Uji, Kyoto, Japan
Nintendo Museum tickets: when to enter the lottery
By lottery, three months ahead: enter during the whole month three months before your visit (all of October for a January visit). Results come on the 1st of the next month; leftover tickets are sold later, first come.
- When does booking open?
- A lottery, open all month, three months before your visit. Enter from 1 to 31 October 2026 for any day in January 2027. Results come on the afternoon of the 1st, JST, and winners pay by 23:59 JST on the 7th. Leftover tickets are then sold first come, up to about two months ahead.
- How far ahead is that?
- The lottery 2 to 4 months ahead; leftovers up to 2 months ahead.
- Where do I book?
- Only on the museum’s official ticketing website, with a Nintendo Account. No sales at the museum, no same-day tickets and no travel agency groups.
- Does it sell out?
- Nintendo publishes no odds. Demand is above supply (there is a waitlist, and leftovers are sold only if any remain), but nobody has measured win rates.
- Can I cancel or change?
- Free until your visit time, as long as the QR code has not been shown and the ticket has not been given to another visitor. Details cannot be changed: to move the date, cancel and enter again.
Checked 15 October 2026
How to book
You need a free Nintendo Account, a phone that can make a voice call (you verify by calling from it, adding +81 from abroad; a data-only SIM cannot do this), the full name of every visitor, and a Visa, Mastercard or JCB card with 3D Secure. Visitors from abroad can book online.
Adults pay 3,300 yen, ages 12 to 17 pay 2,200, ages 6 to 11 pay 1,100; under 6 is free. The QR code is issued from 14:00 the day before. The museum is open 10:00 to 20:00, closed on Tuesdays and from 30 December to 3 January.
If it’s sold out
If you lose the lottery you may be put on the waitlist, with offers by email about a week after the results. After that, leftover and cancelled tickets are sold first come on the ticketing website, at times that are not announced, so check it often.
There is no same-day sale, no official resale and no tour allocation.
Booking for a group
Up to 8 tickets per visit date. Every visitor’s full name goes in with the lottery entry and must match their ID; nobody can be added or swapped later.
The buyer can show one QR code for the whole party, or pass tickets to members with their own Nintendo Accounts. Every order with a child ticket needs an adult ticket.
Good to know
- Enter each name exactly as on the passport: it is the only ID accepted from foreign visitors.
- Register a phone number that can make voice calls; it cannot be changed after you win.
- Book the Craft and Play workshop as soon as you are inside: it is same day, first come and paid separately.
Sources
- Nintendo Museum: from ticket reservation to arrival (official): Entries from three months before; results on the 1st of the following month; pay by 23:59 on the 7th; a waitlist; leftovers sold first come up to two months ahead; QR from 14:00 the day before; passports only for foreign visitors.
- Nintendo Museum ticketing website (official): To visit on 15 July, enter the drawing between 1 and 30 April; without a drawing, tickets may be bought from mid-May to 14 July; names must match ID.
- Nintendo Museum: user guide and FAQ (official): Prices; closed Tuesdays and 30 December to 3 January; a Nintendo Account, a phone number, a card and every visitor’s full name; cancellation conditions.
- Nintendo support: how many tickets can I buy? (official): Up to eight tickets for the day you want to visit.
- Nintendo support: if I am not selected (official): Remaining tickets are sold when available, with no advance notice of when.
- Nintendo support: phone verification (official): Verify by calling from the registered number, adding +81 from outside Japan; a data-only SIM cannot complete a purchase.
Checked on 15 October 2026. Booking rules change; the official site has the last word.