Hideo Kojima has long since stopped being just a game director. He’s become a symbol for boundary-pushing, cross-media storytelling whose work is dissected with the same awe and reverence reserved for cinema auteurs.
The road from Metal Gear, Snatcher, and Policenauts to Death Stranding and OD was neither easy nor fast, but his projects are no longer just video game releases; they’re cultural events wrapped in mystery. They produce theory videos based on mere screenshots and trailers, and hour-long thinkpieces about where his games end, and something else begins.
When someone like Kojima sits down to talk about the objects that mean a lot in his daily life, you expect there to be a deeper meaning in all of it. But he is a human like all of us, and his GQ Japan interview is just a nice peek through the 16:9 window into the life of one of the most singular minds in the industry.
Camera
It’s entirely unsurprising that the first item Kojima mentions is a camera. His current “weapon of choice” is the Sony α6600. His fascination with cameras could be traced back to the Japan World Exposition, Osaka, 1970, or just Osaka Expo ‘70. His parents gave a seven-year-old Hideo an autofocus camera, and that’s how it all started. Back then, it was a film camera, but he’s all digital nowadays. Kojima carries his trusty α6600 even to business trips. It’s light enough and easy to use to take to the children’s sports day, or just have it around for any eventuality.
Digital Walkman
The second item of choice is a Sony digital Walkman. The one he uses is a high-end Sony NW-WM1AM2 music player. When he entered the university, he purchased the iconic Sony Walkman 2. With it, Kojima could take his music with him; it almost felt like having his own soundtrack. Not only did it change his perspective on music, but it also changed his outlook on life.
Kojima uses his Walkman to listen to high-resolution music, but he’s still subscribed to Apple Music to listen to new releases. That’s also how he finds new talent to work with on his games.
His earpieces of choice are the limited-edition EBX25Ti LUDENS Earbuds, created in collaboration between Kojima Productions and the hifi equipment manufacturer NiceHCK.
Vinyl and CDs
Being a child of the analogue generation, Kojima still values physical media, so he constantly buys CDs and vinyl records. One of his recent purchases was the 50th Anniversary Soundtrack for the legendary movie Jaws. For CDs, he acquired singles by The Last Dinner Party and Koji Tamaki.
The band from Kojima’s youth, called Spandau Ballet, holds a special place in his heart, so he bought an entire anthology. He states that vinyl and CDs are what most of his income is spent on.
He also laments the closure of many music record shops he used to frequent. He loved spending hours listening to them before deciding to buy something.
Watch
Hideo Kojima loves watches. He got his first one as a gift from his father, and it made him feel like an adult for the first time. So it’s no surprise that for the GQ shoot, he decided to show off two high-end watches made in collaboration between Kojima Productions and famous watchmakers Seiko and Hamilton: Seiko Astron SBXC097 Kojima Productions 5th Anniversary Edition and Hamilton American Classic Boulton Death Stranding 2 Limited Edition.
The Seiko one is a radio-controlled watch that sets the time and date by receiving a radio signal from an atomic clock.
When Kojima was younger, he used to purchase watches based on the brand names or because a famous actor wore them in a movie. Or just a Rolex, because he jokes that it can save your life if you get in trouble with the Yakuza.
Coffee
Kojima has loved coffee since he was a child, and he has tried every method of preparing it, from drip-brewing to grinding and pressing. He may even be getting a bit overzealous with it, drinking about seven cups of Nespresso every day.
His go-to moment to get a warm cup is when he’s done with a task or is about to switch to another. It helps him reset his mindset and start again. He loved adding sugar and milk when he was younger, but nowadays, his go-to is just black coffee.
Cotton swabs
One of the strangest and most unexpected items on Kojima’s essential list is a pack of cotton swabs. He mentions that he has sudden bouts of ear itchiness that sometimes even wake him up at night, and the only thing that helps is a cotton swab.
That’s why he always carries some with him, and even brings his favorite brand everywhere, because it fits his ear canal the best. He does note that he also uses the ear picks, but the cotton swabs do their job the best in the moment.
It’s worth noting that doctors do not recommend using cotton swabs to clean your ears.
Atomizer
Kojima has a very heightened sense of smell, so he almost has to bring a perfume atomizer with him; otherwise, he gets overly bothered by unfamiliar or strong scents.
He jokes that he has a dog-like sense of smell, as he can tell his staff members apart by the scent of their perfumes, and can even say who’s in the elevator with him, even with his eyes closed.
Illustrated catalogs & pamphlets
Kojima absolutely adores art galleries and museums, and visits them about once a week. But oftentimes, they’re way too crowded, so he goes straight to the merchandise kiosks and buys the catalogs of the art on display. Then, instead of waiting in huge lines, he goes to a nearby coffee shop and looks at the pictures of the art he could have seen live.
It’s not just galleries and museums, either. He loves getting catalogs from Buddhist temples with statues and coins.
Hideo Kojima has famously stated that “70% of my body is made of movies.” So it’s no wonder that he loves going to the cinema and buying pamphlets for the movies he’s about to watch. In fact, he has over 50 years’ worth of movie pamphlets in his storage house.
Glasses and sunglasses
It’s difficult to imagine Kojima without his glasses, but a little-known fact is that he only started wearing them when he entered the game industry, when he was around 30. He usually has a pair of regular glasses and sunglasses handy, but recently, he has been collaborating with many companies to make 2-in-1 type of glasses.
He does recognize that glasses are a big part of his image nowadays, so he jokes that he may start wearing contact lenses and grow a beard so that people cosplaying him have a harder time.
Neck gaiter
Being born in August, Kojima isn’t the best at withstanding cold temperatures. He used to wear lots of scarves and mufflers, but the inconvenience of the process always made him uncomfortable. That’s what he switched to neck gaiters: if it’s cold, he can wear one and feel warmer; if it gets hot, he can always zip one down and let the air flow.
These were the items the visionary director Hideo Kojima deems irreplaceable in his life. This HQ interview comes after him recently being named GQ Japan’s Man of the Year in the Best Creator category: a recognition of the influence he’s had not just on games, but on pop culture as a whole. There are valid reasons not to like his work – art never is for everyone, it just stops being art. But there’s no denying that the man is a bona fide genius.
