Nintendo Museum Kyoto — How to Get Tickets and Visit (Uji)

Admission is by advance reservation only — there are no same-day or walk-in tickets. Officially, tickets are allocated through a monthly lottery on Nintendo's website: you apply for a date and time slot, and if you win, you buy at face value. The catch is that the lottery is heavily oversubscribed and hard to win, especially for weekends and holidays. The alternative is a guaranteed, pre-secured entry ticket through a reseller like GetYourGuide (booked above), which costs more but removes the lottery gamble — the route most overseas visitors with fixed travel dates end up taking.

Official admission is around 3,300 yen for adults (18+), about 2,200 yen for ages 12–17, and about 1,100 yen for ages 6–11, with under-6s free — but that's only if you win the lottery at face value. Guaranteed, pre-booked tickets through resellers cost more (a premium for certainty and a confirmed slot). Decide based on how firm your Kyoto dates are: flexible and patient, try the lottery; fixed itinerary, the guaranteed route is the safer bet.

The museum opened in October 2024 and demand has been enormous, while capacity per time slot is deliberately limited to keep the experience comfortable. The monthly lottery is oversubscribed many times over, so plenty of applicants don't win — which is exactly why guaranteed-entry tickets exist and sell. If your dates are fixed, don't rely on winning the lottery.

It's in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture — on the site of a former Nintendo factory — roughly 20–30 minutes from central Kyoto by train. The nearest station is Ogura on the Kintetsu Kyoto Line, a short walk away. It's an easy half-day trip out from Kyoto Station; build in time for the museum plus Uji itself, which is famous for matcha and the Byodo-in temple.

The museum runs timed-entry sessions through the day and is closed on Tuesdays (and over the New Year period). Because entry is slot-based, your ticket specifies the exact date and time you can enter — there's no turning up whenever you like. Confirm the current schedule and your slot on your booking before you travel.

The museum tells Nintendo's whole story, from its origins as a hanafuda (playing card) maker through its consoles and games, with large interactive exhibits you play rather than just look at, plus a workshop, a café, and a shop. For Nintendo fans it's a genuine bucket-list visit; even casual visitors enjoy the interactive floor. It's a focused half-day rather than an all-day park, so pair it with Uji or central Kyoto.

Yes — the interactive exhibits are built for hands-on play and land well with children and teens, and the age-tiered pricing reflects that it's a family destination. Younger Nintendo fans tend to love it. Just remember it's reservation-only with a fixed time slot, so plan the day around your entry time rather than dropping in.

Photography is allowed in much of the museum, though some specific exhibits or areas may restrict it, and tripods/commercial shooting are not permitted — signs and staff indicate where to put the camera away. You'll get plenty of shareable moments on the interactive floor and at the giant exhibits; just watch for the no-photo markers.

Yes — the entry ticket booked through this page is a pre-secured, date-specific admission, so you skip the lottery entirely and lock in your visit. It's the simplest option if you have fixed Kyoto travel dates and don't want to gamble on the official draw. Check the exact date and time slot on the booking before you pay, and book early — guaranteed slots for popular dates go quickly too.