There are some ghost stories in Japan where - when you are sitting in the bathroom in the traditional style of the Japanese toilet - a hand is actually starting to grab you from beneath. It's a very scary story.

When we're doing an action game, we make the second level first. We begin making level 1 once everything else is completed.

I think when you talk about competing against others, the problem is that you refer to something that's been done already and try to beat it.

Nintendo's philosophy is never to go the easy path; it's always to challenge ourselves and try to do something new.

My days all follow much the same pattern. They are structured and typical.

Games have grown and developed from this limited in-the-box experience to something that's everywhere now. Interactive content is all around us, networked, ready. This is something I've been hoping for throughout my career.

Japanese people have a funny habit of abbreviating names.