Architectural Tour of the Former Nintendo HQ in Kyoto with a Modern Wing by Tadao Ando

Marufukuro – the Former Nintendo HQ Renovated and Reimagined as a Hotel

Global game and game console legend Nintendo is a Kyoto-founded and Kyoto-based company. Today, its historic former headquarters in the Marufukuro building of the city’s Kagiyamachi neighborhood has been renovated as a hotel with an additional wing by world-class architect Tadao Ando. Step inside the hotel to experience how Ando has given this beautiful century-old Art Deco building new life, bridging past and future.

The Marufukuro complex consists of three historic buildings and one new add-on

Founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi as a small hanafuda playing card manufacturer going by the trade name Marufuku, the Nintendo of today is a behemoth of the video gaming world and one of the most famous Japanese companies on earth. 

Nintendo began its life as a manufacturer of hanafuda playing cards

The company’s former head office was born anew in April of 2022, opening its doors as Hotel Marufukuro – a name which pays homage to Nintendo’s old trade name “Marufuku.” The hotel consists of four wings: three from the original building and one recent addition designed and overseen by Tadao Ando himself. It embodies a unique beauty that perfectly reflects the city of Kyoto’s juxtaposition of respect for tradition and embrace of the new, and guests of this Wabunka exclusive plan can enjoy its features inside and out.

A Building at the Crossroads of Eras

As soon as you lay eyes on it from the main street facing the entrance, Marufukuro transports you through time. Inside, preserved historic details such as the lighting fixtures, tiles, and glass draw the eye and capture the atmosphere of the building in its original state. Each closer look turns up even more such relics of those days.

The building facing the main street was once an office

Begin the tour with a welcome speech from the staff at the hotel’s unique library created by the Yamauchis – the family of Nintendo’s original founder. Listen to an outline of the highlights of the tour to come, as well as a talk about Nintendo’s founding philosophy as communicated by the items in the library. The library also features such classic Nintendo paraphernalia as the first generation Famicom (known in the Western world as the NES) – which may strike some as surprisingly primitive compared to modern machines, but is sure to strike others as downright nostalgic.

The experience begins in the playfully-designed library

A Tour of Old and New

Touring the premises, visitors are sure to be delighted by the fusion of old and new, not least of which is the century-old Art Deco style of the original buildings alongside the sleek modern wing. Tadao Ando is a leading architect of Japan and a winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, one of architecture’s highest honors. The new wing of the Marufukuro showcases his iconic hyper-modern exposed-concrete style, and features his trademark green apple paintings, which he describes as a symbol of “eternal and unfading youth.”

Exposed concrete walls decorated with images of green apples, a combination that is a hallmark of Ando’s work

The complex – which once served as offices, residences, and a warehouse – has today been completely remodeled into the Marufukuro hotel and its guest rooms, but visitors can still find traces of the days when the building was devoted to manufacturing and selling hanafuda playing cards. This is no faux “retro” facade harnessing nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake, but a genuine showcase of authentic period design remodeled to incorporate the historic fixtures, decorations, and other items in their original forms.

The guest room wing, renovated from a former warehouse, still houses the old warehouse elevator

Not only have these items from the time of the company’s founding been preserved, but other relics like keys and ledgers have been repurposed as art features. Nintendo aficionados, history buffs, and architecture and design enthusiasts alike are all sure to lose themselves in the study of every last detail. In addition to the new wing, the three original buildings all have their own unique characters which visitors can admire up close in the design, Art Deco touches, and various practical items repurposed into decorative art.

History is palpable everywhere, such as in old Nintendo warehouse boxes and keys repurposed as art

Exclusive Wabunka Sweets and Drinks in the Library

When the tour is complete, head back to the library for a Wabunka-exclusive dessert plate and bottomless drinks (alcohol and soft drinks included). The library, known as “dNa” is a special space off-limits to regular diners, and – as its name might suggest – a window into the embryonic elements of Nintendo’s operations and philosophy.

Local Kyoto beverages on offer including beer from Nishijin and wine from Tamba

Visitors to the library can browse books curated by Marufukuro that relate to Nintendo or iconic Kyoto architecture (both Japanese and English publications are available), and you can peruse them at your leisure while enjoying your drink of choice.

Wabunka-exclusive dessert plate with seasonal ingredients (contents may vary)

A Microscope on Nintendo’s DNA

This experience also offers the chance to examine a variety of collections and exhibits augmented with expert commentary – including hanafuda cards reimagined as digital art, the original Famicom (or NES), and (for a bit of obscure spiritual symbolism perhaps alluding to never being satisfied with a single achievement) a daruma doll with its eyes removed that represents the stoic attitude of founder Yamauchi toward his company. You don’t have to be a fan of Nintendo to appreciate these fascinating pieces and the ideas behind them.

The library, off-limits to regular diners

This plan is a special opportunity for a guided tour of the interior of the Marufukuro Hotel, filled with the history and philosophy behind the founding of Nintendo. Visitors can enjoy a Wabunka-exclusive experience of sweets and drinks in the library. Enjoy a luxurious trip through living Kyoto history like you’ll find nowhere else.