Traditional Japanese New Year Games

The karuta

Karuta is a traditional Japanese card game very popular at the New Year, which relies on listening skills and speed. Players must identify and grab the corresponding card as quickly as possible after a reader recites the first part of a poem from the Hyakunin Isshu collection. The player's card contains only the second part of the poem, requiring rapid memorization. It is also used as an educational tool to help children learn hiragana and kanji, as it combines poetry and cards.

Fun fact : there are karuta sports competitions!

How the game works

• The game : It is played with 100 cards featuring the second half of classic Japanese poems.

• The reader : A reader recites the first part of each of the 100 poems.

• The challenge : Players must find the card bearing the end of the recited poem, then grab it before their opponents.

• The goal : To be the first to find and grab the correct card.

The takoage

Takoage — from the Japanese words tako (凧) meaning "kite" and age (揚げ) meaning "to raise" or "to fly" — is a traditional Japanese New Year's game, practiced especially by boys, in which kites are flown. It symbolizes a new beginning and good luck for the new year. It is a popular activity that can also lead to more elaborate kite-flying contests in some regions.

The hanetsuki

Hanetsuki is a traditional Japanese game played with wooden rackets, similar to badminton but without a net. The aim is to keep a shuttlecock (called a hane ) in the air. Traditionally played by girls, the game consisted of hitting the shuttlecock back and forth for as long as possible. The loser would have their face smeared with ink, and the longer the shuttlecock remained in the air was believed to increase luck for the coming year.

The game and its rules

• Equipment : Rectangular wooden rackets called hagoita and a shuttlecock, the hane , are used.

• Objective : To hit the shuttlecock from one racket to the other without dropping it.

• Solo game : One person can also try to keep the steering wheel in the air for as long as possible.

• Consequence of defeat : If a player drops the shuttlecock, he gets his face smeared with ink.

In the past, this game was also a form of prayer for the growth of young girls and was believed to ward off evil spirits. Today, the game is played less and less. Nevertheless, the tradition has not completely disappeared and now takes another form: decorated hagoita have remained popular as collector's items, often painted with

portraits of kabuki actors or other celebrities.

The sugoroku

Sugoroku is a traditional Japanese board game that exists in two main forms: Ban Sugoroku , similar to backgammon, and E-Sugoroku , closer to the game of Snakes and Ladders. The goal is to move your pieces around a board according to the roll of the dice.

Ban Sugoroku

• Similar to backgammon : It is a strategy game for two players, with 15 pieces of each color.

• Objective of the game : To advance all of your pieces from the starting point to the opponent's camp using the dice, while capturing the opponent's pieces.

• Original game : This version was once used for betting, but its use has declined over time.

E-Sugoroku

• Similar to the game of goose : This is a simpler version, often represented on paper, which resembles the game of goose or snakes and ladders.

• Objective : Reach the end of the course by rolling the dice, respecting specific rules for each square (move forward or backward).

• Popularity : This version was historically popularized by Buddhists, who used it as an educational tool to teach moral values.

And there you have it, you're now ready to spend a complete New Year's Eve the Japanese way!