When you think about Japan you might think about Tokyo, Anime, Mount Fuji, Ninjas and if you were born in the 1980’s Nintendo. And you’d think that Nintendo one of the biggest video game companies in the world with one of the most iconic characters, Mario would be centered in the heart of Tokyo. And this super amazing company, the one that has a theme park section in development right now must be the center of fun right?

But it’s headquarters and research and design center are roughly an eight hour train ride, two and a half if you take the bullet train, away from that famous Japanese city. Located in a city called Kyoto, an a former capital of Japan. Lies many temples, museums, and more world heritage sites than you can shake a stick at. It’s a mountainous area and if your ever there I highly recommend you check out Fushimi Inari, it’s one of the most unique shrines in Kyoto if not Japan. If you have seen the movie “Memoirs of a Geshia” one of the most magical sequences in the film happens there.

Also from the vantage point you can actually see the Nintendo HQ.

But the question isn’t where is the Nintendo Company but why is the company out in the middle of nowhere in the city? Well the answer is simple, this is where the company started years ago! Nintendo as a company began in the 1800’s making playing cards in a building roughly about thirty minutes away by walking from its current HQ.

So what will you see when you make the trek out to the these buildings? A nintendo museum? A tour of the Headquarters? Mario coming out to personally shake your hand? I had to find this answer out myself!

Nope, nothing, this is a business and even if you beg to go in, they are probably not letting you in. The buildings themselves are no different from any other Japanese company other than the huge, Nintendo logo on the top of the building. But why should you go see these buildings? Well, if you are a fan of Nintendo, it’s a way to see where it all started and where the future of the company is being created. And also WHY THE HECK NOT? If you find yourself in Kyoto and you have the time, DO IT! You may not level up but, you can say you did something that few gamers have ever done.

But if you want to pay them a visit here is the address for the Headquarters,

11-1 Kamitoba-hokotate-cho, Minami-ku, Kyoto 601-8501, Japan.

And should you be even more daring and try to find the place where they started here’s the location of the playing card company.

34.99168, 135.76628

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