Reservations for a night in gaming history are now being accepted. If you are searching out an area to stay in Kyoto, various hotels present you with a pleasant bed for the nighttime. Only one, though, can be capable of providing you with a bed in addition to a side of gaming history.
Marufukuro, a new hotel housed inside Nintendo’s former headquarters, is the hotel we’re talking about. That’s correct — the hotel lies on holy ground for gamers, as it’s the exact spot where Fusajiro Yamauchi created Nintendo in 1889 as Nintendo Koppai. The building completed its construction almost a hundred years ago, dating back to 1933. Right then, the company renamed itself “Yamauchi Nintendo.” During the early days after its newfound name, they began to specialize in playing cards that were famous in western regions known as “karuta” and “toranpu” before the 20th century.
Therefore, the words “toranpu” (“トランプ,” written from left to right by Western standards) and “karuta”(“かるた,” written right-to-left according to Japanese conventions) can be found on a plaque visible before you enter the building.
As the company grew, it formed a new distribution company called Marufuku to help sell playing cards on a large scale. Hence the name of the new hotel on the grounds, Marufukuro, with the “ro” at the end suggesting an opulent structure or grand castle. As the company grew in size, it eventually relocated its offices to larger quarters in 1959, by which time it had changed its name yet again to Nintendo Playing Card Company.
The original headquarters had been unoccupied since the relocation until Plan Do See, a Tokyo-based company specializing in historic building renovations, came in to turn it into a hotel. The new hotel’s launch date is rumored to be the first of April. The hotel features a total of 18 rooms comprising of 7 suites. Guest rooms are claimed to have a variety of furnishings, so you can uncover exciting things every time you visit.
Fans will be pleased to learn that many of the original characteristics from the building’s heyday, notably the old-school facade, have been retained in its reincarnation as a hotel.
The Marufuku trademark insignia may also be found on the ferroconcrete exterior and an iron window guard, which comprises of the characters for “luck” enclosed in a “maru” (circle) to indicate “neverending. The hotel keeps its original furnishings while modernizing them, recreating a nostalgic elegance that harkens back to pre-war and post-Switch. While the building retains many of its original aspects, it also has modern conveniences throughout, and guests can choose to stay in restored rooms in either the old or new wing. You may enjoy modern amenities while learning about Japan’s gaming heritage at the hotel, which offers a restaurant, bar, gym, and spa.
All-inclusive options that include dinner, breakfast, a minibar, cocktails, and light meals in the lounge cost around 100,000 yen (US$875.12) each night for two people.
Bookings are available right now via the official website and third-party booking platforms such as Ikyu. Despite the exorbitant prices, it appears that interest is high since a handful of dates have already sold out. The hotel, situated between the Kamo and Takase rivers, is described as a place where you may “fly away into your freedom where amazing experiences await” — a concept that seems like it came directly from the Nintendo playbook.
Source: Soranews24
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