During the holiday season, we’re republishing select articles from Nintendo Life writers and contributors as part of our Best of 2023 series. Enjoy!
There’s no shortage of fascinating Nintendo-related spots in Tokyo.
You can explore the shops for boxed Famicom games, sit down and eat a Kirby burger, or play Punch-Out!! in its original retro arcade cabinet. However, one attraction has been hidden from Nintendo fans for years. A cafe run by a former Nintendo employee where the world’s most famous game developers meet to eat and drink surrounded by priceless memorabilia that fans would give anything to own.
Once just a rumor among Japanese gaming fans, a haven for Nintendo hardcores called ’84’ is now open to the public. Often stylized as “84 hash”, but just pronounced “hashi”, it refers to the last level of the original Super Mario Bros. (eight-four) and the name of the owner, Toru Hashimoto.
While the cafe was reserved only for people from the gaming industry, Hashimoto recently opened it to tourists. Fans can reserve their spot on the 84tour, allowing them to step into a truly unique time capsule of Nintendo history.
From a members-only club to a tourist hotspot
Opened in 2015, 84 was originally a members-only cafe for those working in the games industry. It is not a place that a man would come across. Even now, you won’t be able to find him on any map, and those who know his address are sworn to secrecy. Hashimoto created 84tour, where tourists can visit, eat and chat in a cafe for 90 minutes. Bookings are required and the whole experience costs ¥9,999 (just under £60 / $75 USD).
Opening 84 to anyone risked a complete change in aura and atmosphere, but Hashimoto believes the change paid off. “I was a little worried, but I wanted people from all over the world to see it,” he tells us. “I had the idea to open it to the public, but because of COVID I had to wait three years.” The 84 has finally started accepting reservations for the public, allowing hundreds of overseas travelers to experience what it has to offer.
84 looks more like a living room than a cafe. Large sofas, photos of the owner with his former colleagues and small square footage are a far cry from many of Tokyo’s more modern restaurants. However, the cafe’s modest aesthetic is in stark contrast to its treasures. What stands out are the dozens of artworks and signatures from some of the most important people in the Japanese game industry and Nintendo veterans. A signed artwork of Link eating rice by Eiji Aonuma, handwritten notes by Koji Kondo, and a framed copy of Ocarina of Time signed by Shigeru Miyamoto are just some of the unique items on display at the cafe.
“Guests seem to be most interested in the Mario piece from Miyamoto,” Hashimoto said. It refers to the artwork of Mario sitting with a meal emblazoned with Miyamoto’s signature with “Super Mario 84” on top in colorful block letters.
Fans are immediately enthralled by the cafe’s collection of gaming history. “I was surprised how many guests were touched after entering the cafe. Some even ran out of breath,” days.
Not every signature is a Nintendo employee. Guests will find signed copies Ico, Shadow of the colossusand The last guardian Fumito Ueda, who is also from Hashimoto’s home prefecture of Hyogo. Signatures of Yuji Horii, Keiji Inafune and many from Game Freak including Junichi Masuda can also be detected. All include hand-drawn artwork you won’t find anywhere else. What about the owner’s signature? “I don’t think my signature would be allowed here,” Hashimoto joked.
Across from the seating and autograph area is a cabinet containing many other interesting oddities and rare items.
“I favorite is probably the Panasonic Q,” Hashimoto said, referring to the Japan-exclusive DVD/GameCube combo housed in a chrome case. “He’s so bright.” The rarest item? “Earthbound jacket or lighter,” Hashimoto said, referring to the Nintendo 64-branded lighter that was given away at E3. “After that, probably a Super Mario Bros. cart sticker.”
The cabinet does have an immaculately preserved sticker that has yet to be applied to the yellow Famicom case of the original Super Mario Bros. title. The display case also included dozens of rare figures and memorabilia collected over the years, including autographed Pokémon cards. Across from this treasure trove is a small shelf filled with photographs of Hashimoto with many of his collaborators over the years. Few can say they have photos with Miyamoto, Aonuma and Shigesato Itoi on the same shelf.
At the back of the cafe is a bar, including a giant TV showing retro game ads. Here you can also browse the catalog of some merchandise exclusive to the cafes, including a book with 84 stamps that resembles a Japanese passport. If you have to go to the toilet quickly, the bathroom hides dozens more luminous signatures. Likewise, not many can say their bathrooms have Zelda manga artist Akira Himekawa’s artwork emblazoned on their walls.
While the amazing items on display are the appeal of this cafe, perhaps the biggest advantage of 84tour is the ability to talk to the owner.
Toru Hashimoto, a vital part of Nintendo’s history
Toru Hashimoto, also known as “Chokan”, may be unknown to many Nintendo fans. It shouldn’t be, though, since Hashimoto contributed to some of Nintendo’s most iconic games of all time, including Yoshi’s Island, Pokémon Red and Green, EarthBound, and many more.
After joining Nintendo in 1984, he worked with Super Mario Club, Nintendo’s internal debugging team. Hashimoto has worked with many well-known developers within Nintendo and other companies. After leaving Nintendo, he became the president of SARUGAKUCHO, a company that focuses on debugging and balancing games. Here he worked on many non-Nintendo games including Culdcept for PlayStation.
With such a long tenure at Nintendo, Hashimoto has many memories. “Nintendo didn’t have a drinking culture,” he says. “However, I was very close to the people who worked with me. People like Tezuka and Kondo. Once a month we would usually go out together and have fun drinking.” Who has the biggest appetite at Nintendo? “I think it’s me.”
Tasked with describing some of his co-workers in one sentence, Hashimoto’s answers shed light on his relationship with his peers. Takashi Tezuka? “A close friend”. Eiji Aonuma? “Drinking friend.” Junichi Masuda? “Soulmate.” Shigeru Miyamoto? “I great elder.” Shigesato Itoi? “I owe him.”
Hashimoto also has many stories about favorite Nintendo titles. “The hardest game I worked on while at Super Mario Club was Kirby’s Block Ball. It is similar to pinball, so you have to be precise in aiming the ball and figuring out where it will hit. That part was particularly difficult.”
However, since Super Mario Club is credited with that name as a unique entity in most games, Hashimoto’s name doesn’t appear in the credits very often. “As long as Super Mario Club gets credit, I’m happy,” he says. However, you can find his name in the credits of several notable titles.
Bringing cultures together through games
Hashimoto hopes the coffee shop experience will help bring people together through their passion for video games.
“People talking about the games they love is a communication tool that can cross languages,” he says. “I hope that people will be able to share their love of games with each other through the tour.”
84 certainly has no shortage of conversation topics and conversation starters. There are dozens of fascinating gaming-related places in Tokyo alone, but 84 stands apart as a truly unique experience for the Nintendo faithful.
Many thanks to Chokan for hosting us. If you are in Tokyo (or will be), you can visit hash site to book your own 84tour.
