beforemario: A Nintendo Pilgrimage: My Unforgettable Week in Kyoto (part 1)

Last October, I embarked on what can only be described as the most unforgettable Nintendo week of my life.

It all unfolded in Kyoto — the birthplace of Nintendo and still the beating heart of all things Nintendo.

Over the course of just seven days, I visited the Nintendo store, spent a night at the historic Marufukuro hotel (the former Nintendo headquarters), and experienced the Nintendo Museum on its opening day—and again two days later. We met, for the first time as a group, with long-time friends and fellow Nintendo historians, tracked down a copy of a rare and significant document from Nintendo's history, and enjoyed dinner with the legendary Satoru Okada, former head of R&D at Nintendo. We paid our respects to his late mentor, Gunpei Yokoi, and ended the journey with a visit to Super Nintendo World in Osaka.

It was a week packed with memories, insights, and fun activities — too much to cover in a single blog post. So this will be a series, where I will do my best to share the experience. Let's-a go!

It's not going to happen, or is it?

In an interview with Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream before to the opening of the Nintendo Museum, Shigeru Miyamoto - the legendary game designer and unofficial director of the museum - reflected on its creation:

今回ミュージアムを作ろうと決めたとき、一番心配したのは山内（山内溥さん、元任天堂社長）がいたら「そんなもんやめとけ」と言うだろうな、ということでした。

When we decided to create the museum, my biggest worry was thinking, "If Yamauchi-san were still around, he'd probably say, 'Don't bother with something like that.'"

For decades, Hiroshi Yamauchi, the long-time president of Nintendo, guided the company with a relentless focus on innovation over retrospection. This mindset made the idea of a museum seem at odds with Nintendo’s forward-thinking philosophy. Honestly, until a few years ago, I also believed that Nintendo would never "bother with that."

Yet here we are. In a Nintendo Direct streamed in August 2024, Shigeru Miyamoto stands at the entrance of the soon-to-be-opened Nintendo Museum in Kyoto, Japan.

A Museum Years in the Making

The first announcement came three years earlier, in June 2021, when Nintendo revealed its intention to establish "...a new gallery to showcase the many products Nintendo has launched over its history...as a way to share Nintendo’s product development history and philosophy with the public."

The location was also confirmed: "... the Nintendo Uji Ogura Plant will be renovated to accommodate the gallery, a decision reached after taking consideration of The City of Uji’s plan of re-developing the nearby Ogura Station area".

The Nintendo Uji Plant back in 1970

The Nintendo Uji Ogura Plant is a facility on the outskirts of Kyoto that had been in use since the 1970s but was inactive since 2016.

The Uji Plant at around the time of the 'Nintendo Gallery' announcement

An artist’s impression included in the press release offered a first glimpse of the planned transformation.

The announcement sparked great excitement among the Nintendo fan community, myself included. But patience was required—three years of it, as Nintendo clarified that "the facility, tentatively named 'Nintendo Gallery'... is expected to be completed within our 2023 Fiscal Year, which ends in March 2024."

Renovation underway

Anticipation and Surprises

In the years that followed, updates were scarce. Yet the visible changes to the building’s exterior made it clear that significant work was underway to transform it into a museum (sorry, 'gallery').

At one point, Nintendo teased fans with an aerial photo of the building's roof, now adorned with a massive question block.

Then, 2024 arrived. The projected completion date of March 2024 came and went without news. Nearly half a year later, a Nintendo Direct was announced for August 19, focusing on the now officially named Nintendo Museum.

In this Nintendo Direct (which is still available here) Shigeru Miyamoto led a tour of the museum, offering a clear preview of what awaited visitors.

The presentation also answered a crucial question: would the museum cover Nintendo’s pre-video game history? To my delight—and I’m sure to the delight of all Before Mario readers—the answer was yes.

The Direct also revealed the opening date: October 2, 2024. Less than two months away!

Securing the Golden Ticket

Plans were made for a visit, but one hurdle remained: tickets were to be assigned by a lottery, with demand expected to exceed supply. Applicants could select up to three preferred time slots, and the application process would open the day after the Nintendo Direct announcement.

Despite slim chances, we had to try to get tickets for the opening day.

Then came a two-week wait for the results.

On September 1, the draw results began arriving in email inboxes. Most received disappointing "no tickets" messages.

Hearing this from friends and online posts, I feared the same fate. But to my surprise and delight, my application was successful: tickets for the opening day, with a morning time slot!

Overjoyed, I immediately shared the news with fellow Nintendo enthusiasts and friends Florent Gorges and Fabrice Heilig, who were included in my application.