
You don’t need to know a Shino from a Mario from a Zelda to appreciate the Nintendo Museum, but anyone who spent their childhood (or—no judgment—staeekend) glued to their Nintendo Switch or vintage Game Boy may find themselves transported. The two-story museum opened in October in Uji, about 30 minutes south of Kyoto, on the site of the company’s former Uji Ogura plant, where the Hanafuda trading cards that put the company on Japan’s map were once printed. It’s a fitting location, considering how much of the museum is devoted to displaying artifacts from the gaming giant’s 135-year history. (Who knew they once made a stroller?) On the interactive floor, visitors can team up to operate an oversized Wii Remote or play a version of 1968’s Ultra Machine SP, which involves using a padded bat to hit balls around a room filled with era-appropriate furniture. Post-gaming snacks are available at Hatena Burger, which boasts so many bun and topping options that it claims 270,000 different burger combos are possible. To keep the crowds down, tickets are sold by a randomly selected drawing of Nintendo account holders about three months in advance.