141 Japanese Children Games and Ideas To Play With Your Kids .368

This article is filled with fun Japanese cultural activities, from present-day learning and Japanese arts to traditional games that you can play with your children at home.

Through every one of these activities, you can present Japanese culture to kids by narrating stories, playing music, or dancing along as motivation. Games are said to catch the overall perspective and thoughts of cultures and are known to help in passing on their philosophies to future generations.

Japan has many games that have kept all ages of kids interested. Some customary Japanese toys are still popular with kids as well as the older generations.

These games prove to be fundamental in providing an insight into Japan's rich cultural heritage. Japan has many traditional and popular games, some are like western games and some you've probably never heard about.

For starters, here are six fun traditional Japanese games for you to try. They are karuta, hanafuda, hanetsuki, janken, kendama, and keidoro. Read on to find out how to play these games!

There are many popular games you might find in Japan, like Daihinmin or Daifugo. This is one of the most well-known Japanese card games, and it uses a standard deck of 52+2 cards.

If you like this article, why not try reading other fun Japanese fact articles such as Japanese education facts and Japanese flag facts from Kidadl?

Fun Traditional Games Loved By Japanese Kids You Can Play At Home

There are so many traditional games to choose from!

There are various ways of playing the famous rock paper scissors game. Janken is just the Japanese version of this game, and kids play it almost every chance they get.

They play this to decide what to do or who will do a certain task. It can even get highly competitive. If you thought that is all there is to it, you are mistaken as there are different types of janken all over Japan.

If you visit Japan, make sure to ask a kid to teach you their local janken! Fortunately, the hand gestures, signs, and rules are the same as the English version. Rock beats scissors, scissors beats paper, and paper beats rock. In janken, rock is called 'guu', scissors are called 'choki', and paper is called 'paa'.

The kendama is a traditional Japanese skill toy. It comprises a handle, two cups, and a ball that are connected by a single string. Toward one side of the toy is a cup, while the opposite end is shaped to look like a spike that fits the hole on the ball and can hold it.

The kendama is the Japanese adaptation of the classic French cup-and-ball game called bilboquet. It can be held in many ways. The stunts, tricks, and combinations have no limit.

The game is enjoyed by throwing the ball into the air and getting the ball seated on the spike. The origin of kendama is a topic of debate, but many accept that it originated during the 17th or 18th century.

Kendama evolved when it came to Japan during the Edo period, and from that point forward, the toy has become popular across continents. Today, there are kendama competitions held in many nations, the biggest competition being the annual Kendama World Cup held in Japan.

Chopsticks game is a traditional Japanese game. It needs two sets of hands, some quick thinking, and basic adding skills. This game encourages kids to think independently and come up with quick and smart strategies. Every game winds up unexpectedly and differently!

Hanafuda, flower cards, are a style of Japanese playing cards. They are smaller than western playing cards, yet thicker and stiffer.

On the face of every card is a beautiful portrayal of blossoms, creatures, different objects, or culturally important scenes. The rear is generally plain, without any decorative patterns. Hanafuda is used for playing many games like koi-koi and hachi-hachi.

In Korea, hanafuda is known as 'hwatu', meaning a 'battle of flowers or blossoms', and is made of plastic. In Hawaii, hanafuda is used to play Sakura, otherwise called Higobana. Hanafuda is additionally enjoyed in Micronesia, where it is known as 'hanahuda' and is utilized to play a four-man game.

Traditional Japanese Games That Have Educational Benefits

Who said these games are only fun? Oh no, they can be educational too!

Gokko or onigokko is a Japanese adaptation of the popular tag game, the individual who chases is called 'Oni,' which means 'evil presence' in Japanese tradition. The Oni is a legendary figure with a human body and horns that shows up in many Japanese children's stories.

The word 'karuta' is derived from the Portuguese word 'carta', which simply means 'cards', so these are obviously Japanese playing cards. Portuguese traders introduced playing cards to Japan in the first place during the mid-16th century.

The Miike Karuta Memorial Hall, in Omuta, Fukuoka, is the main metropolitan museum in Japan devoted specifically to sharing the history of karuta with the world.

