My friend had just returned from Japan, bearing gifts of Kit Kats, tea, and a quirky Japanese Oink game. It was as if fate was teasing me when I arrived at another friend's place to find they were setting up Let's Go to Japan. Was this a sign? Should I be booking my next trip to the Land of the Rising Sun? I'm leaning towards yes. The game itself is a delightful mix of strategy and cultural immersion. The game invites you to craft the perfect Japanese adventure between the cities of Tokyo and Kyoto. It's like a virtual vacation planner, and I'm already dreaming of my own itinerary.
Let's go to Japan is designed by Josh Wood and published by AEG. It plays 1-5 players and it takes about fifteen minutes per player
Set Up ✈️ Getting Ready for Takeoff!
Each player gets a player board including a mood tracker, happiness and a stress token. The board is super cute and organized. The mood and happiness tracker had me sold. I think balancing what to do, stress, and happiness is sometimes really tough during vacations
In addition to the player board setup, there's a central play area.
There are Kyoto and Tokyo activity card decks
Game tokens that include wild, train, research, and walk
Round tracker board
🌸 Art and Mechanics
Each card has detailed illustrations that include a fun tip or fact about the place they are referring to. The game is beautiful. The graphic design of the game is super intuitive and easy to understand.
The core of the game revolves around drafting activity cards. Each card represents experiences like visiting temples, indulging in food like sushi, and taking serene boat rides. Tourists (players) than arrange these activities on their personal boards to optimize their schedules and gain the most points.
Each activity card has unique attributes and potential combos, making it crucial to think ahead and balance your day. The timing aspect adds an extra layer of challenge. The game is beautiful and you constantly managing where to fit your activities since time slots and activities are limited.
🗾 Playing Let's go to Japan
Let's go to Japan is a quick-paced game where you step into the shoes of a tourist, crafting an unforgettable trip through strategic card selection. Balance excitement, stress, and happiness as you aim to maximize points by aligning activities with daily goals and the overall trip theme.
The game plays in 13 rounds. Each round involves drawing and playing cards. At the end of each round you will have no cards left in your hand. During each round, if you're unhappy with your options, take a "walk" by discarding a card and drawing a face-down one.
Once you've played three cards for a day, check for bonus points based on matching icons.
To spice things up, train tokens can boost or hinder your score and mood.
Additionally, take a walk for unexpected twists: play them face-up for immediate rewards or keep them hidden for a chance to improve your mood. At the end of your journey, you'll score points based on your accumulated Experience tokens.
After the thirteen round, score. Final scoring includes points earned from cards, "Highlight of the Day" bonuses, train tokens, and the position of your Experience tokens. The player with the highest total score wins!
Pros and Key Features
Itinerary planning
Daily goals and trip themes
Beautiful artwork and design with clear iconography
Balance of strategy and luck
Replayability due to varying daily goals and activity cards
Cons
Might be challenging for players new to strategic board games
Some randomness in card draws can influence gameplay
Not 100% language independent
I don't know if a con, but when I add this to my collection, I want it to be the Matsuri (festival upgraded) version that costs closely double of the original game
Conclusion
What stood out to me was how the game marries theme and mechanics so well. The process of arranging activities feels like you're genuinely crafting a vacation. This includes all the excitement and considerations that come with it. And at the same time, you are living your plans to see if your mood and happiness aligns. The variety of activities and the challenge of fitting them into an optimal itinerary kept me engaged throughout. The artwork was top notch. I felt that the game balanced strategy and luck very well. Can't wait to play this again and try it at two players.
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