Gunpei Yokoi (1)
Born during World War II, Yokoi was raised in Kyoto and obtained a degree in electronics from Doshisha University. In 1965, the family-run Nintendo Playing Card Company hired him to maintain the manufacturing equipment that produced its hanafuda cards. But by the mid-1960s, the domestic playing card market was declining, and the company searched for new sources of profit. Experimenting with various product lines, the company began to focus on children's toys. Its president Hiroshi Yamauchi, the great-grandson of Nintendo's nineteenth-century founder, asked Yokoi to design "something great" for the company's fledgling Games division. Yokoi's Ultra Hand, a wood lattice that extended and grabbed when users brought its handles together, was an instant hit, and 1.2 million were sold.
When the headhunting company got into contact with Gunpei Yoko he didn't immediately agree with the invitation, even though the monetary aspect was insanely lucrative for him. He would earn a lot more money than Nintendo would probably ever offer him in the future. At this point he obviously would never expect just how great Nintendo would have been without Simon's existence in this life. Nonetheless, traveling and working in New York and leaving his home in Japan couldn't just rely on money. He needed to meet the company leader and talk about the future plans of the company. At this point the Atari game consoles were not yet popular in Japan because the production capacity was only just enough to cover the American market.
Simon was actually glad he found an excuse to leave New York for a few days because he missed the days he spent on holiday. He once again invited Sarah Harisson on this journey and short vacation in Kyoto. At first the young lady didn't even respond and Simon obviously knew what was going on. His sister used her own Ferrari 250 GTO all the time after the news about the romantic and expensive gift already spread all over New York. This let to a large fight between the friend circle of Caroline and Sarah, which ultimately was of course won by the older and more experienced Caroline.
Even though no elders of the family participated in all of this it was still a little aggressive and Simon not intervening and stopping his sister in time caused his relationship with Sarah to drop sharply. But after visiting her in person and promising to make up for it the young love reignited again. Simon was Sarah's first real boyfriend and even though she knew that they were not really together as a couple while in New York the experiences they shared kept the young man firmly in her heart and mind. In the end she agreed to spend two weeks with Simon in Japan.
Their flight arrived in Kyoto on October 10th 1970. After spending a night in the most luxurious hotel of the city together they got more accustomed to the climate and the time difference.
Kyoto relinquished its title as capital of Japan, which it had held for 1,000 years, to Tokyo in 1869. Fears emerged that Kyoto would enter a period of decline, spurring local merchants and politicians to modernize the city as soon as possible.
The city upgraded tour buses and other transport, as well as hotels and traditional ryokan accommodation. As Japan adapted to a new age of tourism, Kyoto was always in the vanguard. In addition to making the most of the city's cultural assets, Kyotoites constantly sought new ways to attract visitors, such as holding events to coincide with business conferences and expositions, developing showcases for the arts in Gion and other entertainment districts, opening Western-style hotels, and boosting the film industry. After World War II, Kyoto soon set its sights on becoming an international tourist destination as a path to economic recovery.
Even from the city center, the surrounding hills are always in view. Kyoto is also characterized by its water-based culture, seen in the Kamo and Kibune Rivers, as well as the streams in the grounds of Shimogamo Shrine.
A few days after the couple visited many attractions of Kyoto and enjoyed the Japanese cuisine and culture they met Gunpei Yokoi at a very special place. They invited him to a special restaurant with a platform for enjoying the cool flowing waters of the Kibune River while dining.
Simon and Sarah, together with their guardians and secretary, arrived a lot earlier on purpose in order to enjoy the beautiful scenery and calm their minds. Gunpei Yokoi arrived roughly 30 minutes later, but still a lot earlier than the actual appointment.
After getting to know each other under the introduction of the headhunter they were left alone at the dining table. Sarah obviously noticed the change in atmosphere and knew that Simon wanted to talk business now. She enjoyed the last few days with Simon to the extreme and even somehow fell in love with the beauty of Japan. Visiting Kyoto might even become a yearly ritual in the future, hopefully with Simon together. But she knew that the sunny boy was here on a business trip and it was now time to take a step back and let him focus on his career, which honestly made him a thousand times more attractive anyways.
Shortly after she excused herself and left the two of them alone, while traveling through the nearby garden under the escort of a female bodyguard. She enjoyed the feeling of being followed around all the time because it gave her the sensation of being someone important. In the Harrison family in New York she was only a little girl and only her brothers were really cared for, but when she was with Simon she felt like a queen.
Gunpei Yokoi was extremely surprised by the youth of his potential future employer. The headhunter already explained to him what kind of company Atari is and that they already have extreme success in the United States with the development of their arcade machine. He himself always wanted to expand Nintendo into the electronic gaming market but the management of the company always rejected him. He still needed more information to make a reliable decision for his future though.