Over the weekend, I got an email from NWR’s Aaron Kaluszka, who’s been incredible at finding all kinds of awesome Japan-related content for our crew to check out or translate, informing me that there was a Gunpei Yokoi exhibit being held in Harajuku. Interested at the prospect of learning something new about the father of the Game Boy, I took the opportunity to check it out.

The event was held at a small art gallery right off of Meiji Street, just a couple blocks from Harajuku Station. Before even walking in, you could hear the sweet sounds of various NES-era soundtracks welcoming you in. I recognized tunes from Metroid and Zelda right off the bat. Up front there was a table with various books related to Nintendo and Mr. Yokoi, and just beyond that was the young lady in charge of taking the 300-yen (three-dollar) entrance fee.The exhibit featured lots of interesting old toys and games that Mr. Yokoi had a hand in designing, along with cards featuring comments and explanations of each.

The first thing you see upon paying your entrance fee is this table, prominently featuring a Famicom along with R.O.B. and several Famicom carts. Visitors are free to try out all the classic games they had laid out. 

Along with R.O.B. and the Famicom, you'll notice that people were even welcome to try out a Virtual Boy, as well as another one of Mr.Yokoi's creations—the Wonderswan. The famed Nintendo Love Tester also sits by the television.

This is the Japanese instruction card for R.O.B.

This is a box for one of the Famicom games on loan to the exhibit: a mech fighting game. Apparently, in order to appeal to first-time gamers, the box states "this game was designed with beginners in mind by supplying a manual mode where players can practice special moves".  

One of the big focuses of the exhibit was the display of a large variety of Game & Watches that were sold in Japan. Here you can see a large variety including "Multi Screen Mario Bros". 

Here is a close-up of "Spitball Sparky" and "Mario's Bombs Away." Spitball Sparky is a game where you control Sparky to suck up the falling balls and destroy the blocks. Bombs Away is notable for "making the tabletop color screen compact."  

In "Multi Screen Mario Bros," you control Mario and Luigi and stack the packages from the conveyor belt onto the truck. In "Multi Screen Oil Panic," the player is required to catch the oil falling from the ceiling into packets and hand it off to the person below. The game is notable for requiring the player to pay attention to the action on both screens at once. 

Here we have "Multi Screen Green House" and "Donkey Kong." "Donkey Kong" is notable for being the first to utilize the cross-design D-pad and was a runaway hit, selling over six million units. 

"Super Color Crab Grab" (mistakenly-labelled "Crab Crab") and "Micro VS System Donkey Kong 3": Donkey Kong 3 featured simultaneous two-player gameplay and was also notable for easy storage that revolutionized the series. Allegedly, the gameplay is more or less the same as the arcade and Famicom versions. 

Popeye: Popeye must evade Brutus' attacks while catching items sent from Olive Oyl. Fire: This gold version is a remake of the original hit game with a bigger screen and a colored background layer. Snoopy Tennis: Said to have been a big hit with girls thanks to the inclusion of the Snoopy character, this game was the first departure of button layout due to the inclusion of left-right buttons.

Wide Screen Mickey Mouse: A game where Mickey is required to save the eggs that come rolling down from breaking. Mario's Cement Factory: A game where you control Mario to use the hoppers on both sides of the screen and pack concrete into the cement mixer. Chef: Control the chef to pick up the falling ingredients. Occasionally a cat comes by and can throw off your timing. 

Wide Screen Donkey Kong Jr, Fire Attack and Parachute. 

Moving along from the Game & Watches, I came upon a display with a variety of toy guns Mr. Yokoi had a hand in creating. While these all had display cards, due to the fact that this area was roped off, the room was dark, and I have terrible eyesight, I was unfortunately not able to read the comments.

Back to video games. Here, you can see a collection of handheld and tabletop game machines Mr. Yokoi took part in creating. Notice the Snoopy licensed game up top as well as Donkey Kong Jr.

At this angle, you'll see a box for the R.O.B. as well as Wild Gunman on the bottom shelf. 

The exhibit also included promotional flyers for many of the products Mr.Yokoi helped create. 

Here are a couple of non-video game-related products. The radio-controlled car was said to have been cheap to produce by taking out the ability to turn right. It was still considered functional because it could still race in a circle. You'll also notice Star Tenbillion, a puzzle game that you can procure from Club Nintendo in Japan, and a board game called Time Shock.

This is a two-way radio that was said to communicate by light. 

Another product Nintendo has referenced in recent years, this is the original "Ultrahand." 

Next to the Ultrahand were the "Ultra Machine" and a driving game called "Drive Game." 

Posted on the wall near the Ultrahand was the article, "Why I Quit Nintendo" by Mr. Yokoi. Check back to NWR for a translation in the near future. 

In addition to the exhibit itself, visitors could also take home a piece of Nintendo's history by purchasing a Game Boy or Famicom cassette...

... As well as a Nintendo Love Tester for 3,150 yen!

The exhibitors we were also selling this book, "Gunpei Yokoi: The Father of Games. The man who created Nintendo's DNA."

A French Book: L'Historie de Nintendo.

The last book the people at the exhibit were selling was "The Yokoi Gunpei Game Museum Returns."

The Gunpei Yokoi Exhibit was held at Vacant in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward and runs from the 18th to the 29th of August. For more information, visit the event site.

Also, check out Moossye (French) and Inside-games (Japanese) for more photos!  Thanks to Devin Monnens for the heads-up.