Chapter 467: Celebrating the New Year Every Day and the Festival Every Night
January 1, 1988 was a Friday, and according to tradition, most stores should have been closed on that day.
However, since the beginning of the golden age, Tokyo has become a city that never sleeps.
So even now, in the evening of New Year's Day, the streets of Tokyo are still crowded with people.
Hideo Kojima, wearing a windbreaker and black-framed glasses, was walking excitedly with his companions on the busy street.
"Aonuma-kun, why are there so many people here during the New Year?"
"Idiot, it's because it's New Year that there are so many people." Eiji Aonuma was no longer surprised by all this.
"And today is Friday, Friday. What's the point of not spending money on Friday?"
As they walked, Eiji Aonuma explained to Hideo Kojima everything about Tokyo.
As a newcomer to HAL, Eiji Aonuma feels it is his obligation to explain the company's work culture to Kojima.
After all, I am his senior. Although we are the same age, it’s because I joined HAL a year earlier.
As for Hideo Kojima, Eiji Aonuma glanced at the silly guy beside him and was somewhat amazed.
A guy who studied economics did not go into the hot financial market, but instead became obsessed with making games.
Tsk, that’s really weird.
But thinking that he was just a carpenter before, Aonuma Eiji felt much more relieved.
"Now, remember, just enjoy all the activities later.
The society will be responsible for tonight's expenses. After all, it's a golden day, so we just need to spend it. Hehe~"
Eiji Aonuma put his arm around Hideo Kojima's shoulders and laughed in a very obscene way.
In Neon, every Friday is the peak day for office workers to go to various social places. Izakayas, nightclubs, and entertainment venues are all packed with people.
Because it was the bubble era, it was normal for people to spend hundreds of thousands of yen on that day.
So privately, everyone calls Friday (Friday) "Golden Flower Day".
Nowadays, even office workers like Eiji Aonuma and Hideo Kojima who don’t know how to manage their finances are not short of money.
After all, working overtime for one hour a day can earn tens of thousands of yen, and quarterly bonuses are calculated in millions of yen.
If they have their own training programs, HAL will subsidize them with several million more.
For those like them who have just joined the company for a year or less, according to their boss, their base salary will increase by at least one million next year.
It's all money, too much money to spend. What else can two singles do after get off work if not drinking and spending money?
When Hideo Kojima first came to Tokyo, he saw everyone on the streets wearing brand-name clothes and couldn't help but look down at his own outfit.
Armani trench coat, Willis handmade leather shoes, when will a country bumpkin like me be able to wear such luxury brands?
"What do you think, Kojima? Isn't this outfit I picked for you very stylish?" Eiji Aonuma is quite confident in his own aesthetic taste.
Since Hideo Kojima had just joined the company, the company needed to arrange for a senior to guide him.
So Eiji Aonuma, who was of similar age, stood up bravely.
As for Hideo Kojima's flashy outfit today, that was all Eiji Aonuma's idea.
Anyway, it will be reimbursed by the society, it’s just a few million yen, so isn’t it easy?
Facing Aonuma Eiji's smugness, Kojima Hideo hesitated. "Isn't this too fancy?"
"Fancy?" Aonuma Eiji showed an incredible expression, "Kojima-kun, please look at the street in front of you."
He pointed to the brightly lit street and said, "Look, everyone here is dressed more fashionably than you.
So don't worry, I've picked the most conservative style for you."
Uh..., Kojima Hideo looked ahead. Super short leather pants, white and greasy thighs, and ramen hair that swayed with every step.
Sure enough, he was so secretive that he could be considered a bit of a country bumpkin.
"Okay, we're here now. Let's go in and don't keep Iwata-san and the others waiting for too long."
While Kojima Hideo was stunned, Aonuma Eiji had already taken the lead and walked towards a izakaya.
Looking up, I saw that it was a high-end restaurant called Gonpachi. Without thinking too much, Hideo Kojima followed Eiji Aonuma into .
"Mr. Iwata, Mr. Akagi, thank you for keeping me waiting." As soon as he entered the box, Eiji Aonuma greeted them enthusiastically.
"We just arrived too. Please take a seat." Iwata and Akagi were not much older than them, so when they greeted each other, their tones unconsciously became much more cordial.
After taking off their coats and handing them to the waiter, several people sat in a circle around a table.
Although it was New Year's Eve, the four of them were all single. They were all in Tokyo, so they decided to go out for a drink together.
Everyone around me is enjoying the feasting and revelry, I can't just sit at home and watch the wedding alone.
Going out for a drink and visiting high-end clubs is the right way to live your life.
"Four servings of Kaiseki cuisine, plus two kilograms of Kobe premium beef." As soon as he sat down, Akagi began to skillfully order from the menu, "Oh, and four bottles of Romanee red wine."
"Hayi" the well-trained waiter retreated respectfully.
After hearing Akagi's order, Hideo Kojima was secretly smacking his lips.
This is simply extravagant beyond words. Are we really not going to go Dutch later?
A kaiseki meal in a place like this would cost at least 400,000 to 500,000 yen per portion, and Kobe premium beef would cost 200,000 to 300,000 yen.
And Romanee red wine, that’s a luxury brand from Gallic Chicken, right?
I heard that a bottle costs several thousand dollars, so Akagi-san ordered four bottles.
Feeling nervous, Hideo Kojima had already calculated in his mind whether the money he had on him was enough to go Dutch.
