Hobbies And Interests
Otedama
Otedama is a girls' game in Japan requiring five ojami, or small beanbags. During the post-World War II era, children's toys were scarce, and family members in Japan made ojami from silk kimono remnants and azuki beans. Otedama play roughly correlates with the game of jacks. The girls scatter the ojami on a flat surface, then toss one bag into the air and pick one up in time to catch the tossed bag. The girls take turns, progressing to the next rounds in which they pick up two bags, then three, then four before catching the tossed bag. For the final round of play, each girl in turn gathers all five ojami in her hand, throws them into the air and catches as many as she can on the back of her hand. She then tosses those back up and catches as many as possible in the palm of her hand.
Donjara
Donjara -- also called Ponjan -- is a kids' version of the ancient Japanese game mahjong. Players use 81 tiles -- traditionally with pictures of boats, planes and trains of different colors -- or more recently, with characters on different color tiles. The player who begins the first round is called the Oya, the parent, while the other player is Ko, the child. The winner of the previous round is Oya. Each player begins the game with 2,000 points, and over the course of five rounds, each player attempts to collect points from his opponent. The object of the game is to take all of the opponent's points. Each player draws 10 tiles and attempts to create a winning combination or three triplets of matching tiles with one to throw away. When she has accomplished this, she declares "Donjara" and the round is over. The winner takes away the appropriate number of points from her opponent.
Menko
A favorite among Japanese boys, menko is a card game in which players try to flip their opponents' cards by throwing other cards at them. A tradition since the 18th century, Japan's Edo era, menko includes both rectangular and round playing cards -- called menkos -- made in a heavier weight cardboard. Menko cards feature cartoon characters such as Mickey Mouse, baseball players and storybook protagonists like Pinocchio. Originally, menkos were crafted of clay. Over the years craftsman produced menko in tile, wood, metal and cardboard. More than simply a childs' pastime, playing menko is a competition akin to sumo wrestling where one boy can overcome his opponent by flipping his menko or knocking it out of a circle. Menko provides a social forum in which boys can form alliances and lasting friendships. Serious collectors actively seek old and rare menko cards as an investment.