Visited the Ganbare Goemon pop up shop in the Anime Culture Center in Asakusa! Some really cool items, but a lot was sold out. You can still get a wooden sake box though.

Tried the Baskin Robbins X Animal Crossing collab! Pretty good flavor this time. A lot of the sundaes are sold out, but I got the Gulliver Ice Cream Soda! Maybe a Gullivarrr version is next… 🏴‍☠️

Quite a trio of games behind the glass at Book-Off

Did you notice a new promo during the podcast? It’s for Nintendo Dads ( @nintendodads.bsky.social ), a podcast hosted by passionate Nintendo fans who are also parents. Best dad in a Nintendo game? Probably Yoshi. Check them out! www.nintendodads.org

Switch 2 game card cases. Obviously you gotta go with the Kirby one.

Rubik’s Cube Tetris. The only puzzle that disappears when you solve it.

So many possible Smash newcomers in Rhythm Heaven Groove…

We know everything about Mario’s origins… right? Wrong! @drewgmackie.bsky.social joins as we chat about the weird and still unknown mysteries of the most iconic gaming franchise. Tokyo Game Life wherever you get podcasts: tokyogamelife.com/episode/the-...

Rhythm Heaven merch is now available at Nintendo Tokyo! Before you get excited about the vinyls… those are coasters. More: store-jp.nintendo.com/feature/feat...

Anime Culture Center is Asakusa will have a special Ganbare Goemon pop up shop starting today! I wonder how many gaming franchises have official chopsticks 🤔

Rhythm Heaven Groove is now available in Japan! The path to perfect begins!

Takara Tomy will release new Animal Crossing cushion plushies on 8/8! One has to assume Crazy Redd will be in a later batch. More: prtimes.jp/main/html/rd...

I thought this price was too good to be true… and it was because the label is actually for the Urbosa amiibo.

It’s July! A lot of Switch / Switch 2 games to look forward to like… - Rhythm Heaven Groove - Ganbare Goemon Daishugo (JPN only) - Granblue Fantasy: Relink - Endless Ragnarok - Denshattack! - Culdcept Begins - Splatoon Raiders - Disgaea Mayhem - Xenoblade 2 Switch 2 Edition - More!

Splatoon Raiders Direct shed more light on the game. It does seem like a more loot-focused single player version of Salmon Run. The action of the series has always delivered, so I expect I should dig the new gear and challenges.

We all know Popeye was a major inspiration for Mario, but was this 1980 cover of Popeye magazine also key to defining Mario’s look, or is this simply the greatest coincidence of all time? 🤔 We chat about the strange origins of Mario in the latest podcast episode: tokyogamelife.com/episode/the-...

Urban Myth Dissolution Center gatcha keychains. This is when you know an indie has hit it big.

We are a day away from the Splatoon Raiders Direct, what some are calling the most anticipated Direct of all time. Can Nintendo convince us that it’s more than single player Salmon Run? Maybe, but the series hasn’t missed yet so I’m confident it will be fun.

I visited the newly opened Square Enix Cafe & Shop in Shinjuku! Not sure if it’s healthy to eat this many slimes, but I’ll cover it on the podcast soon(ish)!

Bic Camera has a voting board for the upcoming Splatoon 3 Splatfest! If you vote, you can get a clear card. I was always more of a power guy…

✨ NEW EPISODE ✨ Featuring: 🍄 The Unknown Origins of Mario w/ @drewgmackie.bsky.social 🦊 Star Fox Listen now! 👇 tokyogamelife.com/episode/the-...

Daiso has everything. Food, clothes, kitchenware, Touhou Project trading cards, everything.

New podcast episode tomorrow! A special guest joins to chat about the unknown origins of Mario! And I’ll tell you if Star Fox is a perfect remake or not! Follow Tokyo Game Life on: Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7oDaILm...

Finished Miyamoto’s Route in Star Fox! This is was Shigeru Miyamoto’s favorite route in SF64 according to the Nintendo Power Player’s Guide. Pretty unorthodox… but so is Miyamoto.

