Nintendo Museum

Why it is worth it

Nintendo has never had a museum anywhere else in the world, and there is no second one. Everything else on this site that carries the Nintendo name is a shop.

Only here

Museum-only goods, and the hanafuda you assemble yourself in the workshop.

When to go

Every session is capacity-limited by the lottery, so it is never crowded inside. The difficulty is entirely in getting a ticket.

Good to know

Tickets are sold by lottery through a free Nintendo Account, and applications open three months before the visit date — you pick up to three preferred dates and results come by email on the 1st of the following month. Payment is taken only if you win. This means you must decide your Japan dates roughly four months ahead, which is the single hardest part of visiting. There is no same-day ticket. Getting there is also restricted: cars, taxis, motorbikes and bicycles are not allowed, so you must come by train. Workshop sessions are booked separately on site and cost extra.

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