Nintendo and SEGA (Japan edition)

Showing off my holiday snaps is a risky proposition. Is it boasting? Maybe. No, not maybe. Yes. But it is relevant. Honest. This year, I was lucky enough to go to Japan and I'm not going to miss the opportunity to take this blog international. For a bit.

Japan was clearly going to be different to this blog's normal modus operandi. I was on holiday with regular people, for starters. There was clearly a limit to how much of a day I could hijack to visit the offices of Sanritsu Denki [1]. More importantly, I'm completely out of my depth. To get the name Sanritsu Denki, I had to cheat and do a Google search for obscure Japanese game companies. That said, I'm delighted to learn Sanritsu Denki made an arcade game called Bank Panic [2] which I really liked when I played its unlicensed Gremlin Graphics clone West Bank around 1986. It's all connected, I tell you.

The safest option was to restrict myself to the two big names I'd already covered when I wrote about UK arms of SEGA and Nintendo. It made sense to see what happened when I was on their home turf.

Monday 7 September, SEGA Store, Tokyo
6F Shibuya PARCO, 15-1 Udagawacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo [3] 

September 2026

This was the training level. My friend and I wanted to see the Shibuya Crossing and oh! look! The official SEGA store is less than 10 minutes walk away. What a nutty coincidence. The Shibuya Crossing was less busy than it might have been because Typhoon number 24, also known as Krovanh, had stalled to the east of Okinawa and was sending waves of heavy rain over Tokyo. A visit to the SEGA store gave us an excuse to get out of the rain, and so we followed the Shibuya Crossing with with an entertaining hour or so walking round the sixth floor of the Shibuya PARCO. The whole floor is dedicated to Japanese pop culture and houses stores for Godzilla, Capcom, Pokemon, and Nintendo. What I really wanted was a decent Sonic t-shirt but the store didn't have a good selection on that Monday morning. Instead I brought the t-shirt you can see in the photo at the top of the page, designed by Kosuke Kawamura. I've taken it out of the packaging and worn it because I am a monster who cares nothing for collectables.

September 2026

Tuesday 8 September, SEGA Headquarters
Sumitomo Fudosan Osaki Garden Tower, 1 Chome-1-1 Nishishinagawa, Shinagawa City

11am,the Nozomi 255 from Toyko to Kyoto. Did the Shinkansen go passed the tower block which houses SEGA these days? Probably but I was not 100% certain. When I checked the map, it looked like it did, but I had a nagging suspicion I was sitting on the wrong side of the train. I was. I opened Google maps and watched my location slide ever closer to the target. When it got really close I slid out of my seat and walked up the train to the nearest vestibule. It was occupied by a man making a phone call. I didn't feel my Duolingo Japanese was up to asking: "Excuse me, mate. Can I just squeeze passed. I want to photograph that building because it's the SEGA head office."[4]. Instead, ever conscious of the two dots converging, I walked faster to the end of the next carriage. It was empty! My friend had suggested I should take a video, rather than take a series of photos, and pull out the best frame. It was a good idea and so here I present my short film: 41 Seconds of The Suburbs of Tokyo From A Bullet Train. With apologies for the way the picture suddenly rotates through 90 degrees when I realised the building was too tall to properly fit into a landscape frame.

Wednesday 9 September, Old Nintendo Building, Kyoto
〒600-8126 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Kagiyachō, 342

September 2026

Kyoto is ground zero for Nintendo. I knew that, but that was pretty much all I did know. I brute forced myself some quick learning by typing Nintendo into Google maps and getting a list of potential destinations. The Nintendo Kyoto store, a Pokemon Centre, Nintendo & Co Ltd, Nintendo Museum, Nintendo Kyoto Research Centre, and Nintendo Development Centre No.1. The Nintendo Museum could be crossed off my list. It was 10 miles from where I was staying and, more importantly there was a ticket lottery for which you had to apply three months in advance. Visiting the Nintendo museum was clearly advanced level tourism. The Nintendo store and Pokemon Centre were also crossed off because they felt more like bonus goals and I didn't think we'd ever be in their vicinity.

I was left with a manageable list of three locations; Nintendo & Co Ltd, Nintendo Kyoto Research Centre, and Nintendo Development Centre No.1. Compared to SEGA, Nintendo was really spread out. Somewhere along the line as I sat on my hotel room bed studying a map of Kyoto, I learned about the original Nintendo building which dated back to 1933 and the company's playing card days. It was only one and a half miles south of my hotel. It was a nice night. What if I just walked there? So I did. Around 9pm, I snuck out like a thief in the night and took a stroll. It was a really nice evening. The rain had stopped. It was warm. I started absentmindedly whistling to myself and then remembered I'd read about a Japanese superstition that whistling at night could attract snakes, thieves, or ghosts. I thought I might be able to cope with the snakes and thieves (with luck the snakes might bite the thieves in all the confusion) but I wasn't sure how to deal with ghosts. I stopped whistling. Also, I was in a residential area and I didn't want to disturb anyone. I headed south, towards the city centre and the buildings I was walking passed became more built up. I had to cross a couple of busy main roads and then suddenly I was back in a more residential area again and walking alongside a narrow river. Very nice.

