Inside 84, Tokyo’s secret Nintendo bar that needs your help
Owned by a former Nintendo developer, 84 hosts an incredible collection of items
In the heart of Tokyo’s Shibuya district lies one of the most interesting collections of rare and unique Nintendo items, but only a select number of people have ever visited it.
The ‘84’ bar (pronounced ‘hashi’) can be found high up in one of the area’s numerous multi-storey business blocks. Or rather, it can’t, because its address is top secret.
I know where it is, because I was there earlier this week – my group included a member, and as such we were allowed to accompany them – but I’m sworn to secrecy too.
Things are changing, however, because the bar’s owner is now giving those who aren’t part of its inner circle an opportunity to visit 84 and see its amazing collection of artwork and artefacts for themselves.
84 is owned by Toru Hashimoto, or Chokan as he’s more affectionately known. Chokan is a former Nintendo employee who joined the company in 1984 as the Famicom started to grow in popularity, and remained there through the Super Famicom era too.
After he left Nintendo, Chokan started his own company, Sarugakucho, which he says “helped with tuning and balancing, dealt with a lot of backend stuff in terms of level design, like a support studio.”
Chokan first opened 84 in February 2015, and for almost the entire time it’s been open it’s been a strictly members-only bar.
The reason for the 84 name may seem clear, but there are actually four different meanings behind it, Chokan tells me.
“The first reason is because I joined Nintendo in 1984,” he explains. “Another is because my name is Hashimoto, and in Japanese ‘ha shi’ is one way of saying ‘eight four’.
“Hashi is also the Japanese name for chopsticks, so it has that connection as well. And finally, the last level in Super Mario Bros is World 8-4.”
Chokan’s time as an employee at Nintendo and his subsequent time at Sarugakucho means he’s acquired many industry friends in the past four decades, and it’s the artwork of these friends, all created specifically for Chokan, which adorns the walls of 84.
It’s practically a who’s-who of Japanese gaming. An illustration of Mario eating dinner sits proudly in the middle of the main wall. It’s titled ‘Super Mario 84’ and says “celebration”, and was drawn and signed by Shigeru Miyamoto.
It’s joined on the wall by the likes of a signed musical score by Mario and Zelda composer Koji Kondo, a signed sketch of Lakitu by Super Mario Bros co-designer Takashi Tezuka, and a charming illustration of Link eating a bowl of rice, which is signed by Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma.
As you look around, even more names pop up. A sketch of Mega Man from Keiji Inafune. A drawing of Pikachu eating from an 84 bowl, signed by key members of the Game Freak team. Copies of Ico, Shadow of the Colossus and The Last Guardian, all signed by director Fumito Ueda.
I ask if there’s anyone missing who Chokan would like to see represented on the wall. As it turns out, because 84 is his personal collection, the artwork that’s there has a similarly personal connection.
“All the artworks you see on the wall are drawn and signed by personal friends of mine,” he explains.
“If there’s something that’s not on the wall – for example, I often get asked why there’s no Monster Hunter, why there’s no Final Fantasy – it’s just because I don’t have any friends who worked on those series,” he laughs. “So if I make friends with those guys, then they’ll appear on the walls.”
I wonder if, given that it feels like a bit of a video game Hall of Fame, there may be some developers out there who have ambitions to get their artwork on 84’s wall.
“Some of the artworks have supportive messages written on them, directed at me, saying things like ‘do your best’ and wishing me the best for the future,” Chokan tells me.
“But as far as the clientele of this place, many of whom are game developers themselves, they see this not as a support message aimed at me, but a support message aimed at them.
“They can take it as encouragement to try harder, and maybe one day they can have their own artwork on the wall.”
That’s just the artwork, though. Accompanying it are cabinets filled to bursting with memorabilia from Nintendo and other companies – some from Japan, some from all over the world, some relatively common, some extremely rare or one-of-a-kind.
This is where the Game & Watch rubs shoulders with with the DS Lite, where Kirby and Space Channel 5’s Ulala share a shelf together, where a pack of UK Nintendo stickers from the early 90s can be found next to one of the most valuable pieces in the collection, an unused Famicom cartridge label for the original Super Mario Bros.
The whole collection, from the Mother 2 bomber jacket above the door to the Nintendo-sponsored Fiorentina FC shirt hanging above the toilet (yes, really) is an absolute treat for those with a long-time passion for gaming, and yet so many people have been unaware of its existence because of the bar’s members-only status. Until recently, that is.
Following the pandemic, Chokan made the decision to finally open up 84 to tourists, but only under certain conditions.
It’s called the 84tour, and guests can book a 90-minute slot between 12pm and 3pm. After this time the bar becomes members-only again.
The cost is ¥9,999 yen (around $70) and includes a drink, some light snacks and an 84 ‘passport’ to mark their visit.
“The reason it was originally a members-only bar is because I’m shy”, Chokan laughs, “so I thought if I could just get my friends to come, that would be enough.
“But during the pandemic it was a very tough period, with very few people coming in, so I actually thought about closing the bar completely.
“Then I thought it would be worthwhile to let people from other countries have the opportunity to check this place out before it closed, so that’s when I came up with the idea of the 84tour.”
I ask Chokan if the money generated from the tour means he won’t have to close down 84 after all.
“We’re just about hanging on,” he tells me. “We have no plans to close at the moment, but we need more and more people to come.
“It’s a little bit of a tough balance because the address of the bar is kept secret, but we are actively promoting the fact it exists, so we’re trying to ride that line.”
The bar’s address will only be given after the reservation has been made, and guests must agree to not make the address public. They can post photos on social media, but they have to remove location tags first.
“If the address gets out there, I’ll deal with it, but we’ve gone nine years without the address being published anywhere,” he says.
It’s placing a lot of trust in strangers, but given the high price of entry it seems anyone willing to pay that much to visit does so with an inherent respect for what Chokan is offering, and therefore a willingness to keep the secret for him.
“Yes,” he agrees. “Everyone who comes in and participates in the 84tour is always like ‘don’t worry!’ If it really gets out there, we’ll just move,” he laughs.
During our time at 84, as much as I admire the exhibits on display, I have similar admiration for Chokan himself. His friendly nature and his willingness to not just sit behind the bar but actively engage with his visitors adds a warmth to the place that, as wonderful as the items on display are, can only be provided by a welcoming host.
Indeed, the bar’s Instagram account, which is full of photos of Chokan posing with 84tour customers and gives cheery information on who they are and where they came from, shows Chokan’s appreciation for his global visitors.
View this post on Instagram
As our evening draws to a close and our party prepares to leave, I ask Chokan about what he said earlier, that the bar was originally members-only because of his shyness. I ask if, by opening it up to tourists and meeting a wider range of people, it’s helped him overcome this.
“Nope,” he smiles. “The feeling of shyness hasn’t gone away, but I’ve managed to get to the point where I can switch on being able to have conversations with strangers more comfortably.”
Hopefully, if the 84tour continues to attract new visitors and they continue to keep the bar’s location a secret, it’s a switch he’ll get to turn on for a long time to come.
