Recommended small box souvenir games
Many travelers know the feeling well:
Your trip is coming to an end. You had such a fantastic time, that despite promising yourself you would get everyone some cool and unique souvenirs, your flight is tomorrow and you dejectedly result to some local candy and maybe a shirt that says I <3 Place Name. Don’t get me wrong, people love unique candy, and I’ve seen those shirts be worn out and about… But what if I told you there was a unique, fresh, different, affordable option that would not only make you stand out as a cool-souvenir-getter but also bring the receivers of said souvenirs hours of fun?
Why not pick up a unique card game, designed, printed & sold exclusively in Japan?
There are plenty of small, quick, light, and simple card games that would take up less space than that bag of candy you were eyeballing. I will only be sharing games with you that either include an English rulebook or require no Japanese familiarity to play the game. Sounds good? Let’s get started!
All the games listed below are available to try in one of our cafes. Additionally, you can purchase most of them directly from us with a 5% discount! Use code
JETs2024DC
during checkout at the Online Store, or show your JET membership in the physical store to use the discount.
Note: The games are listed in no particular order.
itten funbrick series
ファンブリックシリーズ
As the name suggests, the itten funbrick series is a range of board games that come in a delightful, uniform box size. The exterior dimensions imply that the box would contain a watch, a tube of toothpaste, or a very fancy ruler, but instead, the itten series houses a variety of components to provide you with a unique game experience. From metal marbles to wooden boats, die-rolling ninjas to bowling… There’s a huge display of creativity and uniqueness to these games, and you can easily fit multiple boxes in your luggage.
TAGIRON
タギロン
This small box card game will have 2-4 players deducing number sequences. Designed by Ryohei Kurahashi and released in 2017, this game tasks players with guessing their opponents' secret number sequence. Each player hides a random row of colored number cards behind a little screen and takes turns asking questions about other players’ cards. Can you guess the full sequence before they do? Test yourself in this game of tangled logic!
Divee!
ダイビィ!
Divee is a bright-blue dice-rolling delight. Designed by Keiji Kariya, it was released to the world in 2024. Fans of Yahtzee! and other dice games will feel right at home here. The included English rules ensure you’ll have no problems rolling dice and placing them on the correct cards to score it big. Submerge your friends/family in a rush to push their luck and risk another die roll in this 1-6 player small box Japanese game.
Surprise! Ice Cream!
ドキッと！アイス
With its adorable ice-cream centred art style, Dokitto! Ice Cream will remind you of those hot Japan months every time you play. This 2-5 player ice-scoop trick-taking card game was designed by Lana&Papa and was chosen for commercialization as the winner of the 2020 Arclite Game Award. While the game does not include English rules, it doesn’t use language on any components. Pop this little game in your suitcase, and surprise everyone with the gift of card games, cute animals, and stacks of ice cream scoops!
OINK Games
Oink games
Founded in 2010 by Jun Sasaki, OINK Games games are immediately recognizable via their box size. Each OINK Game comes in an identical travel-sized box that would fit in any bag (or a big pocket!). Additionally, each of their games automatically comes with English rules included. With a wide range of themes, gameplay systems, and player counts you are bound to find something you like. With over 40 games published, my personal recommendations are:
SCOUT (2-5 Players) which feels like a classic card game you can play with anyone
Deep Sea Adventure (2-6 Players) where you push your luck to make it back to the boat with the most treasures
A Fake Artist goes to New York (5-10 Players) where you try to draw badly on purpose.
Don’t worry if multiple of those sound good to you, they’re so small you can easily manage to bring them all back!
Dinky Dungeon
てのひらダンジョン
Indeed, this game is currently only available in Japanese, BUT this truly tiny (18 cards and 36 small treasure cards only) 2-4 player card game from Studio GG is getting an English release later in 2024, and currently comes with a free “Learn Japanese while playing” guide written by yours truly. This way, alongside the delightful card game you’re giving someone the gift of knowledge (and impressing their friends). This is a perfect card game for beginners as you’re only tasked with drawing 1 card and playing one of your two cards. Collect the most treasures to emerge victorious!
Harvest
ハーベスト
Harvest is as fun as it is cute. This 1-6 player card game from Yoshito Morikawa challenges you to grow the best vegetable garden. Vegetables are harvested when there are three cards in a row, but your play area only has space for 2! Cooperate where necessary, but ensure you grow the strongest vegetables. Have I mentioned how adorable the vegetables look? You can easily fit this game in your bag, and delight anyone who tends to their own garden, likes card games, or enjoys cute illustrations. English rules are included!
Renren
レンレン
Another small box card game that includes English rules (and an hourglass!) within its box, Renren plays 3-8 players and is designed by Akiyama Koryo and Yusei Kozu. This word association game challenges you to guess words by using the supplied hints only… However, you only get the first letter of each hint! Can you beat the timer and your friends and become the ultimate word association master? You’ll only find out if you bring this souvenir back with you - especially recommended for either word game fans or kids!
Pakmog!
パクモグ
Pakmog is a “delicious gesture game”. Honestly, that’s kind of all you need to know. This 3-7 Player small box game designed by Keiko Inagaki will have everyone at the table laughing while they’re guessing, and guessing while they’re laughing. Using the plastic cutlery provided in the box, players act out eating one of the food items depicted on the table. Can you convincingly convey consuming an ice cream with a spoon? A watermelon with any utensil you like? The game features plenty of Japanese food, so it’ll make for a great showcase of what you’ve been eating on your trip (and how you’ve been eating it too)!
Cat / Dog Poker
ねこ・いぬ ポーかー
Whether you are getting a souvenir for a cat person or a dog person, game designer Kaya Miyano has you covered. These adorable, small box, 2-4 player card games include English rules to delight everyone around the table. Players are tasked with collecting the cuddle-tastic animals, by keeping 1 card and passing the rest to the other players. This mechanism, called “drafting”, is often used in a variety of tabletop games, with Cat / Dog Poker serving as a wonderful introduction.
And there we have it, my dear travellers. An assortment of various small games from Japan that would make for a perfect gift. If you want to go the extra mile, you can get these games gift-wrapped in the traditional Japanese art of wrapping; Furoshiki.
Please feel free to try any of these games in our cafes
There are plenty more tabletop games that would make for a great gift, if you’re interested in learning more about games in Japan, feel free to reach out to me @PapaPolski, or use our websites' contact form.
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