Space Harrier Sit-in

(Originally published 2020 Feb 19)

Is there a classic you long to play in the wild?

Reports on the Kawasaki Warehouse (closed last November) always tended to focus on the fact that it was modelled after a Hong Kong slum, Kowloon Walled City, with imported rubbish and carefully-posted-then-torn-down bills and notices in Chinese, and an incredibly fake-filthy restroom not-dripping with its dry and polished fake crud.

Actually, that sounds good. Maybe I should do the same in another post.

But what gets missed is the glorious lineup of Yu Suzuki legends in a faux-gross cave in the retro corner:

OutRun

Rad Mobile

Space Harrier

Many afternoons went by bending a rubbery joystick in front of my friend's Atari ST. Here, now, I could climb right into my own childhood, fasten a very 80s seatbelt, and have it shake me confusingly, blasting Stage 1 Theme loud enough to hurt.

Pain, confusion, childhood reanimated: gaming in Tokyo.