World of Super Mario Appears in Kyoto

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:43 JST, October 21, 2023

KYOTO — “Super Mario” characters are now appearing in the center of Kyoto.

Graphics depicting the world of Nintendo’s popular video game series appeared on the walls of the Shijo-dori underground walkway in early September. The graphics span about 100 meters on both sides of the walkway.

Popular characters such as Mario, Luigi and Bowser as well as Goombas are depicted on the 2.8-meter-high walls in a corner of the 1.1-kilometer-long underpass connecting Hankyu Railway’s Kyoto Kawaramachi and Karasuma stations. Question blocks are also depicted.

Hankyu Railway, the Kyoto municipal government, and a promotion council made up of local shopping districts collaborated with Nintendo to create the graphics in an effort to brighten up the underground passageway.

There is a Pokemon Center that sells goods from the popular media franchise near Karasuma Station. Nintendo Kyoto, a Nintendo merchandise store, opened at Kyoto Takashimaya S.C. near Kyoto Kawaramachi Station on Oct. 17.