Nintendo Museum
| Nintendo Museum | ||||
 Nintendo Museum | ||||
| Location | Kyoto, Japan | |||
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| Status | Operating | |||
| Opened | October 2, 2024 | |||
| Operated by | Nintendo | |||
| Website
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The Nintendo Museum is a museum located in Uji City, Kyoto, Japan, and officially opened on October 2, 2024. It showcases the history of the company from its founding in 1889 as a manufacturer of playing cards to its rise as a global leader in the video game industry, with several interactive exhibits where visitors can play classic Nintendo games using unique setups, like oversized controllers.
Background
Nintendo was founded in 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi and initially produced hanafuda, traditional Japanese playing cards. Visitors to the museum can learn about this period through displays where they can even create their own hanafuda cards as part of an interactive experience. In the 1970s, Nintendo began focusing on video games, with a major breakthrough in 1981 when Shigeru Miyamoto created Donkey Kong (1981 video game), which introduced the character of Mario. The museum has several exhibits dedicated to this period, featuring early arcade machines and consoles that helped make Nintendo a major force in the gaming industry.
Features
The museum focuses heavily on the Japanese concept of omotenashi (hospitality), which is reflected in the design of the exhibits. Visitors are encouraged to explore at their own pace, with exhibits designed to be intuitive and enjoyable without needing lengthy explanations.[1]
Another key aspect of the museum is Nintendo’s emphasis on gameplay and fun, which has always been central to its design philosophy. Visitors can see how this approach influenced games like Super Mario Bros. and continues to shape modern titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
First Floor
The first floor of the Nintendo Museum features several interactive stations where visitors can experience some of Nintendo’s classic products.
- Shigureden SP: A digital display exploring Hyakunin poems.
- Zapper & Scope SP: An exhibit where visitors can use the famous Zapper and Super Scope light guns to play shooting games.
- Ultra Machine SP: A recreation of the 1960s toy that lets visitors hit balls from a mechanical pitcher.
- Ultra Hand SP: A station where visitors use the classic Ultra Hand toy to grab objects, but with a Pokémon twist to it.
- Love Tester SP: Two people can hold their hands together and measure their Love level.
- Game & Watch SP: Visitors can use their shadows to play the first two Game & Watch games, Ball and Manhole.
- Nintendo Classics: 80 playable games from some ever-gold classics, such as Famicom and NES, Super Famicom and Super NES, and N64.
- Big Controller: A playful exhibit where visitors can use oversized controllers to play Nintendo games.
Second Floor
The second floor is focused on the history of Nintendo’s consoles, displaying nearly every console the company has ever released. Large statues of famous characters like Mario and Link (The Legend of Zelda) are also present, alongside rare items and prototypes, including early designs of consoles and controllers. Some highlights include:
- Nintendo playing cards
- Nintendo handheld consoles
- Family Computer & Nintendo Entertainment System
- Super Famicom & Super Nintendo Entertainment System
- Nintendo 64
- Nintendo GameCube
- Wii
- Wii U
- Nintendo Switch
Workshops
The museum also offers hands-on workshops that focus on Nintendo’s history with playing cards:
- Craft Room- Let’s Make Hanafuda!: Visitors can create their own hanafuda playing cards using a specially made kit.
- Play Room - Try Playing Hanafuda!: Visitors can learn to play the traditional card game hanafuda based on hana-awase, using image recognition and projection.
Additional Information
- Coins: To enjoy some of the interactive exhibits, the museum grants visitors 10 digital coins, which can be used only inside the museum.
- Café: The museum has a café, Hatena Burger, where visitors can enjoy Nintendo-themed food and drinks.
- Shop: Bonus Stage, a gift shop, offers exclusive Nintendo merchandise, including collectables not available elsewhere.
- Tickets: Visitors are encouraged to book in advance to secure a spot. The tickets are sold through a lottery system, and special passes are available for those wanting to participate in the workshops.
- Location and Access: The museum is located in Uji City, Kyoto, in a building that was previously the Nintendo Uji Ogura Plant. It is accessible via Ogura Station on the Kyoto Line (Kintetsu) and JR Ogura Station on the JR Nara Line.[2][3]
Gallery
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Nintendo in the past -
The consoles featured in the museum -
The museum from inside -
Mario-themed pillars -
Hyakunin poems as part of Shigureden SP -
The Hatena Burger café
References
External links
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This article is part of Project Real-Life, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on Pokémon activities and events experienced in the real world. |
