For game lovers, Kyoto is synonymous with Nintendo. The store that designs and sells Nintendo's licensed apparel, "THE KING OF GAMES," is located in a back alley in the Gojo neighborhood. The first floor of the wooden building is the store, and the second floor is the office. The basement is the game room of the store owner, Masaaki Konan.
"I've always liked cluttered spaces. When I come down to this room, it opens up the drawers of my gaming brain."
The office on the second floor. He often plays games on his work PC. On the wall is a poster for BitSummit, an indie game event that Gangnam is involved in. 
A game room in the basement. From things that are fun to admire to things that have been restored so they can be used. "I try to keep as many accessories and cardboard boxes as possible. I love Nintendo characters, and they bring back memories of playing games as a child."
The space was once an air raid shelter, and an architect friend of his built storage and desks. The floor is covered in artificial turf, which feels great on the feet, and the chairs are made by giroflex, a long-established Swiss company that made the world's first swivel chair with casters. There's even a dedicated shelf on the wall that fits Famicom cartridges neatly in two rows!
"I started collecting retro games 20 years ago. I even sold my vintage jeans to raise funds to buy a rare cartridge that I really wanted. I have nearly 1,100 Famicom cartridges. I have all of them except for the ones that were given away as prizes. There's a lot of downloadable software these days, but the Famicom cartridges are colorful and make a lively product. Even if I don't use them, I like to keep them close at hand and look at them."
The office on the second floor also has bookshelves filled with game strategy guides, comic magazines, and rare goods. 
Storage was created on the wall of the basement to hold over 1,000 Famicom cartridges.
The office on the second floor is also set up so that he can play games at any time, but this basement is special. He rarely invites anyone in, and it's his own private sanctuary.
"When I'm feeling restless, just being here calms me down. Sometimes I get so engrossed in polishing the terminals on an old cassette that by the time I get back above ground, it's already dark. When you're surrounded by your favorite games, you lose track of time."
