By Ashley Brown | Nerdventures
You pressed start on the original NES before you could read the box it came in. You heard the ding of a coin block and felt something shift in your chest. You watched Mario leap across a pixelated sky and thought — even then, without the words for it — I want to go there.
That feeling never really left, did it?
Here’s what most people don’t know: you actually can go there. Not a digital replica. Not a themed hotel room with Mario wall decals. I mean step-through-the-green-pipe, walk-into-the-Mushroom-Kingdom, actually go there — because Nintendo has spent the last several years building real-world destinations across the globe that do exactly that. And as someone who has researched, visited, and built itineraries around every single one of them, I can tell you: the experience is genuinely unlike anything else in pop-culture travel.
This is the complete guide to every Nintendo-themed destination on the planet right now — from flagship theme parks to secret underground cafés in Tokyo — written for the fan who wants to do this properly.
Where Nintendo Travel Actually Exists: The Full Map
The Nintendo travel ecosystem is bigger than most fans realize. It spans four countries, multiple cities, and experiences ranging from full immersive theme park lands to a secret café you can only find if you solve a puzzle. Here’s how it breaks down.
Super Nintendo World: Three Parks, One Dream
Universal Studios Japan — Osaka (The Original)
Images courtesy of Universal Studios Japan © Nintendo.
If Nintendo travel had a holy land, Universal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World in Osaka is it. This is where it all began, opening in 2021 after years of anticipation, and it still sets the benchmark. You enter through an oversized green Warp Pipe — and what’s on the other side genuinely stops you in your tracks.
Mount Beanpole towers overhead. Peach’s Castle dominates the skyline. Piranha Plants sway from ledges, Goombas pace the ground, and every surface you look at could have been ripped directly from a Super Mario level. The main attraction, Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, puts you inside a kart with an AR visor and has you racing through a full Koopa’s Castle course — spinning shells and banana peels included. USJ also houses the world’s first Donkey Kong Country expansion, with Mine-Cart Madness sending riders through a rickety jungle coaster that captures the physics of the original SNES game in a way that’s almost impossible to believe until you’re on it.
One detail I love telling fans: the park hides tiny Pikmin cameos throughout — near Mt. Beanpole, inside the Pikmin Binoculars attraction — small enough that most visitors walk past them entirely. Finding them is its own side quest!
Photo from Nintendo Wire
Universal Studios Hollywood — Los Angeles
The Hollywood version opened in February 2023 and is a more compact experience than Osaka or Orlando — single-storey, no Donkey Kong Country, and featuring only the Mario Kart ride. For West Coast fans or families whose trip isn’t Japan-focused, it’s still an immersive and worthy stop. The 1-Up Factory shop and Toadstool Café are both present, and the theming is executed with the same care as its bigger siblings.
EPIC Universe — Orlando, Florida (The Largest)
Photo from Florida Daily
Opened on May 22, 2025 as part of Universal’s brand new Epic Universe park, the Orlando Super Nintendo World is currently the biggest in the world — and it was worth the wait. The land is split into two distinct areas: Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country, each fully themed and packed with interactive content.
Three rides anchor the experience: Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge, Yoshi’s Adventure (a beautiful slow-ride through Mushroom Kingdom landscapes — perfect for younger fans), and Donkey Kong Mine-Cart Madness, a first-of-its-kind coaster that simulates the barrel-blast sequences from the original game with ride mechanics unlike anything else in the park.
Photo from AllEars
Toadstool Café serves Mario and Luigi-themed burgers, Super Mushroom Soup, Piranha Plant Caprese, and Fire Flower Spaghetti — all with Toads visible through virtual kitchen windows. The Power-Up Band wristbands turn the entire land into a live-action game, letting you punch Question Blocks, collect coins, and work toward a boss showdown with Bowser Jr.
For a U.S.-based fan who can’t make it to Japan, Orlando is the definitive Nintendo experience right now.
The Nintendo Museum — Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan
Photo ©Nintendo TM
This is the one that makes every Nintendo fan’s heart race when I tell them about it. It also has the most complicated ticketing situation in all of pop-culture travel — so pay attention.
The Nintendo Museum opened on October 2, 2024 in Uji City, about 20–30 minutes south of Kyoto Station by train on the JR Nara Line. It occupies Nintendo’s former Uji Ogura Plant, the factory where the company produced Hanafuda playing cards before pivoting to electronics — which means the building itself is part of the story. Walking through it with that context feels genuinely historic.
Inside, the two-floor space charts Nintendo’s entire 135-year journey, from hand-painted flower cards in 1889 to the Nintendo Switch. The first floor is hands-on: you get 10 digital coins on entry to spend at interactive exhibits, including a batting cage, giant NES controller co-op challenges, and over 80 classic games playable on original hardware. The second floor houses display cases of every console and handheld Nintendo ever released, in chronological order.
The café — called Hatena Burger, a nod to the Japanese name for the Question Block — serves fully customisable burgers and Nintendo-themed drinks. The gift shop, “Bonus Stage,” carries museum-exclusive merchandise you will not find at any Nintendo store globally.
The booking reality: Tickets are allocated through a random lottery system. You enter up to three months in advance via a free Nintendo Account, results drop on the first of the following month, and spots sell out immediately. This is not hyperbole — I build client trips around this lottery and treat it like a concert drop. Start planning early, stay flexible on dates, and have backup Kyoto activities ready. The good news: Uji is also home to Japan’s finest matcha tea, the UNESCO World Heritage Byōdō-in Temple, and the setting of The Tale of Genji — widely considered the world’s first novel. A day in Uji is never wasted either way.
