Nintendo has a new temple for all its fans: a museum in Kyoto, Japan. It’s not just any museum with four Super Mario statues and a cafeteria, but an interactive place full of collections of video games and products that the company has released throughout its history. The place doesn’t look bad. One day after its opening, it was clear it was a success. In fact, it’s had so much success that Nintendo has decided to take radical measures.
The Nintendo Museum is in Nintendo’s former Uji Kokura factory. This facility dates back to 1969. Although it’s been a technical support center for console repair until now, it was initially responsible for manufacturing Hanafuda, a type of Japanese playing card. Let’s not forget that Nintendo started out selling playing cards.
The Nintendo Museum presents all the company’s releases without going into the weeds. “You don’t need any special knowledge or familiarity with video games to make the most of your visit,” the museum’s website says. “Please enjoy the museum at your own pace and create your own connections,” it concludes.
That’s on the second floor. The museum has an interactive, coin-operated play area on the first floor. Each visitor receives 10 coins at the entrance. However, the museum claims that trying out the eight experiences available with these 10 coins is impossible. One of them is painting your own Hanafuda.
You can spend a lot of time here, but buying a ticket is more complicated than getting in.
One of the experiences at the Nintendo Museum.
How do you get in? By buying your ticket. But didn’t you say it wasn’t that easy? Well, there’s a trick. You don’t buy the ticket. You reserve it and enter a random drawing. If you’re selected in the drawing, you can complete the purchase. If anyone is interested, please note that the museum opened on Oct. 2, and no tickets are available for October, November, or December. The earliest available date is January 2025.
It’s an example of Nintendo’s convening power.
The gift shop. In addition to the museum’s success in attracting many visitors, there’s been a lot of hype around the gift shop. Of course, the Nintendo Museum has a gift shop, but not just any gift shop. It sells limited edition items such as key chains, magnets, pillows, and all sorts of merchandise.
The gift shop, which is a big point of interest.
And what does that mean? Well, why would you buy a single keychain or pillow shaped like a Nintendo 64 controller if you can buy four, keep one, and resell the others, taking advantage of the fact that they’re limited edition and likely to increase in price? That’s exactly what some people have done. These actions have forced Nintendo to limit purchases to prevent its merchandise from flying off the shelves.
One person, one pillow. Nintendo announced its decision on the official account of its museum on X. In the post, the company confirms that from now on, people can only buy one item from each collection, whether it’s a key ring, a set of Japanese playing cards, a museum case, or a pillow. In the case of magnets, only seven per person, or in other words, one box.
Images | Nintendo
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