This is the 21st century version of converting a royal palace or elaborate rail station into a hotel; the former headquarters of Nintendo in Osaka, Japan will soon re-open as a hotel, still with its historic Nintendo Playing Card Company signs by the door.
Nintendo got its start in playing cards, then added toys, and then one of the first electronic game systems, and the rest is history, including a huge expansion of the business that made the building too small for the company.
It’s actually too small for the hotel, too, and Plan See Do, the Tokyo company that’s doing the conversion, is planning to build additions for more guest rooms. The hotel, which hasn’t been named yet, will also have a restaurant, bar, gym and spa. The company specializes in adapting old buildings to new use.
