"Nintendo" related spots are scheduled to open one after another in Kansai! Let's check out some of the hot spots.

Last year was a super busy year for Nintendo fans due to the release of Zelda, Pikmin, and Mario games, but the company is continuing to keep them busy this year too with more new video games and attractions!

Nintendo, a company loved by video game fans around the world, brought so much joy and excitement to us once again last year, and it is continuing to offer so many new things that you shouldn’t miss in 2024, such as “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” as well as “Princess Peach: Showtime!” featuring Princess Peach as the protagonist. In this article, we would like to introduce you our recommended sightseeing route in the Kansai area, covering the Nintendo mecca, newly opening facilities, etc. for enjoying the world of Nintendo.

The first one is Universal Studios Japan (or USJ), a popular theme park in Osaka, and it is about 70 minutes by bus from Kansai Airport. This spring, the super popular and immersive SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™ in USJ is receiving a huge upgrade! Donkey Kong Country, a new area for experiencing the jungle of Donkey Kong and his friends, is set to open this spring.

On the following day after enjoying a day full of fun at USJ, let’s head to the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto. They are currently building the museum in a town called Uji, at the company’s former factory site. Its details are still hidden under veil, but it is set to exhibit all the Nintendo products that have been released so far, according to the media reports, so it will surely be the fans’ must-see museum.

"Nintendo Museum" rendering

After exploring deeper into the world and history of Nintendo and increasing your love of Nintendo even more, let’s go to Nintendo KYOTO to get some Nintendo goods. Since Kyoto is the city in which the company was founded and where the company’s headquarters is now, the store incorporates dots, pixels, and grids—some of the earliest character design elements—in their interior decorations and store-exclusive items. The store carries over 1,500 products, including video games and video game consoles, sweets, as well as character-based merchandise such as stuffed toys, stationery, daily necessities, and apparel items.

A giant Super Mario statue welcomes visitors on the first floor of Takashimaya S.C.'s T8, where Nintendo KYOTO is located.

Various areas of the store, such as the walls and ceiling, are designed as squares in the image of a dot (grid).

If you are staying overnight in Kyoto, we recommend staying at Marufukuro, which is a hotel opened by renovating the old Nintendo head office building. Managed by a company called Plan･Do･See, the hotel restored the original building and interior and fused them with contemporary architecture designed by Tadao Ando. For details, check out one of our previous article entry on the hotel. ・Would you like to stay at NINTENDO's former head office building, Marufukuro?

It might be fun to plan a trip to Japan to visit Nintendo related spots.

■DATA 【SUPER NINTENDO WORLD™in Universal Studios Japan】 Address: 2-1-33 Sakurajima, Konohana-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka　　　 Official website:https://www.usj.co.jp/web/en/us ＊"Donkey Kong Country" is scheduled to open in 2024. 【Nintendo Museum】 Address:56 Kaguraden, Ogura-cho, Uji-shi, Kyoto ＊Scheduled to be completed by the end of March 2024; opening date to be determined. 【Nintendo KYOTO】 Address: Kyoto Takashimaya S.C. [T8] 7F, 35 Higashiiru, 2 Otabi-cho, Shijo-dori Teramachi, Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi TEL：0570-008-188 Opening hours: 10:00a.m. - 8:00p.m. Official website:https://www.nintendo.co.jp/officialstore/ 【Marufukuro】 Address: 342 Kagiyacho, Kamogawa Nishiiru, Shomen-dori, Shimogyo-ku, 600-8126, Kyoto TEL: 075-353-3355 Official website: https://marufukuro.com/en/

(Information as of February 2024.)