I understand the original Nintendo building remains owned by the Yamauchi family, who started Nintendo in 1889, but it has been sensitively converted into a five star hotel called Marufukuro; the name of a company founded in 1947 to distribute cards Nintendo playing cards. The building in my photo is the second on the site. The first was a wooden-framed building of which half was demolished in 1933 to build the current metal and stone one. The other half of the wooden building seems to have existed until around 2004 when the site was cleared. There's a photo of it here. I fussed around for ages trying to get a decent picture of the old building. Shomen-dori is narrow and the building is tall. In the end I shuffled backwards into a car park and got a photo from the side. The same angle, it turns out, as everyone who photographs it. Then I grabbed a photo of the English language plaque on the front and walked back to my three star hotel.

October 2026

Thursday 10 September, Nintendo Kyoto Research Centre and Mario Club
60 Fukuinekamitakamatsucho, Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto, 605-0983

Back at my hotel I looked at my three remaining addresses and realised they were actually four. The site of the Kyoto Research Centre contained a second building called Mario Club[5] where debugging and testing of games takes place. My four addresses were spread over two sites. Those two sites were about 3 miles from my hotel, and about a mile and a half from each other. I had two more days in Kyoto. Could I sneak out again, twice, to visit each of them? I decided to sleep on my dilemma.

The next morning I confessed my nocturnal mission to my friend and said I was toying with the idea of a couple more moonlight trips. Much to my surprise, my friend said he wanted to tag along. My sickness is contagious, apparently. This was great but confounded my problem because I'm aware not everyone shares my willingness to walk miles in order to just photograph an office. I put that problem on hold.

Today's trip was out of Kyoto. South, to see the famous bowing deer of Nara. This was terribly exciting because it involved getting a train. At least it did once we had learned (most) of the mysteries of the Keihan Main Line ticketing system (it later turned out we travelled on an express train with a local ticket, for which I apologise). I sat on the train and watched Kyoto roll passed. We stopped at a station and I asked myself, "why did the name Tobakaido seem familiar?"

The answer was, because it was the station right next to the Nintendo Kyoto Research Centre. I'd spent the last couple of days looking at it, while trying to work out how you got to one of my goals. Google kept telling me this involved crossing the main line on foot which seemed unreasonably perilous. Before the train pulled out of the station, I had time to spot the corner of the Mario Club building and I had one of my better ideas. On the journey back, I'd take a video of the two Nintendo buildings and pull out the best frames to use as photos. Which is what I did. Presented here for your consideration, Scenes From the 15:40 Departure From Tobakaido Station.

September 2026

As you can see, I got a decent image of the Mario Club building. Good enough to see the front entrance and someone who is undoubtedly CEO Masanori Okazaki heading off for a meeting.

September 2026

September 2026

My pictures of the Nintendo Kyoto Research Centre are marginally less impressive. Honestly, I don't think I'd have got a better picture on the ground. The site for both buildings is huge but it's mainly surrounded by a high wall to keep out prying eyes like mine. The only place you do get a good view on Streetview is right round the front. 

September 2026

Friday 11 September
Nintendo Development Center No. 1
2-1 Higashikujo Minamimatsudacho, Minami Ward, Kyoto, 601-8502

Two buildings left. The big day. It was humid and cloudy as my friend and I walked to the subway for a journey to Jūjō Station. The Nintendo Development Centre is a bland white modernist cube with blue-tinted windows. The site is surrounded by an long wall that looks as if it were built with sugar cubes but on closer inspection is white tiles covering a cement wall underneath. The whole thing is just tall enough to stop anyone looking over. Our approach from the station meant we arrived at a point about halfway down the wall, and we could see it stretching off in both directions for about 100 meters; imagine what it was like to stick tiles on that. We didn't walk far but it felt like a slog in the hot humid morning. We swung round the corner and looked at the entrance. A security guard looked back at us. I pointed at the sign and waved my camera and he grinned and walked slightly off to one side to get out of the way of any photos. It was about 11.20AM and we were probably the fifth group of people that day. I imagine it is like the Abbey Road webcam where you are usually never more than about five minutes away from watching a group recreate the album cover.

September 2026

There is also a sign, which I dutifully photographed, it also shows a closeup of the tiled wall.

September 2026

The repetitive look of the wall sparked an odd memory that I spent ages trying to track down. I thought I remembered the geometric cube shape from UK packaging on NES game boxes, and I wondered if this was some traditional Nintendo design aesthetic. It turns out the grid pattern I was thinking of came from SEGA Master System game boxes and the whole things was just a coincidence. The Nintendo Development Centre is relatively new. Streetview caught it being built between 2010 to 2013. When you wind the clock back to 2010 there's this building at the north east corner of the site. It's also got the grid pattern of tiles on it, but bigger.