Star Fox 64 for only 550 yen at Hard Off Shinjuku. Since the new remake is 5500 yen, that means Switch 2 is 10x more powerful than the N64, making it a 640-bit console.

Not sure why it’s on the outside, but “Kore ga Famicom da!” was an instruction booklet/manga combo that taught the ins and outs of the system. Also some sort of ad or pamphlet for Super Mario Bros 2 is in this set 🤔

We will be Great Fox posting

Some Nintendo consoles at Hard Off Shinjuku. The spice orange tax is a hefty one…

Big Star Fox display at Bic Camera! They need to add the plushies though.

Is this the future of retro game stores in Tokyo? Hard Off ambassador @alexfkraus.bsky.social joins to chat about Hard Off Shinjuku! Plus, I check out Mina the Hollower and analyze the Nintendo Direct! Tokyo Game Life on all podcast platforms: tokyogamelife.com/episode/hard...

Star Fox is now available in Japan! Now which route to pick… 🤔

Nintendo releases three games in the next 29 days, and all are simultaneously being advertised in Tokyo train stations. I really wanna know how they determine which station gets which ad…

Baskin Robbins x Animal Crossing collab starts 7/1! The new flavor is a mix of apple, pear, and ramune. The special sundaes and gift sets look amazing! More: www.br31.jp/contents/top...

Behind the glass at Hard Off Shinjuku. Anything interesting? 🤔

Nintendo 64 turns 30 years old today in Japan! Yes, the Japanese box art is just that cool.

Saw new copies of Kirby Air Riders for 3980 yen at Bic Camera (one per person). You’re basically robbing Sakurai at this price.

Nintendo Tokyo snack haul! Super Mario is having a collab with JR Kyushu, so stores carry local snacks from Kyushu and Okinawa. The Bou donuts are seriously good…

New Famicom aka AV Famicom at Hard Off Shinjuku. This would later be released in the west as New-Style NES. Ironically it did not come with an AV cable despite that compatibility being one of its big features.

Splatoon Raiders photo spot at Bic Camera! Now you can have definitive proof you’re friends with Deep Cut.

✨ NEW EPISODE ✨ Featuring: 💴 Hard Off Shinjuku w/ @alexfkraus.bsky.social 🐭 Mina the Hollower 🧐 Nintendo Direct June 2026 analysis Listen now! 👇 tokyogamelife.com/episode/hard...

Retro Pokemon games section at Book Off. Friendly reminder that Red and Green were the best selling games in Japan for 25 years and thus aren’t rare.

So much stuff in the bookstore, but this is all you need

Merch store IIJAN is hosting a Bayonetta pop up shop at Shibuya LOFT from 6/20! There’s gotta be a bar in Shibuya also called The Gates or Hell, right? More: iijanshop.jp/blogs/news/b...

Preorder display boxes for the Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of the Xenoblade trilogy. If you need 300+ hours of gameplay, here you go!

Fun find at Hard Off Shinjuku: a square-buttoned Famicom. The original units had these, but Nintendo quickly realized they were uncomfortable and prone to getting stuck, hence the round A and B buttons were born.

A week away from Star Fox! I hope with the expanded story content we finally learn where Andross got his doctorate.

Nintendo released three new Rhythm Heaven Groove commercials starring Japanese comedy group Kamaitachi. But we all know getting a Perfect is no laughing matter. More: www.nintendo.com/jp/switch/bf...

There’s a dozen Cactaurs in this picture, so you’re looking at facing a 120,000 Needles attack

Is this the future of retro game stores in Tokyo? Hard Off ambassador @alexfkraus.bsky.social joins to chat about Hard Off Shinjuku! Plus, I check out Mina the Hollower and analyze the Nintendo Direct! Tokyo Game Life on all podcast platforms: tokyogamelife.com/episode/hard...

I was impressed by the Pikuniku 2 trailer at the Direct so I picked up the first game, which is on sale for 200 yen. And it was fantastic! A silly puzzle-platformer with a lot of variety. Definitely looking forward to the sequel now!