6Bpf5uIaZ3W4BOc44-WbVKErk2IN4yRCQZFfZsXqiEmNsffFBhf15GPzoZeCoDulNDUVmXnwSwSsjxPWe9-h4StuG2orBW260LT7iwS6VzCHRB7_O7nhi14_m87ql01WIVGfuQBcmsuSznlykYcBd5Lg/s2000/nintendo_eleconga_manual_restored_04.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1420" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIR4JZp8fauOKj-0ydUH3ly6fzxIEiARVJ2E6Bpf5uIaZ3W4BOc44-WbVKErk2IN4yRCQZFfZsXqiEmNsffFBhf15GPzoZeCoDulNDUVmXnwSwSsjxPWe9-h4StuG2orBW260LT7iwS6VzCHRB7_O7nhi14_m87ql01WIVGfuQBcmsuSznlykYcBd5Lg/s400/nintendo_eleconga_manual_restored_04.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo <i>Ele-conga</i> (1972) manual back</td></tr></tbody></table><br />
<p>If you would like to learn more about this wonderful Nintendo item, check out <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/03/nintendo-ele-conga-and-autoplayer-1972.html" target="_blank">this previous blog post</a>.</p>
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<p>For more information about <i>Forgotten Futures</i>, go to <a href="https://forgottenfuturesmusic.org/">forgottenfuturesmusic.org</a>.</p>
Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-69623844748682036952022-10-30T00:03:00.003+02:002022-10-30T00:11:14.794+02:00Building the N&B Block Garden House<p>In this post we will take a look at the building of a <i>Nintendo N&B Block</i> (任天堂ブロック) set.</p><p>If you don't know what <i>N&B Block</i> is, check out <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/10/nintendo-n-block-introduction-1968-71.html" target="_blank">this introduction</a>.</p>
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<p>The set we are putting together is called "Garden House" (ガーデンハウス). This was one of the smaller <i>N&B Block</i> sets.</p><p>It dates from 1968 and has model number NB 980-G. This model number also identifies the list price at the time: 980 yen. This translates to around 3,500 yen in today's money.</p>
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<p>When I found this particular set, it was so-called "new old stock"; the blocks were still shrink-wrapped. </p><p>Today these blocks will be liberated from underneath the plastic film, after almost fifty-five years of waiting.</p>
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<p>A single folded sheet with assembly instructions (組み立て方説明書) is included. It is printed one-sided, in colour.</p>
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<p>When unfolded, the instructions measure around 38 by 54 centimeters.</p>
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<p>The text in the top right corner states:</p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;"><p><i>Assemble in order, while looking at the completed drawing.</i></p><p><i>Various other things can be assembled with these parts. Let's assemble your own things.</i></p><p><i>There are many other sets in the Nintendo (N&B) block [range].</i></p></blockquote>
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<p>A table is provided that lists all included parts, with their colour (red, white, blue, yellow or green) and part count.</p>
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<p>The total number of parts for this set is 179.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7V9UMYc-sWQcnVuWEnZrPi_HdlMFnKqmiUlqzE-0LbxH9dEcLjlpdynnEdiaKn-DShcQoebjltl1qU7mc_aGlsMLX_iEvp6CaNufzQ5-AbxVhkr9X87YzZ74S-l7mru8yJl-56YQNMJNeNbR7h1t7rDvK9Cov85SEQvbYHqAXWKy7hkmmZgE-MbvxzA/s2000/nintendo_n&b_block_garden_house_instructions_08.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7V9UMYc-sWQcnVuWEnZrPi_HdlMFnKqmiUlqzE-0LbxH9dEcLjlpdynnEdiaKn-DShcQoebjltl1qU7mc_aGlsMLX_iEvp6CaNufzQ5-AbxVhkr9X87YzZ74S-l7mru8yJl-56YQNMJNeNbR7h1t7rDvK9Cov85SEQvbYHqAXWKy7hkmmZgE-MbvxzA/s400/nintendo_n&b_block_garden_house_instructions_08.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<p>Nintendo must have had a good quality control back then (like they do now), as all listed parts are present. There are no spare parts.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/10/building-n-block-garden-house.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-17915581783511606412022-10-27T19:57:00.002+02:002022-10-27T19:57:18.993+02:00Nintendo's Before Mario Party<p>Well over thirty years before the first <i>Nintendo 64 Mario Party</i> saw the light of day, Nintendo was already selling games to create fun and excitement at parties.