On October 2, 2024, Nintendo inaugurated its first dedicated museum in Uji, near Kyoto, Japan. This landmark venue offers visitors a comprehensive journey through the company's storied history since its founding in 1889, featuring classic consoles and games.
The museum spans two floors. The first showcases various products launched by Nintendo, highlighting its evolution over the decades. The second floor features an expansive digital screen covering the floor, where visitors can engage with traditional Japanese card games and partake in up to eight interactive activities.
These interactive exhibits require digital coins, which are exclusively usable within the museum. Activities cater to gaming enthusiasts, allowing them to experience everything from batting balls launched by machines to using the 'Big Controller'—a giant controller from the classic Nintendo 64—for multiplayer gaming.
Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary game designer behind the iconic Super Mario franchise, provides a guided video tour on the museum's official website, showcasing the various rooms and interactive experiences available.
The museum's opening aligns with Nintendo's broader strategy to diversify its revenue streams, which includes the launch of the Super Nintendo World theme park at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka in 2021. The museum will be open from Wednesday to Monday, from 10 AM to 6 PM. Tickets, available through a lottery system on the official website, are priced differently based on age categories, with adults paying 3,300 yen (approximately 21 euros), youth aged 12-17 paying 2,200 yen (around 14 euros), and children aged 6-11 paying 1,100 yen (7 euros).