Gaming Heaven
Marufukuro Hotel, Kyōto
Nintendo was founded by Fusajiro Yamauchi as a manufacturer of handmade playing cards all the way back in 1889. From 1933 to 1959, the company headquarters were located in a building that internationally renowned architect Tadao Ando recently converted into a hotel with eighteen guest rooms as well as a restaurant, bar, spa and gym. Ando took great pains to maintain the original spirit of the building, and in addition to numerous art deco elements, the hotel also features a library filled with original items from the Yamauchi family. The name Nintendo, by the way, is made up of three Japanese characters that roughly mean “trust”, “heaven” and “hall”. Nintendo itself translates the name to “leave luck to heaven”.