</p><p>One of such games was the well-known <i>Twister</i>, to which Nintendo obtained the Japanese distribution rights from US company Milton Bradley in 1966.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlmMcFbSS-inM3XKUaiZZDdEtj94kBh059v60qbmkUHphMTwoEhe2qsbX6zhLmNL_X4l6xEkOj-Iv2aeqEOWRFu6Kj1WTlcUhyNyB4UKSmoYhvySl8dsO8mNDfVNOF6e_Xs1ZMdsb47CzO84Ix7SXOS9oYTqs0ZVlOE-9gRDyqNZ_cnfzq1l9Kg-M0w/s2000/nintendo_twister_in_mensclub_01.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnlmMcFbSS-inM3XKUaiZZDdEtj94kBh059v60qbmkUHphMTwoEhe2qsbX6zhLmNL_X4l6xEkOj-Iv2aeqEOWRFu6Kj1WTlcUhyNyB4UKSmoYhvySl8dsO8mNDfVNOF6e_Xs1ZMdsb47CzO84Ix7SXOS9oYTqs0ZVlOE-9gRDyqNZ_cnfzq1l9Kg-M0w/s400/nintendo_twister_in_mensclub_01.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo's first <i>Twister</i> version (1966)</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>The first version released by Nintendo (called ツイスターゲーム or "Twister Game" in Japanese) was a straight localization of the original American game, retaining most of the original box art, including the Western looking folks on the front.</p>
<p>In the years that followed, Nintendo released two more versions of <i>Twister</i>, until they lost (or gave up) the license sometime in the mid 1970s.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWlxYhZggi86VXHSDMPD-EZ-gEzXLVCzVvHi-13MgBvqRSEWkzHDJqWUR-Ma6K_dQO62e6s8xMV7jFa1mTvT3afHwjDauPxouYelw7wrON4HZ1zF6yrINOKR1ElVcVPNVEZCApdWaFwfizJBKy2f4v0I5nn0fZ7MGyfGt5N9rC14decja8uwBR_rY3Q/s2000/nintendo_twister_in_mensclub_02.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVWlxYhZggi86VXHSDMPD-EZ-gEzXLVCzVvHi-13MgBvqRSEWkzHDJqWUR-Ma6K_dQO62e6s8xMV7jFa1mTvT3afHwjDauPxouYelw7wrON4HZ1zF6yrINOKR1ElVcVPNVEZCApdWaFwfizJBKy2f4v0I5nn0fZ7MGyfGt5N9rC14decja8uwBR_rY3Q/s400/nintendo_twister_in_mensclub_02.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All three Nintendo <i>Twister</i> versions</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>In today's post, we will take a closer look at the second version.</p><p>The game attributes (play mat and board with spinner) of this version are identical to the first release, however the box art and box dimensions have been changed, as well as the manual.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Q7w-eet-_HVcILIoPO9vY59jMZP8MSamzQjfOjIto82KF7Mgytni58HhPvwhPggJAimC9QFm7OwHPMB5OOi6p5ZT1rSb3p4PnJIbfjkeIWsPSj-WlMVddgz6Fl0jKdzS_sAuvV_K01NX4_l9gTw93WgNAQiDDxvwFofMQb8WMaz3aZi8OOWlfVLV8A/s2000/nintendo_twister_in_mensclub_03.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1122" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Q7w-eet-_HVcILIoPO9vY59jMZP8MSamzQjfOjIto82KF7Mgytni58HhPvwhPggJAimC9QFm7OwHPMB5OOi6p5ZT1rSb3p4PnJIbfjkeIWsPSj-WlMVddgz6Fl0jKdzS_sAuvV_K01NX4_l9gTw93WgNAQiDDxvwFofMQb8WMaz3aZi8OOWlfVLV8A/s400/nintendo_twister_in_mensclub_03.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo's second version of <i>Twister</i> (1967)</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>The front of the box now shows a Japanese group of people playing the game, signalling that this is a game that works in a Japanese setting.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvu6tl5E0bu29U7DsbrRe3U0M9PXe8iHNQzIwt0fjTEKV8KNG7XPtJqFgNsi9atvbZdhSiQ8co9CefQG10baloI_cEkqveUdGaJC9pdcb1lr6Hb3ZQ3rWc6JuoCXFBma45Q9va08pkWdsbJUcg-fp2tE7IBVuBXSheRhRED4sbLLWOuFR1Op4XMPMQg/s2000/nintendo_twister_in_mensclub_03a.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1683" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVvu6tl5E0bu29U7DsbrRe3U0M9PXe8iHNQzIwt0fjTEKV8KNG7XPtJqFgNsi9atvbZdhSiQ8co9CefQG10baloI_cEkqveUdGaJC9pdcb1lr6Hb3ZQ3rWc6JuoCXFBma45Q9va08pkWdsbJUcg-fp2tE7IBVuBXSheRhRED4sbLLWOuFR1Op4XMPMQg/s400/nintendo_twister_in_mensclub_03a.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<p>The American origin of the game is still reflected in the two faces included on the left side of the front.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkV6sMLaTLUonwc02HuGXGHF1BsCwKIuSkpNkw6e0SYvsNVFkQd5584jr-NZwBtU0KJjwMRLGDl8fxoUmh7W9JccrBdck63FTD3KD01NVmzB23naIOsooH-eSue_pakTWgPDp36NhbPZZ92R5nCekKVhxLwQVHS-sYIwdrmv4AURtTpWHuI8UsOcWnA/s2000/nintendo_twister_in_mensclub_03b.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZkV6sMLaTLUonwc02HuGXGHF1BsCwKIuSkpNkw6e0SYvsNVFkQd5584jr-NZwBtU0KJjwMRLGDl8fxoUmh7W9JccrBdck63FTD3KD01NVmzB23naIOsooH-eSue_pakTWgPDp36NhbPZZ92R5nCekKVhxLwQVHS-sYIwdrmv4AURtTpWHuI8UsOcWnA/s400/nintendo_twister_in_mensclub_03b.jpg"></a></div>