Unlike his nervousness, Eiji Aonuma had already started to flatter Iwata and Akagi at this time.
This little bit of cooking is nothing. When he has nothing to do, he likes to drink the so-called Faguo red wine like boiled water.
With per capita consumption of less than one million yen, it's just ok in today's Japan.
"Mr. Kojima, are you adapting well after coming to HAL?" After exchanging pleasantries, Iwata turned to the taciturn Hideo Kojima.
“Haha,” Kojima Hideo nodded subconsciously and replied, “Thanks for your care. Everything is going well here at HAL.”
"That's good." Iwata nodded with satisfaction. "I've seen the game you made. Although it's still a little rough, it's a good idea."
Hideo Kojima graduated last year, oh no, the year before last.
However, unlike his classmates, he was not coaxed into participating in various training activities by major banks and financial institutions.
It’s not that no company is willing to sign him, but Hideo Kojima rejected various invitations and planned to focus on making a game of his own.
He became fascinated with video games when he first came into contact with Shirakawa Electric's blue and white machine a few years ago.
Later, during college, he also participated in the "Golden Cross Game Competition" organized by HAL.
Although he did not win the first prize, the third prize of 500,000 yen gave him great encouragement.
So after graduating from university, he did not go to work, but started developing the second game of his life.
After more than a year, a highly completed shooting game was delivered to HAL.
Facts have proved that passion and dedication to making games will never bury one's talent.
After receiving the game, HAL evaluated it and quickly handed it to Satoru Iwata.
When Iwata learned that this game was completed entirely by Hideo Kojima alone, he was astonished.
Soon, Hideo Kojima, who was far away in Kobe, received a call from Satoru Iwata himself.
Then, a week before the New Year, Hideo Kojima officially joined HAL.
At this time, Satoru Iwata called everyone out. Drinking was one thing, but taking care of Hideo Kojima's work was also one of the reasons.
"Kojima, you will intern with Aonuma's team for a while. Your main job is to familiarize yourself with the various processes of game development.
After the new year, when the time is right, you can start to form a separate development team, and the first game you produce will be the completed and released version of your previous single-player work."
"Huh!" Hideo Kojima was very excited when he heard the news. It turned out that tonight's drinking party was not in vain.
Eiji Aonuma next to him was also a little envious. Wow, he has started to lead a project alone, and he hasn't even reached this step yet.
"Aonuma, you don't have to be envious. The next generation of The Legend of Zelda is now entirely yours."
As if noticing his lemon-eating expression, Iwata smiled and said something comforting.
"Hey, Iwata-san, thank you so much. Don't worry, Zelda is my own son, and I will definitely treat it well."
Eiji Aonuma's envious expression immediately turned red. Look, we are still good at flattering.
The atmosphere was very lively and everyone wanted to have a drink or two. However, the kaiseki cuisine was not yet served and the wine had not yet arrived.
"Hey, everyone is waiting to drink, when will the wine be served?" Impatient Akagi called the waiter over rudely.
“Sorry sir, Romanee red wine has been sold out tonight, and we are urgently coordinating.
If you don't mind, would you like a bottle of 1982 Lafite?"
"Lafite?" Akagi frowned. " Forget it. If there's no red wine, we can go to the Gin Bar. Please prepare it for us immediately."
"Hai!" The waiter hurried to prepare again.
When it comes to red wine, Akagi only drinks Romanee. As for Lafite, he has no interest in such crappy red wine.
After a while, the waiter came back with a bottle of sake that was shining with golden light.
The so-called gin is sake with gold foil added.
During the bubble era, exaggerated aesthetics created all kinds of magical foods.
Gold leaf ice cream, gold leaf sushi, and now there’s sake with gold leaf.
Tsk, after drinking this kind of wine, panning for gold in history is no longer a joke.
With the wine, the atmosphere at the table became more lively.
Under the influence of alcohol, Iwata also revealed to Aonuma, Kojima and others that HAL, which is responsible for game development, and SSE, which is responsible for software development, are both actively recruiting people.
If Aonuma and others can introduce one or two professionals in the industry, it doesn’t matter whether they have experience or not, students can also be used.
As long as you successfully get the job, a referral bonus of 5 million yen per person is almost a sure thing.
The amount of the bonus made Hideo Kojima gasp.
Many people’s annual salary is not that high, but now HAL only uses it as an introduction fee.
This was really beyond his imagination. Neon was becoming more and more incomprehensible.
In fact, the reason why HAL and SSE spend a lot of money to recruit people is because Shirakawa Holdings is already preparing for a strategic transformation.
After the 1990s, the Internet trend began to rise.
The decline of Neon's manufacturing industry is inevitable, so Shirakawa Feng must make plans early to find a way out.
There is no doubt that Baichuan Feng is not going to miss this Internet opportunity.
However, talents need to be accumulated, and Baichuan Interactive Entertainment also needs to grope forward. Now is the right time to prepare.
After eating at a high-end restaurant, Iwata and his friends planned to go to Roppongi for another meal.
The nightclub there was very suitable for them as single guys. After arriving at the place, Akagi threw a tip of 100,000 yen to each young lady, and Hideo Kojima was stunned again.
In his impression, Japan has been having an endless carnival in recent years, with New Year celebrations every day and festivals every night.
This comprehensive madness plunged the entire Neon into a carnival.
