Japan through my eyes

I've put up a little poll to the right of my blog.  Please feel free to vote.  Also, feel free to comment below this post, what other games you want to play this year.  Then we'll look back in 6 months to see what games got played :)

** Update: Once BGG is back up after it's upgrade, I'll add in the links for this game ** This game has definitely slipped under a lot of radars.  Seriously, there needs to be extra ratings added.  I never knew floors could be this fun and scary at the same time.  Fearsome Floors , made by the famous Friedemann Friese , published by Rio Grande is a game that I would have totally ignored on the shelf if I hadn't played it before.  At first the box does not do it justice, but once you've played it, you'll realize that the box actually does match perfectly with this WONDERFUL game.  I'm just going to say straight away, that as soon as I saw the components, I fell in LOVE. I don't know about you, but look how awesome this guy is! How cute is that?  One fantastically, awesome, nostalgia-filled board game, of fun and gore.  I am eagerly awaiting my copy to arrive all the way from America...Oooh hurry up... I must introduce you to all my...

Today while browsing through Tokyu Hands in Shibuya, I decided to check out the board game section.  As soon as I entered the room, there was a huge display of board games right in front of the stairs and elevator!  I was amazed at the display and really excited.  I think this is huge.  A couple of months ago Tokyu Hands was demo'ing Rummikub, and on that day there weren't as many games.  But today, maybe 1/4 of the floor was full of board games.  Not just the typical Roll & Move board game, but real good quality ones. Check it out! The fantastic display of board games! Stone Age is next to Monopoly! Look at all the awesome Euro games! Another shelf full of good games Giant Jenga! The cute Chicken Ramen character next to the board game display The games I highly recommend you check out are: Stone Age Lost Cities Battlelines Carcasonne Catan Bohnanza Kakerlaken Poker Midnight Party

2011 was a big year for the world.  We saw huge earthquakes in New Zealand, and the one in Japan was devastating because it was 3 major disasters in 1 day.  Japan was still in a bad recession - I knew a lot of friends who had lost jobs.  I was also worried I wouldn't be able to come back to Japan after the Earthquake, and would have to leave my friends behind.  I remember I was crying on the train to say goodbye to coworkers.  It was a really sad time. I lost my voice and discovered I had Vocal Cord Polyps which is really painful when I speak and sometimes breathing hurts. The conversation went like this "Don't speak or it could damage your voice" "But I'm a teacher" "Don't speak for 2 weeks, oh and the polyps come back, it's permanent. " I really Love to sing :( just have to sing in my mind these days because some days I can't even speak when I wake up.   But Japan moved on.  Everyone has been trying to be really positive...

Recently, I received this great game called Coerceo .   It looks quite interesting.  I love abstract games, but haven't been able to find someone to play them with in Japan.  I used to play a lot of Chess in high school, but after the losing a gazillion times, it was time to throw in the towel/Chess board. I read the rules and watched some videos on this game, and it looks like a lot of fun.  I think this one is simple enough to teach even new gamers.  That's definitely a bonus in my eyes.   I like the modular board, and the great pyramid shaped pieces. Here's what the game looks like.  After I play it a few times, I'll post up a review right here, on what I thought of the game. Watch this space....To be continued The game components The board shrinks as you play it

After seeing "Kakerlaken Poker" or in Japanese "ゴキブリポカー" (Gokiburi Poker) appear as a top 10 on a lot of Japanese board gaming catalogs, I decided to check out what the hype was all about.  So I picked up a copy of the Japanese version (luckily the cards had no language specific text)  and once I opened the box, I was immediately hooked by the colourful and amazingly cute artwork.  This cute little Take That style game by Jacques Zeimet has been my go to game for the month.  You can print out a Tuckbox from BGG which allows you to fit this game into your pocket, literally. There's a different image on each of the 64 cards, no 2 cockroaches are exactly alike, which makes the game higher on my Gaming list.  The artist who designed the FANTASTIC art is Rolf Vogt (yes, I was so interested in who did the art, I looked it up on BGG).  If you hated creepy crawlies before, this game might make you rethink those pre-conceptions.   "Awh, isn't that co...

Mastar & JBC were scrooges this year.  They gave me nothing.  Maybe it's because I give them nothing each year.  I sent this clue to my Secret Santa recipient But I did have a Master rival give a huge box of goodies for Christmas.  Technically they arrived on New Years Eve, so I guess the song title needs to change/blog title above needs to change. Then the wonderful Santa elf by the name of Awesome Joe Yamasaki, carefully wrapped up all the goodies, and bagged then, then boxed them into a huge box of exciting awesomeness.  I'm SO glad I met him at the Tokyo Game Show 2011.  He's such a great guy! After unwrapping all my goodies, the long wait began.  When would the next game day be...?  Luckily it was only a few days away.  Unlucky for me, I had all these rules I had to read up on before we played the games.  So until next time Batman   I've had a chance to play the games a few times, I'll leave you with this eye can...