<p>Although the pictures on the front portray the fun party purpose of the game, a second message is also relayed: exercise is good for you.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/10/nintendos-before-mario-party.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-30708030721626562282022-10-21T17:13:00.000+02:002022-10-21T17:13:43.521+02:00Former Nintendo HQ in Architecture book (1996)<p>The book presented below is called "Kyoto Photo Gallery" (京都写眞館), from the series "Modern masterpieces" (近代名建築). The author / photographer is Akihiro Fukushima (福島明博), and it was published in 1996 by the Japan Newspaper Publishing Center (日本機関紙出版センター).</p><p>Over a hundred buildings are featured in the book, and we show it on this blog because one of those buildings is the former head office of Nintendo.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBThRknJVUyOaofWSBQfcIF4O4RInfllY0I5x8M7sVzlkMpHdjsMNh0_I3SuC30AnFSGrQCLL92y_Yft8vxJlvvszFnePUtCXYDNma7ueyN7dn89L0GMPxzOInqrw_9O_YEH84KynZMHxGv3ce2X67USK9wNjSXpLm8_oh2dkZ_Yv5nCjb3XCrVkmGw/s2000/Modern_masterpieces_Kyoto_Photo_Gallery_0.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1725" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBThRknJVUyOaofWSBQfcIF4O4RInfllY0I5x8M7sVzlkMpHdjsMNh0_I3SuC30AnFSGrQCLL92y_Yft8vxJlvvszFnePUtCXYDNma7ueyN7dn89L0GMPxzOInqrw_9O_YEH84KynZMHxGv3ce2X67USK9wNjSXpLm8_oh2dkZ_Yv5nCjb3XCrVkmGw/s400/Modern_masterpieces_Kyoto_Photo_Gallery_0.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>In the book, some basic information is provided for each building, and a brief description.</p><p>The former Nintendo head office was built in 1933 by the Osaka Hashimoto group (大阪橋本 組).</p><p>It is a "three-story reinforced concrete structure" that is "a nice building located on a main street, a little west of Kamogawa. It has an Art Deco style combining straight lines and roundness, but it omits detailed decorations."</p><p>The author contacted Nintendo to find out who the architect was. "Mr. A of the General Affairs Division informed me [...] the next day." Unfortunately, the answer was "I still don't know the name. Some people said they were architects who lived around Nanzenji."</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4WCLTnify0S1nPmEekl8Tl-XnUQp8R3UlKuJVQp3gxlsWvcCTjLDOP4QebmWaPzY9lwADSMWzjXQ5CNdFBhmUIT0o6zWLoLRepNL8eSHvbirzEHjZI3asYV8etrJ7Q44gOCK2nh9Tz1m8OB9VO29oaHPNfQFDuR_SiKH0DpG6fQIT9MJ0Psb7tWyGA/s4810/Modern_masterpieces_Kyoto_Photo_Gallery_180.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="4810" data-original-width="3486" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4WCLTnify0S1nPmEekl8Tl-XnUQp8R3UlKuJVQp3gxlsWvcCTjLDOP4QebmWaPzY9lwADSMWzjXQ5CNdFBhmUIT0o6zWLoLRepNL8eSHvbirzEHjZI3asYV8etrJ7Q44gOCK2nh9Tz1m8OB9VO29oaHPNfQFDuR_SiKH0DpG6fQIT9MJ0Psb7tWyGA/s400/Modern_masterpieces_Kyoto_Photo_Gallery_180.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>A single full page photo of the front view of the building is included. You can see a glimmer of the original wooden structure on left.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlW2lqpeamcbMe79yirgHKmj7_95PxtkFMOQOe7CeLtO5Od8OcmRX68mNRPskrAHGW1Z96iMmklmim3KUfQub7jim3-hphpVCoyC7UdI4pgYYAqzovT1y3PEe0VI1Th3riASST-CM6Eifz8QrVYjPhXQHrKyKZGyqd92Gj2x0jFSaPVrS2aUzxIXkjw/s2000/Modern_masterpieces_Kyoto_Photo_Gallery_181.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1403" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYlW2lqpeamcbMe79yirgHKmj7_95PxtkFMOQOe7CeLtO5Od8OcmRX68mNRPskrAHGW1Z96iMmklmim3KUfQub7jim3-hphpVCoyC7UdI4pgYYAqzovT1y3PEe0VI1Th3riASST-CM6Eifz8QrVYjPhXQHrKyKZGyqd92Gj2x0jFSaPVrS2aUzxIXkjw/s400/Modern_masterpieces_Kyoto_Photo_Gallery_181.jpg" /></a></div>
