1. It All Began with a Tea Table

Iwata - “Wii no Ma," one of the Wii Channels that began in the spring of 2009, is going to be updated on November 21. It turns out that “Iwata Asks” are almost always done in Kyoto, in a particular meeting room in the HQ building. Otherwise, there have been a couple times where we’ve done them in a hotel in Kyoto with people from other companies, and we’ve also done them in our Tokyo offices, but you may be looking at the photo at the top of this page and thinking, “Wait… where is this?” Well, today we’ll be conducting “Iwata Asks” at the “Wii no Ma” “Wii no Ma, co.ltd.” (laughs). Thank you for joining me today.

Everyone - Thank you for having us.

Iwata - Most people probably think of “Iwata Asks” as a back and forth where I ask product developers about their products, but actually today everyone here is something other than a product developer. While you’re all sitting there with a “Am I in the right place?” kind of look on your face, I’d like to have all of you sitting here introduce yourselves. Let’s start with Beppu-san, what did you do before coming to Wii no Ma, co. ltd.?

Beppu - I’m Beppu, the CEO of Wii no Ma co., ltd. Prior to coming here I worked in Nintendo’s Organizational Information Department (Translator’s Note: This is the literal translation. The description sounds very close to marketing, however). There I would make proposals regarding what products or services would be necessary in order to have as many customers enjoy our products as possible.

Iwata - All right then, Yukawa-san?

Yukawa - Prior to coming here I was at the marketing agency Dentsu where I was in a position promoting business mediating broadcasting slots - selling advertisement slots, purchasing, or making proposals to clients.

Iwata - One way to put it is that you were working right in the middle of the absolute, most mainstream advertising agency.

Yukawa - Yes. But the broadcast business has taken on many dimensions, and just two years ago I also handled jobs other than selling ad space on television, such as movie investments and creating programs in conjunction with the broadcasters.

Iwata - Now then, how about Suzuki-san?

Suzuki - Hello, I’m Suzuki. I used to be at Fuji Television producing dramas. I entered Wii no Ma co, ltd. on April 1 of 2009, but the last program I worked on was broadcast on March 22, so I just barely made it on time, and I was also hired on as employee number one.

Iwata - Enumerating the dramas you’ve been involved in, it turns out they’re all names that almost everyone would recognise. That being the case, it feels kind of funny to have you sitting here right now (laughs).

Suzuki - I’m having fun doing it (laughs).

Iwata - Ok, Tony-san?

Tony - I’m Tony Ellison. Prior to coming to Wii no Ma co., ltd. I was employed in NOA’s New York office. There I handled editing for web page and “Everyone’s Nintendo Channel” （※1）and even set up the American version of Club Nintendo（※2）. And then one day, out of the blue, in regards to Wii no Ma co., ltd. I was told…

Iwata - “You’re going to Japan!” (laughs)

Tony - I was told “you’re going to Japan!” (laughs) Though I had worked on Club Nintendo with Beppu-san, so we would go back and forth about things separated by a distance of over 10000 kilometers. And to think that we’re here now working together next to this tea table. (laughs)

Beppu - (laughs)

Iwata - To think that you were originally separated by over 10,000 kilometers and now you’re working together just a couple of meters apart.

Tony - I certainly didn’t expect that. (laughs)

※1 “Everyone’s Nintendo Channel”＝ One of the Wii Channels where you can watch video related to the Wii and DS, as well as find various information. Also used to download demos to the Nintendo DS.

※2 Club Nintendo＝ Nintendo’s Member’s Club, which began in 2003 in Japan. Members earn points by buying select products, registering their serial numbers over the internet and answering post-play questionnaires. They can then trade their points for original Nintendo goods. Registration and membership is free.

Iwata - By the way, Beppu-san, why did you decide to make this “Wii no Ma” room here at Wii no Ma co, ltd.?

Beppu - We made this room because we wanted to to create both the “Wii no Ma” inside the TV as well as a real “Wii no Ma” that you could experience in real life.

Tony - When this room was first built we talked about how there’s no way we could have a meeting in this room. That’s because when you sit here you feel like you would in your living room, and you end up talking about things that have nothing to do with work.

Beppu - That’s one of the key aspects - watching a video on the meeting room monitors versus watching them in here…

Iwata - Does it feel different?

Beppu - There’s something different about it.

Yukawa - Moreover, when customers visit, showing them to this room invites a welcoming atmosphere. And because “Wii no Ma” is playing on the TV here, which looks exactly like this room, that always puts a smile on everyone’s face. So we explain that “this atmosphere is what Wii no Ma is all about."

Iwata - I see. It’s not a 100 percent reproduction, but there’s the tea table in the center, the ornamental plant, and even the clock.

Tony - Beppu-san found the tea table (laughs).

Beppu - It was incredibly hard to find this. (laughs)

Iwata - What? What do you mean?

Beppu - Sofas are very prevalent these days, so they don’t sell many tea tables that are just the right height to sit on the floor and use.

Iwata - Ahhh. They’re usually high enough for use when sitting in a chair.

Beppu - Right. Even when we did find others that were the right height, they were either rectangular, or didn’t have the right balance - we couldn’t really find one with the design we hoped for, and then we just happened to find this one at an interior decorator’s shop in Kobe.

Iwata - So it was like, “This is it! This is what I’ve been searching for!” (laughs)

Beppu - Right (laughs). Right then and there I took a picture, sent it by mail to the designer and said, “design it based on this!”- and that’s how the tea table in “Wii no Ma” came to be.

Iwata - So you’re saying that this table here came first?

Beppu - Yes, this one came first.

Iwata - ...Huh.

Yukawa - The legs are just a tad spread apart.

Iwata - They are indeed.

Tony - That’s where the relation comes from. First this actual tea table existed, then the tea table in “Wii no Ma” came, and after that this real room was made. I no longer know what’s original and what’s real anymore! (laughs)

Suzuki - But if you look real hard, you can see that the shape of the tea tables is just a bit different (laughs).

Yukawa - It’s not a perfect circle, but an oval (laughs).

Beppu - When the designer got the photo it must have looked like a perfect circle.

Yukawa - Regardless of whether it’s oval or not, it all started from this tea table (laughs).