Planning to visit the Nintendo Museum in Uji, Kyoto, in January 2027? The ticket drawing closes on October 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+9). Enter through the official Nintendo Museum ticketing website before the deadline; you pay only if selected.
The museum is closed January 1–3 for the New Year holiday. If your Kyoto stay extends beyond those dates, check the available January dates before building your itinerary around a visit.
Information checked: October 24, 2026. All deadlines and times below are in Japan Standard Time.
January Tickets: Dates to Put in Your Calendar
| Step | Date or deadline |
|---|---|
| Enter the January 2027 drawing | October 31, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. |
| Check drawing results | November 1, 2026, from the afternoon; emails may arrive later that day |
| Pay if selected in the initial drawing | November 7, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. |
| Pay if selected from the waitlist | By November 14, 2026; follow the deadline in your offer |
The November dates follow Nintendo’s published monthly drawing and payment schedule. Check your email and ticketing account for your own result and payment instructions.
Selection alone does not complete your booking. If payment is not confirmed by the deadline, your tickets will be automatically canceled.
Allow time to apply: the ticketing website is scheduled to be unavailable on October 27 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for maintenance.
What to Prepare Before You Apply
Use the English ticketing site and sign in with a free Nintendo Account. Each drawing allows one entry, and tickets are for a specific admission date and time. Nintendo allows purchases of up to eight tickets for a visit.
- Have every visitor’s full name ready, matching their identification. For overseas visitors, use the passport name.
- Register a phone number you can actually call from, and check it carefully.
- Prepare a Visa, Mastercard, or JCB card with 3D Secure authentication for payment if selected. Accepted debit and prepaid cards must also meet the payment requirements.
The official booking requirements cover the account, phone number, payment card, and visitor names. Before the payment deadline, make sure you can complete your bank’s authentication process.
Booking From Overseas: Check Your Phone First
Nintendo’s phone-verification instructions specifically explain calls from outside Japan. To complete a purchase, call the designated number using the phone number registered with your application. Caller ID must be enabled; when calling from abroad, use Japan’s +81 country code. You do not need to speak during the verification call.
A data-only travel SIM cannot make this call. Check that your regular phone service can call Japan, and keep access to that number through the purchase process. Nintendo says the registered number cannot be changed; entering an incorrect number can prevent you from buying the tickets even if selected.
Ticket Prices and What You Can Do Inside
| Visitor age | Admission, including tax |
|---|---|
| 18 and older | ¥3,300 |
| 12–17 | ¥2,200 |
| 6–11 | ¥1,100 |
| 0–5 | Free |
Children 11 and younger must be accompanied by a visitor with an adult ticket. See the museum’s user guide for accessibility ticket conditions and other admission rules.
The museum brings together Nintendo products from different generations and hands-on exhibits such as Big Controller, where two people operate an oversized controller together. For longtime fans, the appeal is seeing familiar hardware alongside earlier toys and games, then trying the interactive experiences. Browse the official exhibit descriptions to decide whether it fits your trip.
Interactive exhibits use a limited allocation of digital coins, so admission does not let you try every interactive exhibit in one visit. Hanafuda workshops require a separate fee and a reservation after arrival. The café and shop are inside the museum and are accessible only to ticket holders.
If You Are Not Selected
Some applicants receive waitlist status. If selected later, Nintendo contacts them around a week after the initial results; waitlist status does not guarantee a ticket.
Separately, remaining or canceled tickets may go on sale on a first-come, first-served basis for visits up to two months ahead. Watch the official ticketing site for the sale announcement and actual availability. Do not assume January tickets will become available at a particular hour immediately after the drawing.
Keep another Kyoto activity in mind until your ticket purchase is complete. Nintendo does not sell same-day tickets, so arriving without a reservation is not a backup option.
Plan the Journey to Uji After Your Ticket Is Confirmed
The museum is in Uji, south of central Kyoto. Nintendo lists a five-minute walk from the east exit of Kintetsu Ogura Station, or an eight-minute walk from the north exit of JR Ogura Station. These are different stations; check which one your train uses.
Nintendo asks visitors to use public transportation and not arrive by taxi, car, motorcycle, or bicycle. Visitors with accessibility needs receive separate parking-reservation information. If using a stroller or wheelchair, consult the official access map for the alternative route around the stairs near Kintetsu Ogura Station.
Issue your QR ticket from 2 p.m. on the day before your visit. Once issued, it cannot be canceled. Bring your passport: Nintendo’s English visitor instructions specify passports as the accepted ID for non-Japanese nationals.
Official Information
- Nintendo Museum ticket calendar and drawing entry
- Drawing, payment, and admission procedure
- Phone verification for overseas purchases
- Prices, opening hours, and visitor rules
- Getting to the museum
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the museum open on New Year’s Day?
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No. Its regular New Year closure runs from December 30 through January 3. It is also normally closed on Tuesdays; when Tuesday is a national holiday, the closure moves to Wednesday.
- Can I visit just the shop without a museum ticket?
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No. The shop and café are inside the ticketed museum. Plan your reservation around the museum visit rather than treating the shop as a walk-in stop.
- Can I buy resale tickets if I miss out?
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Nintendo prohibits resold tickets and transfers to people other than the registered visitors. Use the official ticketing site for any later availability.
For the rest of your booking plan, see How to Prepare for a Trip to Japan for a practical sequence covering documents, accommodation, transportation, and time-sensitive reservations.