<p>As you may have heard, the building was recently renovated and repurposed as a hotel. More on that <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/07/former-nintendo-hq-opens-as-marufukuro.html">here</a>.</p>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-65098343634428065992022-10-14T19:39:00.002+02:002022-10-14T20:11:24.060+02:00Nintendo Australian Copilas operation manual<p>In a previous post, I showed the <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/10/nintendo-copilas-localized-for-australia.html" target="_blank">Australian version of the Nintendo Copilas</a>.</p>
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<p>For completeness sake, a full scan of the operation manual is provided here.</p>
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<p>As part of the localization for the Australian market, the document was fully translated into English.</p>
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<p>Like the rest of the localization, it has been professionally done.</p>
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<p>Besides the English language, the manual is identical to the original Japanse version.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/10/nintendo-australian-copilas-operation.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-7248291983963226302022-10-02T18:26:00.004+02:002022-10-14T19:45:59.122+02:00Nintendo Copilas localized for Australia<p>The <i>Copilas</i> (コピラス) was an affordable photo copier, introduced by Nintendo in 1971. In the early 1970s, Nintendo released multiple products outside their core toys and games market, and the <i>Copilas</i> was one of these. Others included the Nintendo<i> <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/09/nintendo-candy-machine-1970.html" target="_blank">Candy Machine</a></i>, <i><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2015/09/nintendo-unirack-1972.html" target="_blank">Uni Rack</a></i>, <i><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2012/01/nintendo-twins-1971.html" target="_blank">Twins</a></i> and <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2012/05/nintendo-mamaberica-1970.html" style="font-style: italic;" target="_blank">Mamaberica</a>.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuKbmZtUym8WfTe058rbyLkYB6J2uAc74g0wn-xVtljrf66xyDPKGEge4Ov0jLpECOjwp8uXj7zcnKG5HQqOIttoNUieTBekzus53WZXKv5pmvxe-wsDLyAt5uEJPSFrh9Qklkbj2kNZqiq_cZ2s818y0Gov7Bwcd-0PoULmWMklKm8AM-86VrZMW8w/s2000/nintendo_copilas_australia_00.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1295" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYuKbmZtUym8WfTe058rbyLkYB6J2uAc74g0wn-xVtljrf66xyDPKGEge4Ov0jLpECOjwp8uXj7zcnKG5HQqOIttoNUieTBekzus53WZXKv5pmvxe-wsDLyAt5uEJPSFrh9Qklkbj2kNZqiq_cZ2s818y0Gov7Bwcd-0PoULmWMklKm8AM-86VrZMW8w/s400/nintendo_copilas_australia_00.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Japanse version of the Nintendo <i>Copilas</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>It was believed that these products were all limited to Nintendo's Japanese home market. The only known version of <i>Copilas</i> was the one sold in Japan. This version is described in detail <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2012/11/nintendo-copylas-1971.html" target="_blank">in this post</a>.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIDabUexkPJcnidwNPsZKlDl56iGLqDr8vEtHLkE3z4Q2boFUlmdbggY5zaPwUCv1lmjceP-j6bbJx-Ws1ZDknRyn7584_vEJqsy5zsqfdfmDrqlRVHYp3mofTEz9YvLTgYlpBRENbTb8-wRTVwwDgjYE9RTPOPFZyyMdox99V7UbBk1XiEmqdo_LEg/s2000/nintendo_copilas_australia_01.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIDabUexkPJcnidwNPsZKlDl56iGLqDr8vEtHLkE3z4Q2boFUlmdbggY5zaPwUCv1lmjceP-j6bbJx-Ws1ZDknRyn7584_vEJqsy5zsqfdfmDrqlRVHYp3mofTEz9YvLTgYlpBRENbTb8-wRTVwwDgjYE9RTPOPFZyyMdox99V7UbBk1XiEmqdo_LEg/s400/nintendo_copilas_australia_01.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nintendo <i>Copilas</i> localized for the Australian market</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>I say "was believed", as recently the version shown here popped up, seemingly out of nowhere. It is a version that has been fully localized for the Australian market.</p>
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<p>On this version, all Japanse text has been replaced by English translations. The company name used is also the international version: "Nintendo Co., Ltd.".</p>
