He took the job because it looked easy. There were a hundred and fifty warehouses.
In 1982 a Japanese home computer ran a puzzle in which you pushed crates one square at a time until each sat on its mark. It was called Sokoban — warehouse keeper. Four decades later that word is the name of the genre itself: anywhere in the world, in any language, a puzzle built on that one rule is called a sokoban. When ASCII brought it to the Famicom Disk System on July 30, 1986, they added two words to the title — Namida no Soukoban Special, Tears of the Warehouse Keeper — and printed a story in the manual to go with them. A young man named Katasuke takes a part-time warehouse job because it looks like easy money. A hundred and fifty warehouses are waiting for him. As they get harder he starts to sweat; sometimes he nods off from exhaustion; the boss shouts at him. At the end of it, he is fired. Nowhere does the manual say what the tears are for. It simply describes a person doing his job until it breaks him, and puts the word in the title.
About this game
Namida no Soukoban Special is a Famicom Disk System game released in 1986, developed by ASCII. It is a puzzle video game.
Gallery
The Story Behind
Namida no Soukoban Special was released in Japan on July 30, 1986, for the Famicom Disk System, published by ASCII. The puzzle itself predates this release: the box-pushing format had already existed since 1982, originally built for the PC-8801, a Japanese home computer platform, four years before the Famicom Disk System edition appeared. That original word, sokoban, meaning 'warehouse keeper', is the same word now used worldwide as the generic name for this entire genre of puzzle game, in which a player pushes crates onto marked target spaces one at a time. ASCII's 1986 release renamed the game slightly for its Famicom Disk System debut, adding 'Namida no' (Tears of) and 'Special' to the title, while keeping the core puzzle format intact.
Tricks & Tales
No manual ever spells out what the tears in the title are for. But the Famicom Disk System manual does print a story behind them: the player character, a young man named Katasuke, signs up for what looks like an easy warehouse part-time job — and finds a hundred and fifty warehouses waiting. As the puzzles get harder he breaks into a sweat, sometimes dozes off from exhaustion, gets shouted at by the warehouse boss, and is eventually fired. The word at the core of the title, sokoban — warehouse keeper — is the same word the entire puzzle genre now borrows its English name from.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
The Famicom Disk System was sold exclusively in Japan and was never officially released in any other region. It was designed as an attachment to the original Famicom, using a rewritable magnetic Quick Disk format — a medium that no longer has manufacturer support and that Nintendo ceased rewriting or selling decades ago. Buyers outside Japan should understand that there is no Western-compatible equivalent: FDS software requires a Famicom console, the RAM adapter, and the dedicated power adapter, all of which are Japan-market hardware. The disk media itself is not readable by any standard floppy drive.
Maintenance Tips
The drive belt is the most critical maintenance item. The original rubber belt (approximately 31mm diameter) stretches and eventually fails after decades of storage, preventing the drive from reading disks. Replacement belts are widely available from retro hardware suppliers and require no special tools -- a documented procedure exists in multiple collector guides. After belt replacement, the drive may need alignment, which is a more involved process. The RAM adapter board contains electrolytic capacitors that should be recapped if the unit is used regularly -- leaking capacitors can damage the PCB and corrupt disk reads. Clean the battery compartment with vinegar and a cotton swab if corrosion is present. FDS disks should be stored in their cases away from magnetic sources.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Namida no Soukoban Special copies regularly.
Is this the original Sokoban game?
Not quite — this is a later port. The box-pushing puzzle behind Sokoban first existed in 1982 on the PC-8801, a Japanese home computer, four years before this Famicom Disk System edition. This specific release, Namida no Soukoban Special, was published by ASCII on July 30, 1986, and requires the Famicom Disk System add-on and drive to play — a standard Famicom cartridge slot alone won't run it.
Why does the title include the word 'tears' (Namida)?
No manual or credit explains it outright. What the Famicom Disk System manual does contain is a short story: the player character, Katasuke, takes a warehouse part-time job that looks like easy money, finds a hundred and fifty warehouses waiting for him, sweats, dozes off from exhaustion, is shouted at by the boss, and is finally fired. The word was never defined — but the manual's own story of a worker pushed past his limit is where it most likely comes from.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Namida no Soukoban Special
A short checklist for buying a used Famicom Disk System disk wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
-
Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
-
Inspect the disk and its shell
Disk System media is fragile — the magnetic disk can wear, and saves are written back onto the disk itself.
Ask whether it was tested and reads reliably; look for cracks or a warped shell in photos.
-
Make sure it fits your console
This is Japanese Famicom Disk System media and requires a Famicom with a working Disk System drive.
Play it on a matching Japanese console or a region-free system, and confirm the listing states the region.
-
Mind the drive belt on the console side
Disk System drives commonly need a replacement belt to read reliably — this is a console matter, not the disk.
If reading is unreliable, the console's belt is the usual culprit, not the game.
-
Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See what we have in stock →Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Namida no Soukoban Special sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
Share your memory ↑