Play to Win: Japanese Traditional and Modern Games

Even though it's only April, it already feels like summer in Japan, with temperatures pushing 30℃ here in Tokyo in the run up to the start of the traditional Golden Week holidays. There has even been talk of Japan's four distinct seasons disappearing under the threat of global warming; certainly, while summers have grown longer, spring and autumn seem to be over in the blink of an eye. For example, while wisteria usually blooms late April to early May, it's already been out for a while. 

Recently, I've been exploring the gaming scene in Japan, with a visit to a board game cafe in Shinjuku (pictured above), an escape room game in Asakusa, and a game and hobby shop in Akihabara, the centre of Japanese geek (otaku) culture. The big two games historically are Go (igo in Japanese) which came over from China around the 7th century - modern variants include Gomoku, Renju, Reversi, and Othello - and shōgi (Japanese chess), a unique 16th century Japanese invention that allows captured pieces to be reused. The latter is the most played board game in Japan, with an estimated 20 million knowing the rules and ia also very visible in the media: Sota Fujii, who became a professional shōgi player when an junior high-school student, is a national icon, newspapers carry shōgi puzzles daily, and there is even a dedicated shōgi TV channel featuring live games! 

An even older game is Sugoroku (双六), a 6th century creation similar to backgammon that morphed into a Snakes and Ladders type dice-based picture boardgame (e-sugoroku) popularly played at New Year. But probably the most interesting for non-Japanese players are the variants of karuta playing cards - from the Portuguese for letter or card - which involves matching one half of a card, which is read out aloud, with its corresponding pair. This can be highly competitive when played as a duel when players slap the matching card before their opponent - check out this video from the 64th All Japan Championships (第64回全日本選手権大会) held only a few days ago! Manga lovers may be reminded of Chihayafuru which played a big role in popularising competitive karuta. While the video shows Uta Garuta (hyaku-nin isshu=百人一首) featuring waka poems by 100 great poets, there is also a kid's version, with cards representing the 47 syllables of the hiragana alphabet. Great for learning Japanese!

But it is not all about tradition. Modern Japanese board games which have enjoyed critical acclaim overseas include the 2012 Love Letter, the classic 2014 Deep Sea Adventure, and the road building 2016 masterpiece Tokyo Highway. For a great overview of these three and traditional games as well see here. And for those in Japan, why not check out the gaming convention known as Game Market, which started in 2000 as a fan-run event and is now held in May and November at Makuhari Messe just outside of Tokyo? Another recommendation is the 4-day September Tokyo Game Show which, in contrast to the analogue focus of Game Market boasts mainly video game content, though it does include some board games as well as lots of cosplayers! In sum, the gaming market in Japan is booming, perhaps reflecting the fact that in Japan gaming is more than just entertainment - it’s a deeply ingrained social activity. What's your favourite game? Have you ever played a Japanese game? Let me know in the COMMENTS!