One of Nintendo of Japan’s aging factories is in plans to be converted into a museum and is tentatively called “Nintendo Gallery”.
Situated in Kyoto, Japan, the Nintendo Uji Ogura Plant and its surrounding land area will be used to build the construct. The purpose of which being to serve as repository for the company’s established portfolio since its foundation back in 1889.
A factory that’s been in stagnation since 2016, the decision to build a museum also draws from the city’s plans for renovation. Particularly, around the Ogura Station area where the plant is idly in place.
An Artifact
Originally built in 1969, the plant known simply as “Uji Plant” had been Nintendo’s milking cow in producing some of its merchandise. Namely, playing cards and Hanafuda cards, which played as bedrock to the company’s business operations before venturing into video games.
After nearly two decades since starting operation, in 1988, the Uji Plant had seen its first major renovation. It is also during this time when the infrastructure itself will see an upgrade and subsequent renaming to “Uji Ogura Plant”. Since then, the location has served as a customer service center involving product repairs.
Boosting Tourism
Anticipated to be in operation by 2024, the Nintendo Gallery will offer great potential in boosting the region’s tourism. Simultaneously, it will also serve as a form of marketing for the Japanese company, building meaningful connections to newer generations. Considering Nintendo’s now more than a century of staying power, newer audiences will have a lot of digging to go through. One that will be made simpler once the museum is already in working order.
Nintendo in Hindsight
The idea that a household name among gamers having started off as an enterprise on tangible goods might surprise some. However, it was not really until the game ventured into creating compelling games that it got the world’s attention. Initially, by producing the Game & Watch, which sold by the millions. The success is further fueled when it started moving towards game development for arcades and subsequently for its own consoles.
In retrospect, Nintendo has truly come a long way from its humble beginnings as a maker of handmade playing cards. Not only is the company popular for its myriad of hardware IPs, it’s also brought forth titles that are as valuable. Countless literature can literally be made to chronicle those successes. But nothing does it more justice than seeing them first-hand in a gallery.
Image used courtesy of Nintendo