For those wanting to come play some board games in Japan, there are many places to game now. There are Japanese gaming groups (which I've only visited a couple of times), and a tonne of Foreigner friendly groups. JIGG being one of them. There are so many amazing game days at JIGG nowadays it's hard to fit everything in my schedule because I want to go to ALL of them. So much fun to be had, and so much gaming!! What's your secret to fitting in all the gaming?
Last year at JIGG we had 4 fantastic game days a month held at 4 locations around Kanto are: Mejiro, Ayase, Okusawa, Kanagawa. This year we've had a wonderful addition of 2 new game days : Fussa & Sugamo.
So I wanted to do a brief introduction of each game location for those that want to get in more gaming, or are just interesting in our game group in Japan. If you're ever in town please come join us for some fun and games :)
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Mejiro
Host: Jay Noyes/Yannis, Started in:...a long long time ago (2008)
This was one the first location I visited when I joined JIGG, and what a fun and unique place this was. There were knights in armour, swords, weaponry, the sound of battle going on downstairs. It definitely reminded me of something wonderful and medieval. The place was called "Castle Tintagel". We no longer game at this location, but if you're looking for something close to the center of Tokyo, I recommend : Sugamo Game Day.
Ayase
Hosts: Yannis, Started in: 2011
Times: usually from 10am-9pm
Dates: Usually the first Sunday of the month
Closest Station: Ayase station
This game day is quite close to the station which has an array of food shops, and other shops, and there's usually parking nearby, and it's also free for kids to attend. There are lots of fantastic games to be played here. There's a lot of space for gaming, and for big games also, and lots of friendly gamers. Great for Euro games, and also fun games like Dungeon Fighter. I want to try Viticulture one of these days! You can meet lots of great people here also, and maybe make some new wonderful friends. Lots of fun and laughter to be had here. Great place to go spend a weekend. Go check it out and come play some games with us.
Okusawa
Host: Mandy, Started in : Jan 2012
Times: usually from 9am-9pm
Dates: Usually the 2nd Sunday of the month
Closest Station: Okusawa station (occasionally Kuhombutsu)
The Okusawa game day is usually less than 1 minute walk from the station, right inside an interesting building that has a bit of a European design on the outside. But don't be fooled :) Even though 1 of the walls on the outside looks like you're in Europe, the game rooms can range from a big spacious room to a cosy, quaint Tatami room. There are 2 supermarkets nearby, and a fantastic ramen shop that opened in 2012? Fantastic for those that like to play all sorts of games: casual games, Euro games, American style games. You may even see us running around the room holding wooden eggs, or gesturing madly to Times up Title Recall. We'll play any game. Occasionally competitions and other fun events are held here, like Secret Santa, and give aways. So feel free to come join in the fun.
Kanagawa
Host: Niall, Started in: June 2012
Dates: Usually the 1st Sunday of the month, or the 5th Sunday
Closest Station: Ofuna or Kamakura
Right in the heart of the beautiful Kanagawa area, this location is great for gaming. The train stations/transfers on the way here are full of fantastic places to shop, and get unique snacks, and once you read the location, there are a tonne of traditional food shops, and souvenir shops all around. The location at Kamakura is equally special with it's beautiful sightseeing spots. Half the time I want to run outside and go check out the temples, and grab some yummy traditional snacks but I have to control myself.
This location is also kid friendly, and there is a nice variety of games to be played. Want to play Defenders or Sentinels of the Multiverse, or Risk Legacy...or a myriad of other fun games? The location is usually at Kamakura or Ofuna, so check the guild page to see where it is for the month. Come join us for some gaming fun!
Fussa
Host: Dano & Sara, Started in: March 2013
Times: usually from 11am-22:00
Dates: Usually the 3rd Sunday of the month
Closest Station: Fussa Station
This is one of our Unique gaming locations. Even though you are in Japan, when you come here for gaming, it's like stepping into a transporter and beaming into another country. Which country? America!! This game location is held on one of the bases in Japan. It's a hop, skip, jump away from Kichijoji. Dano & Sara the hosts are so generous and welcoming. They often bring bags full of games, and snacks to the game days. There are soo many games to choose from, I want to play them all!! Trust me, you'll pretty much find 1-1000 a lot of games here that you'll enjoy. You'll have a fantastic time here, so feel free to come join us.
Sugamo
Host: Goran Started in: May 2013
Dates: Usually the 3rd/4th Saturday of the month
Closest Station: Sugamo
One of our newest locations hosted by Goran, and it's been a big hit. The location is in an amazing place called Sugamo, which I had no idea about until I visited for their first game day. It's along a beautiful traditional Japanese street, with a wonderment of traditional stores ranging from Senbu, dried fish, manju, and a lot of interesting shops in the colour red. You might see a strange character Sugamo duck dressed in a jimbei? decorating the town. It's so cute, I've been trying not to give in to buying one of their mascot characters. Must resist! The walk is a fun walk. I get distracted by all the things to see and buy. Must resist!
There are an array of fun board games to be played here, and the atmosphere lends itself to playing 2 player games, Euro games, casual games and more. This is very close to the city center, and it's only a few minutes from Ikebukero. I highly recommend coming here for your gaming experience.
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If you are interested in visiting any of the game days please feel free to join us. Please check out JIGG meetup page or check out the front page of our JIGG Tokyo Guild to find the latest game day nearest you.
If you have any questions feel free to ask away, or ask one of the organizers :) We're all one big family.