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<p>The box shows that the machine is made to work with 240 volt current and 50 cycles, the Australian standard, as opposed to the 100 volt which is used in Japan. The voltage / cycle indication is stamped on the box, rather than printed, allowing other configurations to use the same box.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/10/nintendo-copilas-localized-for-australia.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-46334030290432798992022-09-10T10:32:00.009+02:002023-04-08T17:24:22.055+02:00Nintendo's oldest playing cards? Marufuku No. 1<p>Nintendo was founded in Kyoto back in 1889. This means that the oldest items the company produced are now well over a century old.</p>
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<p>One of the oldest items in my collection, possibly <i>the</i> oldest, are these pieces of paper.</p>
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<p>They are the remains of a box of one of the earliest sets Western style playing cards manufactured by Nintendo, from the early 1900s.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxlAiEb2emCPRAUdSydfeJX3gii4jz-IzueXQOTgpFB_bU5ctbP3XW5GErVpUTnBFIyRCJxzboBKt8tF7IoPBbOT85ThIaIHFaKeIcpdklCjw_viOoEtK1WQNFZPEA4YhZN14WEJJ2aG5B_1Ck6RIV65458VwF4zqLl6ItCCg8PB7FyOErveLVwzD2w/s2000/Marufuku_no_1_03.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1812" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxlAiEb2emCPRAUdSydfeJX3gii4jz-IzueXQOTgpFB_bU5ctbP3XW5GErVpUTnBFIyRCJxzboBKt8tF7IoPBbOT85ThIaIHFaKeIcpdklCjw_viOoEtK1WQNFZPEA4YhZN14WEJJ2aG5B_1Ck6RIV65458VwF4zqLl6ItCCg8PB7FyOErveLVwzD2w/s400/Marufuku_no_1_03.jpg"></a></div>
<p>Five of the original six sides of the box remain. The top side, that functions as a closing lid, unfortunately is missing.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/09/nintendos-oldest-playing-cards-marufuku.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-36040748172335631602022-08-29T17:40:00.003+02:002022-08-29T17:40:48.663+02:00Nintendo Lefty RX English promotional leaflet<p>A few weeks ago, when scanning Yahoo Auctions Japan for vintage Nintendo toys, my eyes spotted a <i><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/12/nintendo-lefty-rx-gt-sport-and-proto.html" target="_blank">Lefty RX G.T. Sport</a></i> set. The set was in decent condition, but nothing I did not already have in this collection. Or so I thought, on first glance.</p><p>I have always had a soft spot for these 1972 toy racing cars. Nintendo turned their obvious disadvantage (it cannot steer to the right), into a unique selling point. So I pay extra attention when an auction of one of these scrolls by, and gave it a second look.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQwhDUe1DzUp1dIB0GwQDYmw6b3xWq2nwDEezU2JPsvEvyuVRlA_y28oXSE8GnuCW41Nhpu9zrF80lM-H9BmPUX4-Vr1mpcH1m42XAu5AC_yv5V6TGARXnXzbqfPN2uobMXzRYeg3Kyrz_oJ4bs9_ifvJNsr0DuD4cF70w1357AFVOeD-wjnB1UsOGg/s2000/nintendo_left_rx_english_manual_01.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQwhDUe1DzUp1dIB0GwQDYmw6b3xWq2nwDEezU2JPsvEvyuVRlA_y28oXSE8GnuCW41Nhpu9zrF80lM-H9BmPUX4-Vr1mpcH1m42XAu5AC_yv5V6TGARXnXzbqfPN2uobMXzRYeg3Kyrz_oJ4bs9_ifvJNsr0DuD4cF70w1357AFVOeD-wjnB1UsOGg/s400/nintendo_left_rx_english_manual_01.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<p>Something looked off and unfamiliar.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfxGN-Ao7i5mokIH4T6kAufLB_fSsRBLx0NxKrladd1U0FaMzXdPb4DPurBlFU2sJ8OE0Xo0M-DTzX-GM5MN9xl2tZx5rihKrYBRJPoGoOYvDsie5cLlKfJCbG4qz_G08fNRoC6WJAqlakOzYHXSa1WL10dF_d5GnnxoVlQD-Lsilg5m7ZvRrIAKlRQ/s2000/nintendo_left_rx_english_manual_02.JPG" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfxGN-Ao7i5mokIH4T6kAufLB_fSsRBLx0NxKrladd1U0FaMzXdPb4DPurBlFU2sJ8OE0Xo0M-DTzX-GM5MN9xl2tZx5rihKrYBRJPoGoOYvDsie5cLlKfJCbG4qz_G08fNRoC6WJAqlakOzYHXSa1WL10dF_d5GnnxoVlQD-Lsilg5m7ZvRrIAKlRQ/s400/nintendo_left_rx_english_manual_02.JPG" width="400"></a></div>
<p>I quickly realised that included in the box, besides the standard black and white manual, was a leaflet I had not seen before. Enough reason to bid. Luckily I won the item for a reasonable amount.</p>
