The initial headquarter office of Nintendo, first built in 1930, has been revamped and is opening as a hotel on April 1st, 2022. The hotel, “Marufukuro”, is an 18 room boutique hotel with partial renovations of the original building and a new annex designed by renowned Japanese architect, Tadao Ando. The project was spearheaded and will be operated by Plan Do See Inc., a global hospitality group with its head office in Tokyo, Japan.
Kagiyacho, Kyoto, Japan – a quiet area between two rivers and just North of Kyoto Station, is known to be the birthplace of now world famous Nintendo. Prior to how we know the brand today as the leading company for TV games, Nintendo’s first success in entertainment was as a manufacturer for playing cards. In 1930, Yamauchi, the founding family of Nintendo, built its initial headquarters in the Kagiyacho area, and soon established “Marufuku Inc.”, the first company to mass produce and sell playing cards in Japan. The company thrived in the area until its relocation in 1959, and since then the building was left vacant. This coming April 1st, the building will be reborn into a hotel “Marufukuro” named after the predecessor of Nintendo, paying respect to its history in entertainment.
*Marufukuro from the outside
*Inside Marufukuro
Marufukuro is an all inclusive 18 room luxury boutique hotel with 7 suite rooms. The guest rooms have different interior and design details, entertaining guests every time they visit and stay in a different room. The unique rooms include the Japanese Suite, a room with traditional Japanese Tatami room with an outdoor bath, or the Residential Suite, a room fully designed by Tadao Ando with a small pantry area and a laundry machine, perfect for longterm stays. For those that are looking for the ultimate experience, the Marufukuro Suite is the only room in the hotel that extends over both the original and new annex where guests can enjoy the original retro vibe as well as the contemporary design by Tadao Ando.
*Japanese Suite Outdoor Bath
*Residential Suite by Tadao Ando
*Marufukuro Suite Living Room
The nightly price is inclusive of breakfast, dinner, midday to nighttime light bites, as well as drinks including alcohol and the in-room minibar. Breakfast and Dinner is served at the restaurant “carta.” located within the hotel. Carta. is overseen by famed female chef Ai Hosokawa, known for her gentle and thorough techniques using natural and local ingredients. The hotel also consists of multiple lounges where guests can relax and order light bites while they help themselves to a glass of wine or a cocktail.
*Restaurant carta.
*Dinner menu (may vary depending on the season)
*Guest Lounge
A special experience only available here at Marufukuro is the visit to “Library dNa”. The library embodies Nintendo’s history and culture as interpreted by Nintendo’s founder, Yamauchi family. The unique space is filled with playful, original items, weaving a story encompassing memories from the past and thoughts on the future. The Library also consists of a bar counter with a selection of Japanese and International Whisky, as well as an outdoor area.
*Library dNa designed and created by the Yamauchi Family (a collective term used for Yamauchi Inc., Yamauchi Foundation, and Yamauchi No.10 Family Office)
<Hotel Summary>
Name: Marufukuro
Website: https://marufukuro.com/en
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyoto.marufukuro/
Address: 342 Kagiyacho Shimogyo Ku, Kyoto Japan 600-8126
Phone: +81-75-353-3355
Number of rooms: 18（33㎡ 〜 79㎡）
Check-in time: 3pm
Check-out time: 12pm
All areas of the hotel property are exclusive to those that are staying at the hotel, and is not open to the public.
