Although they’re not as popular as video games these days,board games, of which some variations have been around for thousands of years, are nonetheless continuing to grow in popularity. Part of a booming, multi-billion dollar industry, there are plenty of games to choose from and sink your time into.
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While some board games become so popular they gain international notoriety, there are others that end up staying predominant in their country or region of origin. If you or your friends have ever wondered which board games are most popular in Japan, you may be surprised by this blend of traditional and familiar titles.
9Catan
You’re likely familiar with Catan, the immensely popular, settlement and road building game based on a hex and dice rolling system that was created by German designer Klaus Teuber. Beloved by millions around the world, the game has been met with a similar warmth by Japanese board game enthusiasts.
There are even entire groups found across Japan that are dedicated solely to Catan, with some being comprised of hundreds to even thousands of members. The largest groups are located in Tokyo, Sendai, and Kyoto, so if you’re ever visiting, this could be a great way to bridge cultural barriers.
8Blokus
Blokus, a colorful, strategic board game that can be played with up to four players, was created in France by mathematician Bernard Tavitan. On the surface, the game is simple and easy to learn; on their turn, each player places a single tile on a grid, earning points when at least one corner of a tile touches another of the same color.
The game starts to get more competitive, though, when you consider that specific shapes formed from multiple pieces are worth more points than others. While some shapes look like those you’d find inTetris, many are based on letters of the English alphabet.
7Battle Line
Battle Line is a two player, card-based board game inspired by ancient warfare created by German-born mathematician Reiner Knizia. Opponents fight across a battle line, attempting to take at least five of the nine flag pieces placed in a line between them, or three adjacent flags.
Various cards, each representing a specific military unit with a specific number between one and ten, can be stacked up in line with a flag on each side. Whichever side adds up to the largest number will control the flag they are fighting for.
6Terraforming Mars
Terraforming Mars is a strategy and economy based game created by Jacob Fryxelius, a Swedish game developer. Up to five players each play as a giant corporation, working together to terraform Mars through various mechanisms, such as raising temperatures or oxygen levels, but competing for victory points and resources.
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As you play, you’ll have a basic income that is received during each production phase, and is affected by a Terraform Rating, which starts at 20. During each research phase, you can buy project cards that can give bonuses or increase resource production.
Have you noticed Japanese players enjoy the strategy genre?
5Ubongo
Ubongo is another colorful, shape-based game created by Swedish game developer Grzegorz Rejchtman. Up to four players compete against one another, but indirectly; each player must solve a unique puzzle of their own as fast as they can.
Almost like real-life Tetris, each player is given a puzzle card, showing a shape they must replicate with the twelvepolyominoesthey’ve been given. Players that solve their puzzles the fastest get to move a pawn a specific number of spaces based on their performance and collect gems based on where their pawn is.
4Nimuto
You’ve likely never heard of or played ニムト, loosely translated as Nimuto, a uniquely Japanese strategy card game published by Mebius Games and Amigo. Focused more on strategy, rather than luck, up to six players surround several rows of cards, categorized as positive or negative, at the center of the table.
By order of card number, each player then discards up to three cards, placing them in one or more of the rows. When a row reaches five cards, the relevant player receives all cards from that row.
The goal is to prioritize positive cards and avoid negative cards as much as you can.
3Dominion
In Dominion, a card and land acquisition-based game designed by Donald Vaccarino, up to four players each start with small, identical decks of cards. At the center of the table, various cards that players can buy are used to build a deck that nets them the most victory points by the end of the game.
Victory cards, such as estates or provinces, grant different amounts of victory points, while Treasure cards, such as silver or gold, allow you to purchase other cards. Lastly, Action cards can be played to obtain cards, force other players to discard some of their cards, or protect yourself from attacks.
2Shogi
Shogi is an immensely popular, traditional board game unique to Japan that is oftentimes referred to as Japanese chess. Two players each place 20 flat game pieces on their respective side of a board that’s sectioned into a nine-by-nine grid.
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Each piece, like chess, has a specific name and rules on how they can move across the board. Some pieces, like the kakugyō,function identically to some chess pieces, with this piece functioning the same as a bishop.
Others, like theginshō, often referred to as a Silver General, are unique, with their own special set of movement limits.
1Go
Go is a game of Chinese origin that has been around for thousands of years. Very popular in Japan, two players face off, most commonly, on an impressive 19 by 19 grid populated with small, white, and black pieces.
If you’re just starting out, it’s recommended to start on a smaller grid.
While the rules of Go are relatively simple, with each player trying to occupy and surround a larger total area of the board than their opponent, the scope and scale of the game oftentimes make it quite challenging. Some professional games of Go can last anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days!
