higeru Miyamoto was born in Sonobe (now Nantan), Kyoto, Japan. As a young boy, Miyamoto loved to draw, paint pictures, and explore the landscape surrounding his home. Stories describe his fascinated discovery of hidden caves, lakes, and other natural features that were linked to his later work. In 1970, he enrolled in the Kanazawa College of Art, and graduated five years later, though he would later remark that his studies often took a backseat to doodling. In 1977, Miyamoto, armed with a degree in industrial design, was able to arrange a meeting with Hiroshi Yamauchi, a friend of his father and the head of Nintendo of Japan. Yamauchi hired Miyamoto to be a "staff artist", even though one was not needed at the time, and assigned him to apprentice in the planning department.