You Can Now Book A Reservation To Stay In Nintendo's Former HQ
The former HQ in Kyoto has been transformed into a hotel, and is taking reservations now.
If it was ever your dream to enjoy a relaxing break in the heart of Nintendo’s humble origins, boy do I have news for you. I can’t imagine this is an announcement that anyone saw coming, but it’s been confirmed that Nintendo’s former HQ in Kyoto has been transformed into a hotel, and you can already make reservations for it.
As reported by Japanese news site Gamer, the hotel is set to open its doors from April, under the new name “Marufukurou”. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be huge, as there’s apparently going to be 18 guest rooms, including seven suites. The space will include the original head office, and will also be merged with a new building, designed by world-famous architect Tadao Ando. And honestly? It genuinely looks really nice.
Or, if relaxation is less your thing, there's always Super Nintendo World, which opened at Universal Studios Japan last March. Check it out below.
A stay at the hotel definitely won’t come cheap - a room for two people will cost you around 100,000 yen per night, which is about £642. Though, it’s apparently all-inclusive, so breakfast, dinner, drinks in the lounge, and even a minibar in your room is all included in the cost. Still not a cheap thrill, though.
The former HQ’s history dates way back to 1889, when Fusajiro Yamauchi founded Yamauchi Nintendo, a company that produced and marketed hanafuda (a type of Japanese playing cards). From then, they branched out into many other ventures, including toy making. It wasn’t until 1972 though that they began dabbling with video games, becoming the company we’re more familiar with today.
The name of the hotel is a nod to the name of a distribution company that Yamauchi’s son-in-law established in 1947 to distribute hanafuda, called Marufuku Co., Ltd., so it’s nice that its in-keeping with the history there. And again, if you genuinely want to stay here, you can - here’s their website. With there only being 18 rooms, chances are it’s going to fill up fast, so be speedy about it.
Featured Image Credit: Nintendo, Christophe95 via Wikimedia CommonsTopics: Nintendo