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<p>When the package arrived at my place a few weeks later, and I opened the box, I was glad I had acquired it.</p><p>The document turned out to be a full-colour promotional leaflet, in English. A document I had never seen before.</p>
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<p>Around this time (late 1960s to early 1970s), Nintendo was trying to expand their market abroad, mostly through foreign distributors. English language versions have been found for many of their products from this era, including the <i><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/03/nintendo-ultra-hand-1966.html" target="_blank">Ultra Hand</a></i>, <i><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/02/nintendo-love-tester-1969.html" target="_blank">Love Tester</a></i>, <i><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/08/nintendo-challenge-dice-1969.html" target="_blank">Challenge Dice</a></i>, <i><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/04/nintendo-slugger-mate-1967.html" target="_blank">Ultra Machine</a></i> and <i><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2011/06/nintendo-automatic-ultra-scope-ultra.html" target="_blank">Ultra Scope</a></i>. However, this was the first time I saw that a similar attempt was made for <i>Lefty RX </i>as well.</p><br><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/08/nintendo-lefty-rx-english-promotional.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-43226380113760810842022-08-22T23:55:00.008+02:002023-05-07T12:46:55.545+02:00Nintendo Kyoto Souvenir Playing Cards (1950s)<p>This is a story about a beautiful set of vintage Nintendo playing cards, and dealing with a certain amount of disappointment.</p>
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<p>In a <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/06/nintendo-report-from-1950s.html" target="_blank">previous post</a>, I shared a document from the 1950s, called the <i>Nintendo Playing Cards Report</i>.</p>
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<p>This <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/06/nintendo-report-from-1950s.html" target="_blank">document</a> is both a company introduction and a product catalogue. It provides a comprehensive overview of all products offered by the company at the time; (mostly) playing cards, as the title suggests.</p>
<p>Of all the card sets shown in this document, one set in particular caught my attention: the <i>Kyoto Souvenir Playing Cards</i> (スーベニヤトランプ). This includes a photo of some aspect of Kyoto on each card, so over fifty different photos in total.</p>
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<p>This set of cards intrigued me for a number of reasons.</p><p>Firstly, the cards look beautiful. Within Nintendo's product portfolio, these are some of the earliest examples of themed cards, that offer more than the standard card suits with a colourful back design. [Another early example are these Nintendo <i><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/06/nintendo-takarazuka-playing-cards-from.html" target="_blank">Takarazuka</a></i> cards.]</p>
<p>Also, there is a strong link between Nintendo and the subject of Kyoto, as it is the company's hometown.</p>
<p>Furthermore, these cards provide a view of how Kyoto, and by extension Japan, presented itself to tourists at that time. They offer a window to that past, when tourism was still largely a domestic affair. Foreign visitors came to Japan only in small numbers, and most non-Japanese tourists in Japan consisted of US troops stationed in Japan following the occupation after Japan's defeat at the end of World War 2.</p>
<p>From the 1950s, the Japanese government did promote tourism to foreign nationals, as it brought in much needed foreign currency, and these cards fit that promotional effort.</p>
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<p>Very recently, I managed to find two copies of this set. The first I ever saw, after more than twenty years of searching for vintage Nintendo items. Also the first to appear in collector circles. As you can image, this discovery made me very happy.</p><p>Even more fantastic (or so I thought initially), was the fact that they are unused, old stock. [Later it became clear that I celebrated too early, more on that at the end of this post.]</p><p>The boxes are in relatively good condition, although they are somewhat dusty. Not surprising really, given their age of around seventy years!</p>
