October 2, 2024: Celebrating Kyoto’s Brand-New Nintendo Museum!
Given we are huge fans (!) of Nintendo and have made recently visited the Super Nintendo World Theme Park in Osaka, we were extremely excited to learn about the opening of the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto.
On October 2, 2024, An immersive experience through the legacy of Nintendo’s 135-year-history opened at the same site as its former factory in Uji, one hour south of Kyoto. Given that at least three generations across the world have grown up with Nintendo, the brand-new Nintendo Museum is a celebration of gaming history, creativity, and innovation.
Overview
The museum’s entrance is lined with Mario’s iconic plumbing pipes, followed by a row of five Toads (Princess Peach’s loyal servants!) that sing a welcome song on the way in. The main attraction is the Discover Hall, which features a colorful display of every Nintendo product released in the company’s history including failed mock-ups and rare games. This paints a chronological image of “Nintendology”: the company begun manufacturing playing cards, before creating their first electronic game & watch machines in 1980, followed by the Family Computer (NES gaming console) release in 1983.
The Game Boy, SNES, N64, GameCube, Wii, and Switch are laid out, allowing guests to trace the company’s original DNA, which still spirals through what has become “a global entertainment empire and owner of some of the world’s most valuable intellectual property” (Keohane & Lewis, Financial Times 2024).
Interactive Exhibits & Games
In addition to playing over 80 games on Nintendo Classics and Nintendo 64, visitors are welcome to try their hand at Zapper & Scope, Shigureden SP, Ultra Hand, and Love Tester. Further interactive exhibits dedicated to Nintendo’s legendary franchises include Super Mario, The Legend of Zelda, and Pokémon, each offering a glimpse into the development process, artistic design, and cultural impact of these games. Finally, taking it back to the beginning, we highly recommend reserving a spot at the Hanafuda workshop to craft your own Hanfuda Cards (Nintendo’s first-ever product).
Before heading out, make sure stop at the museum’s cozy Nintendo-themed cafe and gift shop, selling most of the Nintendo products on display. What cannot be found in the gift shop can certainly be purchased in the vintage gaming shops of Tokyo’s Akihabara District. Click here to read our blog post about Japan’s unique legacy of animation as an art form and Akihabara district!
Ticketing
To enter, Nintendo fans must sign up three months in advance via the museum’s website and enter to win a “lucky draw.” If selected, tickets must be purchased immediately, or they will be released to the next person on the waitlist.
Prices (tax included) are as follows:
Adults (18+) – 3,300 yen
Youth (12-17) – 2,200 yen
Children (6-11) – 1,100 yen o Preschoolers (0-5) – Free
Hours
Regular Hours: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM, every day except Tuesday (Exception: If Tuesday is a national holiday, the museum will be open but closed the following day (Wednesday).
Closed: December 30 – January 3
