Best Japanese Board Games To Try [Helpful Guide 2023] – ZenMarket.jp

Traditional Japanese Board Games

Traditional board games from Japan have become increasingly more popular in America and other countries around the world. Most of these games involve strategy, making them entertaining to watch and intriguing to play. Japanese board games have a unique setup for gaming that has allowed them to remain popular centuries after they were created.

1. Shogi

2. Gomoku

Gomoku, also known as ‘Five in a Row‘, and as its name would suggest, the goal is to get five of the pieces aligned in a row on the board. To play, two players take turns placing their pieces on the board. The strategy of this game comes not only in trying to make sure your opponent does not win but also in keeping a careful count of the pieces you have played on the board.

No more than five of one player’s pieces can be played in a row. While playing, once the pieces are played on the board, they cannot be moved. This is why it is so important to keep a strategy in mind while playing Gomoku; you can’t take back your actions.

3. Go

One of the great things about Go and Gomoku is that they are both played on the same board. Go is an ancient game that is entirely based on a strategy to defeat one’s component. Interestingly enough, Go is known for being one of the world’s oldest board games.

To play this ancient and iconic board game, players alternately place the white and black pieces on the board. The goal is to border the other player’s pieces in a territory of your own pieces. The straightforward rules make it very popular to play, and the infinite number of possibilities in each game played makes it addictive. Go is a game that can teach life lessons as you play. Patience and balance are necessary to succeed in the game of Go. Those who play with aggression and greed often end up losing to their opponent.

As previously mentioned, the games Go and Gomoku are played on the same board. This makes it highly convenient for those who have interests in both of those games. As mentioned under “Gomoku” there is a wide variety of boards to fit different budgets. To find the best board within your price range, it is important to do a bit of personal research.

4. Sugoroku

This classic board game has been around for centuries in Japanese culture; the history of Sugoroku can be traced as far back as the 12th century. Sugoroku board games either come as the ban-Sugoroku (board Sugoroku, similar to the game ‘Backgammon‘) or the e-Sugoroku (picture Sugoroku, similar to ‘Snakes and Ladders‘). E-Sugoroku did not come about until the 17th century. These different varieties allow for many different versions of this classic board game to be created and played.

5. Japanese Mahjong

This traditional four-player game is similar to rummy or poker. This is a game that has been around for centuries and is played with simple tiles. Players work to achieve a winning hand to beat their competition. Japanese Mahjong has different rules and specific ways of playing that help it continually create a new experience for the players. It is evident by how long this game has been around that it is a favorite among many people of many different backgrounds.

The popularity of the classic Mahjong and Japanese Mahjong has only grown in the last couple of years. This game can be complicated to understand, but once you understand the tiles’ rules and actions, it is a simple game of strategy.

According to a forum discussing Japanese Mahjong, the key difference between the Japanese and Chinese versions of the classic Mahjong game is the number of tiles used to play. In the Chinese version, 144 tiles are used as game pieces, whereas Japanese Mahjong games use only 136 tiles. They also mentioned how the Chinese version of the classic board game does not have “Red Fives” tiles, while the Japanese version does.

Modern Japanese Board Games

Along with the very popular and common traditional Japanese board games, more modern board games are also very fun to play. Many of these games use the same strategy that is used in the traditional games, but with a modern twist to create a new board game for a range of age groups to enjoy playing and mastering.

1. Love Letter

2. Birth

Intense name, right? Birth is a modern Japanese board game played by rolling dice and moving game pieces to find new life. The theme for this board game is even more intense than its name. It’s based on the creation of the universe. This game of strategy and creation is played with 2-3 players represented as stars at the beginning of the universe.

The board used for Birth is double-sided, and the game comes with some variants for more experienced players to increase the difficulty level. One great thing about Birth is its simple rules for beginners and a more advanced set of rules as players play and begin to master the game. This makes it an excellent game for any group of people to play and enjoy.

3. Tokyo Highway

This Japanese board game is named after its capital city. Tokyo Highway started as a board game for only two players. As the game became more popular, a four-player version was created and sold mostly in the United States of America. One of the first things a bystander will realize about the design of the board game is the simplistic color scheme.

Almost everything about the game is a light gray, and the pieces and parts that are colored are either yellow, orange, blue, or pink. This simplistic design makes it very popular, especially with the current trend of minimalism. Along with the basic color scheme, the game itself is also straightforward. Many of the components and parts of the game are built from simple materials like lollipop sticks. The point of the game is to build roads and place cars on them. The first player to have all of their cars on the roads that are built is the winner.