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<p>The front and back of the box contain nice drawings of scenes from Kyoto, as well a diamonds and clubs symbols.</p><a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/08/nintendo-kyoto-souvenir-playing-cards.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3119049188372887649.post-65484858044669829472022-07-31T17:16:00.006+02:002022-08-23T09:35:49.879+02:00Former Nintendo HQ opens as Marufukuro hotel (and beforemario is present, in book form)<p>A few months ago, on April 1st 2022 to be exact, the former headquarters of Nintendo at Shomen-Dori in Kyoto opened as the <i>Marufukuro Hotel</i>, after extensive restoration and remodelling.</p><p>Recently, there was a nice surprise for me personally, which I will keep for the end of this post. </p><p>This building has played an important part in Nintendo's history. Although it wasn't the first building occupied by Nintendo, it is located on the spot where the company started, and served as headquarters for around a quarter of a century; from the moment it was erected in 1933 to the late 1950s. It also was the home for the Yamauchi family during this period.</p><p>The building was modern for its time, well designed and crafty built, with many nice details; signalling a company on the rise. It was commissioned by Sekiryo Yamauchi, Nintendo's second president. Hiroshi Yamauchi, Sekiryo's very successful successor and third president, also conduced his business from here during the first ten years of his reign.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3Uo5GCatK2cI5AQraLzWN45aMPma3CG5zjfLaFxuE1p1BRVk0h_7lvIqTovINreWeiF4tq-3hBrDb5hzydRBsyqtIuETt6iXl2DfaimlD3ojrsQKdwvb_V64oEB9-GaxOWitjobwA29cJLVyQjOrOzoftqzAAPEIi3DVXEX2AXmqXqk6RSJ_4Z2oFw/s2000/marufukuro_hotel_opens_01.jpg" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1476" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3Uo5GCatK2cI5AQraLzWN45aMPma3CG5zjfLaFxuE1p1BRVk0h_7lvIqTovINreWeiF4tq-3hBrDb5hzydRBsyqtIuETt6iXl2DfaimlD3ojrsQKdwvb_V64oEB9-GaxOWitjobwA29cJLVyQjOrOzoftqzAAPEIi3DVXEX2AXmqXqk6RSJ_4Z2oFw/s400/marufukuro_hotel_opens_01.jpg" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Marufukuro Hotel in 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>After Nintendo's center of power moved to newer offices in other areas of Kyoto, and the building was no longer used in any form in the company's daily operation, it was kept more or less in the state from its period of prominence.</p><p>During the last twenty years or so, it become a spot to visit, a place of pilgrimage of sorts, for Nintendo enthusiasts from across the world.</p><p>Back in 2015 I took a picture there with my just released <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2014/11/before-mario-shows-birth-of-modern-day.html" target="_blank"><i>Before Mario</i> book</a>, in front of the door that remained largely closed for decades. [More on that visit <a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2015/05/nintendos-birthplace-in-kyoto.html" target="_blank">here</a>.]</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OXI3Og9YVYqt7wkLbp8ecFvo0suySGANOhnPJqRV26o3CEB9Xwa0KjIZi7fVhaP6lh4Ka8U0iPHHvJqIg0I1-ILB9DFONsOcy0yYuId51oNPWAGG3Hpt1gGVcH3RuZmHmRJT7Y5IBSOfFqmZO5DnmCvVUlRmaErgo1XDdkXy5H_eIamXGixG3y3DnA/s2000/marufukuro_hotel_opens_02.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8OXI3Og9YVYqt7wkLbp8ecFvo0suySGANOhnPJqRV26o3CEB9Xwa0KjIZi7fVhaP6lh4Ka8U0iPHHvJqIg0I1-ILB9DFONsOcy0yYuId51oNPWAGG3Hpt1gGVcH3RuZmHmRJT7Y5IBSOfFqmZO5DnmCvVUlRmaErgo1XDdkXy5H_eIamXGixG3y3DnA/s400/marufukuro_hotel_opens_02.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the former Nintendo HQ in 2015</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>When comparing the current 2022 version of the building with its former state, a few things stand out.</p>
