Nintendo Museum opening date, location, and more

I remember the 2021 announcement of the Nintendo Museum. It was the middle of COVID, so just imaging traveling to Kyoto and surrounding yourself with all things Nintendo felt like a wonderful dream. More than three years later, that dream finally has a chance to become reality.

Nowadays, Nintendo has an inextricable association with video games—and is the only studio that seems to be actively growing amidst a current industry-wide slump, for that matter. But Nintendo is an incredibly old company, founded in 1889. They have a rich history as a hanafuda card marker and a toy company, preceding their ascendency to the most recognizable name in gaming.

The Nintendo Museum will venture to connect the company’s origins to the Mario-ness of it all. From what we can see so far, the result looks incredible.

Where is it (and why is it there)?

The Nintendo Museum is in Uji, which is essentially a southern suburb of Kyoto, Japan. That’s a convenient location, as Kyoto is one of the hotbeds of tourism to Japan—perhaps too much so, as the city has recently been suffering from over-tourism.

But the museum’s location holds much more meaning than being located near a tourist hotspot. For one, Nintendo was founded in Kyoto, and the company’s headquarters are still in Kyoto today.

The museum is built on the site of the old Ogura Plant, which Nintendo constructed in 1969. Originally, the Ogura Plant was used to manufacture Hanafuda cards and playing cards. Once Nintendo became the video game monolith it is today, the Ogura Plant transitioned into a service center for product repairs. In 2016, repairs all moved to a different plant in Uji, leaving Nintendo to brainstorm new ideas for the building. And so, the first ideas for a “Nintendo Gallery” were born.

What’s inside?

Although initially pitched to simply be a “gallery,” the Nintendo Museum evolved into something much more grand. According to an August 2024 Nintendo Direct, the museum is two floors. The top floor showcases Nintendo’s history and evolution. For example, there will be displays about each of its gaming systems’ worldwide releases, featuring giant versions of the controllers tantalizingly hovering above.

The first floor is where things seem to get real good. It’s highly interactive, with eight distinct exhibits you can play using a card given upon entry, loaded with 10 coins. Several of the exhibits, like the Ultra Machine SP, marry modern Nintendo iconography with a classic Nintendo toy from the past. There’s also a Love Tester SP, which … hoo boy.

Most tantalizing are the Game and Watch SP, where you play the a classic pre-console Nintendo game using your own shadow; a library of over 80 games to play in-house; and … giant controllers. Yes, from the Famicom (a.k.a. the NES) through the Wii, you can play Nintendo games with two people collaborating to make sense of one giant controller. What the hell does that look like with the Wii? I’m there. I’m there tomorrow.

Additionally, you can pay 2000 yen (about $14) to create your own Hanafuda cards, and an additional 500 yen (about $3.50) to spend a half hour learning to play the game. There is also a café where you can customize your own hamburger, with reportedly 270,000 possible combinations, and a gift shop cheekily called Bonus Stage.

When does it open, and how to buy tickets?

The Nintendo Museum was initially slated for around March 2024, but the delay was slightly pushed back. The official opening date is October 2, 2024.

However, getting tickets is going to be tricky for a while. The Nintendo Museum is currently offering tickets on their website based on a lottery draw system. You can enter into each timed entry’s pool only once, but it seems like you can enter multiple pools. Keep in mind that you also need a Nintendo Account to enter, but those accounts are free—and it’s the same account you use to buy things in the eShop on your Switch.

An adult ticket is 3,300 yen, or about $23 USD. Let me know how those giant Wii controllers handle.