Nintendo has announced that its Uji Ogura plant will be turned into a public gallery to “showcase the many products Nintendo has launched over its history.” The factory, located in the Ogura district of Uji, a city just outside Kyoto, was built in 1969 and was mainly used for manufacturing playing cards and hanafuda cards, which is how Nintendo got started as a business in the 19th century.
“Nintendo has been discussing the possibility of building a gallery, as a way to share Nintendo’s product development history and philosophy with the public,” the company says in a statement. “To this end, the Nintendo Uji Ogura Plant will be renovated to accommodate the gallery, a decision reached after taking consideration of The City of Uji’s plan of re-developing the nearby Ogura Station area.”
Nintendo expects the gallery to be completed in its fiscal year from April 1st, 2023 to March 31st, 2024. Right now the working title is “Nintendo Gallery.” The facility will no doubt be popular with tourists visiting Kyoto, many of whom make the pilgrimage to Nintendo’s headquarters even though it’s a nondescript office block that’s closed to the public. And of course, the new Super Nintendo World area at Universal Studios Japan is located fairly close in neighboring Osaka.
