The Nintendo Tokyo store opened in Shibuya Parco this week to hundreds of fans waiting in the 40-degree cold for a chance to enter and buy brand new merchandise from the first Nintendo store in Japan.
After a freezing two hour wait, my portion of the queue was allowed inside the building. The open design of the store makes it easy to see a wide range of merchandise, from Mario to Zelda to Animal Crossing to Splatoon.

Each cluster of brands is well-organized and included a broad range of items never before produced.

First I headed the Mario section to pick up a Cat Mario plush, then loaded up on Animal Crossing kitchen goods. The lovely glass jars and various plastic containers were produced by Sanrio Co., Ltd. and Made in Japan.

The Legend of Zelda section was home to the most innovative item – a mug with three hearts that turn from black to red when filled with hot water.

The Splatoon section included new Crossing Splatoon items like urban-style nylon mini messenger bags, pouches, ink plushes, and thermos bottles.

Finally, the Super Mario Family Life section had a full range of dishes for children, from a stackable mug set to bowls to chopsticks.

When I set my bag on the counter the saleswoman said “Wow”. Each mug, container, plush, notepad, towel, and jar was sorted and placed in two large plastic Nintendo Tokyo bags. I left the store with two full bags, one full heart, and a few hundred dollars less in my bank account. Time to collect more coins.