We stood taking photos at the gate to the development centre for around 10 minutes. My friend got a good one showing the sign, and the building, and captures the moment a lorry arrived to empty the Nintendo bins.

September 2026

When you stand at the gate to the development centre, spin through 180 degrees and you can see the other Nintendo building in the area, the one described as Nintendo and Co Ltd. When we were done, my friend asked if we were heading back, and I pointed at the second building and said I wanted to go there first.

Nintendo & Co Ltd

1 1-1 Kamitoba Hokodatecho, Minami Ward, Kyoto, 601-8501

This is an older building than Development Centre No 1 but it is surrounded by the same kind of white sugar cube wall. Clearly Nintendo likes something about that design style. Although both buildings are in line of site of each other, the area is completely different. A lot busier. A lot more industrial. The site is also much smaller so the building is closer to the perimeter wall and the pavements are narrower. This makes trying to get a good photo surprisingly difficult. It was important to remember not to step back too far when trying to get a picture that took in the whole building. 

September 2026

This looming image was the best I got while reminding myself not to take one step backwards too many. I didn't want to become one with the Kyoto traffic. At the bottom of this photo is a sinister black thing on a pole. I have no idea what it is; some sort of CCTV camera? After a few minutes, we crossed to the far side of the junction and took some photos of the building that look less like a Titanic deck-level view of the approaching iceberg. 

September 2026

Mission accomplished we headed back to Jūjō Station. I expected we would go and get some lunch but my friend surprised me by saying he wasn't feeling great and wanted to head back to his hotel room for the afternoon. This was a blow. Suddenly I was left to my own devices. I went to a 7-11 near the hotel to buy some food and a Coffee Boss drink, I had become was mildly obsessed with this because of the fantastic picture on the can of a pipe smoking boss. I wondered how to fill the afternoon as I ate.

Our plan for the afternoon had been to go to the 1000 Tori Gate Temple. I could still do that... but first what if I went into central Kyoto and collected a few bonus objectives?

Pokemon Centre Kyoto
〒600-8009 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Kankobokocho, 78

September 2026

A slightly restricted view of the entrance to the Pokemon Centre because I didn't want to include the security guard standing to one side. Inside, it's pretty much what you'd expect. The definitive experience for people who like Pokemon. I'm a long way from being any sort of expert so let's move on.

Nintendo Store
〒600-8001 Kyoto, Shimogyo Ward, Shincho, 52

I got lost. The Nintendo store is part of the Kyoto Takashimaya SC store. I found that but when I got inside I wandered for ages around a place that seemed to be a bigger and more confusing version of John Lewis on Oxford Street. I managed to get myself so completely turned around I didn't even know what direction I was heading in as I wandered passed expensive Estee Lauder and Cartier boutiques. Finally I found a map, got my bearings and navigated to the front of the store. Where I saw this.

September 2026

September 2026

How did I miss that, you might ask? It's a fair question. In my defence, I approached the store from the direction of the Pokemon Centre and went in through the first set of doors I saw. The big giant Mario head is actually at the other end of the store from where I entered. I made my way up to the 8th floor.

September 2026

Bonus objectives complete!

September 2026

That was it. I'd completed Kyoto plus bonus goals. Nice. With that, I headed off to the Fushimi Inari Shrine for a walk up Mount Inari. I didn't go all the way up because I am lazy. I stopped at a rest area with views across Kyoto and started playing with astonishing privacy invading zoom function on my camera. As I zoomed in and on of the city, I spotted a distinctive stretch of motorway. It reminded me of the visit to the Nintendo buildings earlier in the day. Was it possible that if I zoomed in...

September 2026

Yes. Yes it was.

Nintendo Development Centre No. 1

Nintendo & Co Ltd

Now that's a true hidden bonus objective completed.

If you know what happens in the two mystery buildings on the Kyoto Research Centre site then please leave a comment or send an email to whereweretheynow@gmail.com. If you are a resident of the Sanjo district of Kyoto and have noticed an increase in the number of snakes, thieves, and ghosts hanging around then, I am very sorry and I will try very hard not to whistle in the dark if I am allowed back.

[1] Probably here, at 2-6-23 Chiyoda, Sagamihara City, Kanagawa Prefecture 229-0037. The building was demolished around 2017.
[2] Perhaps I should demonstrate my obvious expertise by giving its correct name バンクパニック Bankupanikku. Hem, hem. Oh alright, I cheated. I used Google translate.
[3] Note, I am probably mangling all these addresses.
[4]"Sumimasen, chotto tōra sete moraemasu ka? Asoko, Sega no honsha birunanode shashin o toritakute.."
[5] There are actually four buildings on this site, two of them are unlabelled mysteries. If you know what they are leave a comment.