The Official Nintendo Stores: Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto
Photo by Osaka Metro Nine
Nintendo operates three flagship retail stores across Japan, and all three are worth visiting — not just for merchandise, but as experiences in their own right.
Nintendo TOKYO in Shibuya PARCO (6th floor) was the first official Nintendo store in Japan, opening in 2019. The same floor houses a Pokémon Center, Capcom Store, and Jump Shop, turning the entire level into a gaming district worth spending a few hours in. Timed entry tickets are free but required during peak periods.
Nintendo OSAKA is slightly larger than its Tokyo counterpart and carries city-exclusive merchandise. It’s positioned alongside a Pokémon Center, One Piece store, and a Capcom Café — so if you’re waiting for your timed entry, there’s plenty to do nearby.
Nintendo KYOTO is the newest and most distinctive of the three. Character displays appear through screens rather than physical statues — very on-brand for Kyoto’s aesthetic sensibilities. Outside on the roof: a giant Mario on a flagpole, which makes for one of the best low-effort photo opportunities in the city.
Each store carries a small selection of city-exclusive items — specific Kyoto-branded plushies, Osaka-tagged shirts, Tokyo-only pins — so visiting all three is genuinely worth it for the serious collector.
Nintendo NEW YORK at 10 Rockefeller Plaza rounds out the international picture. The two-storey, 10,000-square-foot flagship at Rockefeller Center has been the brand’s North American home since 2005, featuring a small museum of past Nintendo hardware on the second floor, playable Switch demos, and exclusive merchandise. A solid addition to any New York City itinerary.
What a Nintendo Fan’s Japan Itinerary Actually Looks Like
For clients I send to Japan on a Nintendo-focused trip, here’s how a dedicated itinerary takes shape — beyond the obvious.
Tokyo (Days 1–3): Nintendo TOKYO in Shibuya is the anchor, but the real hidden gem is 84 Hashi Café — a secret Nintendo-themed café owned by a former Nintendo engineer who spent 40 years collecting memorabilia, signed artwork, and rare items from franchises including The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Mario. The location is deliberately kept secret: you book a 90-minute experience, solve the puzzle to find it, and receive the address only after confirming your reservation. The Zelda discovery jingle reportedly plays the moment you figure out where it is. People have described this as the single highlight of their entire Japan trip!
Photo from Tokyo Weekender
Uji Day Trip (Day 4): Assuming you’ve entered the Nintendo Museum lottery (enter early — three months out!), dedicate a full day to Uji. Add a matcha tasting at Nakamura Tokichi Honten and a walk around Byōdō-in Temple before or after. If the lottery doesn’t come through on the first attempt, spend the day in Nara and rebook.
Osaka (Days 5–7): Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan takes a full day, ideally two if you want to experience everything without rushing. The Donkey Kong expansion draws its own crowd — Mine-Cart Madness in particular. Nintendo OSAKA fills any gaps in your merchandise list from Tokyo.
Kyoto (Day 8): Nintendo KYOTO, and the Nintendo Museum if the lottery came through.
On the Kirby Café: Three permanent locations exist in Japan — Tokyo Skytree (Solamachi complex, 4th floor), Canal City Hakata in Fukuoka, and Daimaru Shinsaibashi in Osaka. Tokyo reservations are notoriously difficult to secure; Fukuoka is the easiest. The menu features Kirby-shaped burgers with pink buns, Maxim Tomato soup, and seasonal desserts that change throughout the year. If Tokyo doesn’t open up, book Fukuoka — a side trip there is worth it for the ramen alone.
Questions Fans Ask Before Booking a Nintendo Trip
Is it worth going to Japan just for Nintendo experiences?
Yes — especially if you pair it with Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan and the Nintendo Museum in Uji. Japan is also home to Nintendo TOKYO, the Kirby Café, and 84 Hashi Café, meaning a dedicated 7–10 day itinerary can be built almost entirely around Nintendo and gaming culture. That said, Japan is one of the world’s great travel destinations independently — there are so many other amazing things to do while there. The Nintendo layer simply makes it unmissable for fans.
How difficult is it to get tickets for the Nintendo Museum in Kyoto?
Extremely competitive. Tickets are allocated through a monthly lottery via Nintendo’s official website, opening three months before your desired visit date, with results announced on the first of the following month. Treat it like trying to book a sold-out concert and plan accordingly. Having a travel specialist who builds the lottery window into your itinerary planning — rather than working around it after the fact — makes a significant difference.
Which Super Nintendo World is best to visit?
It depends on where you’re starting from. Universal Studios Japan (Osaka) is the most historically significant — it’s the original, has the most content, and sits within Japan’s broader Nintendo travel ecosystem. EPIC Universe in Orlando is currently the largest and most technologically advanced, and the easiest to reach for U.S.-based fans. Universal Studios Hollywood is the most accessible for a West Coast trip but offers the least content. If you can only go to one: Japan, full stop.
I plan Nintendo travel trips for fans at every level — from the solo traveller entering the Nintendo Museum lottery for the third time to families building their first Japan holiday around Super Nintendo World. If you’ve been sitting on this idea, now is the time. The destinations exist. The experiences are real. The only thing missing is the itinerary.
What’s on your Nintendo travel bucket list? The Museum? The Kirby Café? Let me know!
Photo ©Nintendo TM & © Universal Studios. All rights reserved
Ashley Brown is a certified travel agent and pop-culture travel specialist at Nerdventures. She builds bespoke itineraries for fans who want to step inside the worlds they love.
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