Karuta packs are characterized into two sets, those that were inspired by the Portuguese cards and the ones from e-awase, which was a side interest well-known among Japanese aristocrats during the Kamakura period.

This game is frequently enjoyed during class by kids at elementary school and junior-high-school level as an educational exercise. It is a great way to learn the Japanese language, common phrases, and slang.

What are some popular Japanese board games?

There are many board games in Japan. Many are similar to each other, and some are completely unique and one-of-a-kind. Here are some popular Japanese board games you need to try.

Shogi, or Japanese chess, varies from traditional chess. Pieces captured can be turned into companions to help you on your quest for victory. However, the western version of chess and shogi share a few similarities.

Riichi mahjong (Japanese mahjong) is a version of the traditional Mahjong that was introduced in Japan in 1924. To make the game appealing and easier to play and understand for people, several Chinese norms set for the original version of this game were removed, and another set of Japanese norms were added to promote the game.

This formed the roots of what is presently known as riichi mahjong (Japanese mahjong).

Igo is a traditional Japanese tabletop game, originated in China, that made its way to Japan in the seventh century. By the seventh century, it became well-known in the Japanese court, and by the Middle Ages, it had become well-known among the common people as well.

Igo is a game that pits one player against another in a battle for territory, victory, and ultimate bragging rights.

A Japanese version of igo called gomoku, also known as 'five straight', is a strategy-oriented game often played with similar pieces as igo. Gomoku, unlike igo, is usually played on a 15 x 15 board rather than a 19 x 19 board.

Gomoku has been traditionally played in Japan since the Meiji Restoration, which reintroduced the wonderful concept in 1868.

The following are the essential principles of Gomoku. One player is assigned to the dark side, while the other is assigned to the white side.

Players then begin to put their pieces separately on the convergences, similar to igo. The winner is the player who can place exactly five stones in a row, either on a flat plane, in an upward direction, or corner to corner.

Sudoku is not a traditional Japanese game, but it is immensely popular in Japan and the United States. It was created by a guy named Howard Garns.

By 1984, the puzzle had made its way to Japan via Maki Kaji, the leader of the Nikoli puzzle group at the time. Sudoku was initially shown to the Japanese public in April 1984, and it quickly became a hit.

The regular sudoku board is made up of 3 x 3 large squares with 3 x 3 smaller squares inside. To win the board and finish the game, a player must fit the numbers 1-9 in each of the 3 x 3 squares, along with the horizontal columns and up the rows.

There should be just one digit in each small square, and no number should be repeated in any rows and columns.

Several of the popular Japanese games, like sudoku, are surprisingly simple. Others, such as riichi mahjong, may take a little longer to learn. At the same time, you cannot say that most traditional Japanese games are tough to play, but learning them is half the fun!

Japanese Sporty Games For Kids

On school days, a significant number of Japanese children play computer games.

According to a health service survey, a greater number of fourth-grade Japanese students play video games at school compared to students a decade ago. In any case, there are a few activities that Japanese children like. They play these games during sport lessons to exercise.

Keidoro, also known as dorokei, is basically the same as playing 'cops and burglars'. A group of friends separates and one takes on the role of a cop, while the remaining are robbers.

The officer should chase the robbers, and when they are captured, they should be sent to a pre-determined location known as the prison. Some brave burglars often try and release their friends from prison. When all of the robbers have been captured, the game is over.

Hanetsuki is a traditional Japanese game played with a rectangular wooden oar called a hagoita and a colorful shuttlecock, similar to racket games like badminton but without a net. The game, which is frequently played by teen girls during New Year's, can be played in two styles.

One style is one person attempting to keep the shuttlecock as high up as possible and the another style is two individuals hitting it back and forth.

Players who fail to hit the shuttlecock are painted on the face with India Ink. Despite the fact that hanetsuki is not as well-known as it once was, aesthetic hagoita are commonly distributed throughout Japan.

Hanetsuki features pictures of kabuki theater entertainers on it every now and then. Cherries were frequently used as shuttlecocks towards the beginning of the game.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked learning these facts about Japanese children games and ideas to play with your kids, then why not take a look at Japanese geography facts or Japan tsunami facts?