<p>Two large circular 'Marufuku' logos have been placed on the top of the front and side facade. Although they look like they have been there from the start, they are new additions. A clock was added above the front door, and sun screens above the windows.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWPLSijpZr-q9P6Y6XNl_GvU40v8YCEa5azvwdGqPzZfXRP4b4sVLPrL6fA6BOq3BUTfGN9XpA-GzFnPuoEOBoDZoOMWi-1hrYpav5BjU34_lmv1OvMrD31Uh_B_99hJifDP-_Qcd9jYlbMrTUzhgvhHpBJFs3LGmRYF8J7xXnnGz9N-4z63TlqXUoA/s2000/marufukuro_hotel_opens_03.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWPLSijpZr-q9P6Y6XNl_GvU40v8YCEa5azvwdGqPzZfXRP4b4sVLPrL6fA6BOq3BUTfGN9XpA-GzFnPuoEOBoDZoOMWi-1hrYpav5BjU34_lmv1OvMrD31Uh_B_99hJifDP-_Qcd9jYlbMrTUzhgvhHpBJFs3LGmRYF8J7xXnnGz9N-4z63TlqXUoA/s400/marufukuro_hotel_opens_03.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the former Nintendo HQ in 2015</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>The middle section has been build more high up. Originally this only contained some smaller, single-story rooms and a court yard.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7QEn-L8eL10I53kqCjr7Fs7m6RAvOf0bohq877ajOM0s3z0t41-pIV7o-q0qx-Qrg5UkT3A0hcY5rQ0EstwKrIR2OqHN6b4hGoMqZ2uySbl4fJQlP4lke0RNoUszEXwaRIe6QPT5CExQDn_QfSvNEKzkK4sVwNlhyGgBXgayFm78AmvBdehd_i_TdA/s2000/marufukuro_hotel_opens_04.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7QEn-L8eL10I53kqCjr7Fs7m6RAvOf0bohq877ajOM0s3z0t41-pIV7o-q0qx-Qrg5UkT3A0hcY5rQ0EstwKrIR2OqHN6b4hGoMqZ2uySbl4fJQlP4lke0RNoUszEXwaRIe6QPT5CExQDn_QfSvNEKzkK4sVwNlhyGgBXgayFm78AmvBdehd_i_TdA/s400/marufukuro_hotel_opens_04.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the former Nintendo HQ in 2015</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>Most prominently, a whole section was added to the left of the building. Originally housing a wooden structure from the early days of the company, this had remained a vacant lot since that structure was torn down around 2004.</p><br>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY617RUSwpoIgycn0Hd5NH3Ym4VgWpeJS0WIwdsxt6cXj2eZtMw2OEmbEas8VL0KNKsW4gd6WDD1v4nh9T8va0DUIUlom-awLNDEK8zkg2Pn81XX0XALfLfhg_-jMTibThj-ZAFtmPcbNeADBDnSn88Xfv3TKyu1Ay4Lv7hW4qCupuuObE682VWwz9cw/s2000/marufukuro_hotel_opens_05.JPG" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY617RUSwpoIgycn0Hd5NH3Ym4VgWpeJS0WIwdsxt6cXj2eZtMw2OEmbEas8VL0KNKsW4gd6WDD1v4nh9T8va0DUIUlom-awLNDEK8zkg2Pn81XX0XALfLfhg_-jMTibThj-ZAFtmPcbNeADBDnSn88Xfv3TKyu1Ay4Lv7hW4qCupuuObE682VWwz9cw/s400/marufukuro_hotel_opens_05.JPG" width="400"></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At the former Nintendo HQ in 2015, the missing original building</td></tr></tbody></table><br>
<p>Fast forward to 2022, where we find the building looking splendid. The old exterior has been cleaned and the building is extended with tastefully designed additions.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLHBDgK2az_QLy88oUC0ZqCl0P8N8lq7aGmbPzRGT0UsHmJUM0Z_F6R6Ia0osC2kr8Me0QzxbEXNSZqbRe2JoHOq22gzUgShCzsOSPX0OkcJN1jLvDZftQ-EKu2nOKB5_w-Jszg-CeE-lSyH5PXg_C0PaHeXtvG5e19vOv4YwRJRNNL7xLo0mdfKCHw/s2000/marufukuro_hotel_opens_06.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1367" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipLHBDgK2az_QLy88oUC0ZqCl0P8N8lq7aGmbPzRGT0UsHmJUM0Z_F6R6Ia0osC2kr8Me0QzxbEXNSZqbRe2JoHOq22gzUgShCzsOSPX0OkcJN1jLvDZftQ-EKu2nOKB5_w-Jszg-CeE-lSyH5PXg_C0PaHeXtvG5e19vOv4YwRJRNNL7xLo0mdfKCHw/s400/marufukuro_hotel_opens_06.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<p>The biggest change, of course, is that the front door is now open. At least, open to all who book a room for the night.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6_2bKi1MqMBhWtBbpsPHgQ7r1q4_fBZgaOZGtREUNZrh5T6RSQhch5uM-C-c2dj7qFY9rPDaSYSc__qhrrR8Xmmqj6Bd72p4DkHo66A4ACNGjIx1vhfzeu6lT8yrxRrHghHs5796Sp3oHFV1W84K3i50RyZlrnOTDP3-7Gq9-mzpxSpztdJw3dV1dQ/s2000/marufukuro_hotel_opens_07.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH6_2bKi1MqMBhWtBbpsPHgQ7r1q4_fBZgaOZGtREUNZrh5T6RSQhch5uM-C-c2dj7qFY9rPDaSYSc__qhrrR8Xmmqj6Bd72p4DkHo66A4ACNGjIx1vhfzeu6lT8yrxRrHghHs5796Sp3oHFV1W84K3i50RyZlrnOTDP3-7Gq9-mzpxSpztdJw3dV1dQ/s400/marufukuro_hotel_opens_07.jpg" width="400"></a></div>
<a href="http://blog.beforemario.com/2022/07/former-nintendo-hq-opens-as-marufukuro.html#more">Read more... »</a>Erik Voskuilhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08635926073385633313noreply@blogger.com0