Are you ready to dive into some seriously fun stuff? Japan is famous for its amazing culture and cool tech, but it’s also a top spot for awesome entertainment. From anime with epic stories to video games that are super fun to play, and board games perfect for hanging out with friends and family, there’s something for everyone.
In this blog post, we’re going to check out 25 must-see Japanese anime, video games, and board games that fans all over the world love. Whether you’re a hardcore anime fan, a gaming nerd, or just looking for something new and exciting, this list has got you covered. Get ready to find new favorites and revisit some classics you definitely need to check out now!
One of the best ways to explore Tokyo is to visit the local areas and immerse yourself in the local culture. If you want to explore local areas, we have created scavenger hunt adventures personalised to your interests, filled with fun facts, clues and puzzles. If you’re curious, you can check out the games here! Check out the Flip Japan Games here! |
Addictive Japanese Anime and Japanese Manga
Death Note
“Death Note” is one of the most famous Japanese anime and manga—it’s even been adapted into a Netflix film (but, please don’t watch it or any other film adaptations; they’ve all been disappointments). It revolves around the use of a notebook that causes people to die if their names are written in it.
But the real pull of the series isn’t this kill-happy notebook but the battle of wits between the homicidal psychopath using it to “cleanse” the world of sinners, and the genius detective hunting him down, both in a race to find out the other’s identity first. Both have to adapt as more rules regarding the notebook’s use surface. It’s a dark series with murder, suspense, and twists and turns.
The anime remains fairly faithful to the original manga, so you can read or watch it and still get the best bits of the story.
The Way of the House Husband
This hilarious manga series is about a yakuza boss who retires to become a house husband. Despite his good intentions, his habits from his criminal past—and his scary appearance and reputation—often get in the way of him trying to be a good house husband, especially when his old yakuza pals and associates show up.
Homunculus
This manga series takes you on a wild, dark ride. The main character, a homeless man living out of his car, lets a stranger drill a 6mm hole into his skull in exchange for money. This is part of an experiment to open up a “third eye”: the 6mm hole should increase blood circulation and improve pressure inside the skull, bringing out a sixth sense.
Now, when the main character looks at people, he sees them as analogies of themselves and their personalities. Wishy-washy people might take the form of water, two-faced people may have a face made up of dozens of faces, or a young person still trying to figure out their personality might take the form of ever-changing sand.
Though there are humorous parts, it’s largely a dark manga series about people unwittingly bearing their secrets, shame, and regret to the main character with his sixth sense. If you’re the sort of person who likes figuring out puzzles, give “Homunculus” a read and try to solve the puzzles presented by the characters’ physical analogies of themselves.
Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma
“Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma” is one of the most talked-about Japanese anime and manga right now, especially with its final season, The Fifth Plate, streaming now. It follows the life of Souma Yukihiro who aspired to become a full-time chef and surpass his famous chef father’s culinary skills.
The series takes place mostly in the Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, a world-class culinary school in Tokyo, Japan, where students compete in cooking battles known as shokugeki. These battles are dramatised to look like actual fighting scenes from action anime, and cooking techniques are the characters’ superpowers. It’s like Gordon Ramsay’s cooking shows combined with Dragon Ball Z.
The cooking methods used in the show are grounded in reality and are pretty accurate. So if you want a fun show that’ll make you hungry, show you dishes that you never dreamed of before, and teach you a thing or two about cooking, this is the perfect show for you.
Made In Abyss
This anime is about a little girl and a robot who live in a world where their mission is to explore an enormous hole in the earth. It’s a mysterious series with sci-fi elements, and the art is simply gorgeous. The series gets a little graphic at times but overall, it’s a captivating story that is beautifully told.
That One Time I Became A Slime
This series follows a guy who dies and becomes a slime in the afterlife, slimes like the ones in video games. It is a funny and dramatic series set in a fantasy world.
Saiki K
You’d think that a character with all the superpowers in the world would become a superhero. But not Kusuo Saiki. He’s a student who just wants to lead a boring and peaceful life, but people and circumstances around him just keep getting in the way. And, as Uncle Ben said in the famous Spider-Man comics and movies, “With great power comes great responsibility,” and Kusuo Saiki begrudgingly uses his powers to save people every day.
It’s a comedic, tongue-in-cheek, parodic series that makes fun of superhero anime, and features strong, unique and hilarious characters. Every episode is sure to make you laugh and brighten up your day.
Himouto! Umaruchan
Umaru Doma is seemingly perfect: she’s cute, has top grades, and a lot of talent and potential. But, when she gets home, it’s Umaru-chan time! She becomes entirely contrary to the ideal person she portrays herself to be to the rest of the world. She loves lying around with potato chips and Coca-Cola, playing videos until late, and constantly relies on her older brother, Taihei, whom she lives with.
It’s not an action-packed series with superheroes or demons running about, but is instead a simply adorable and totally relatable slice-of-life series. If you want to watch a short, light-hearted and heartwarming series, check this one out.
Sword Art Online
This series is similar to the movie, “Ready Player One.” It takes place in the year 2022 where people can use high-tech helmets to transport themselves into a virtual, role-playing world known as Sword Art Online. However, on the day of the game’s release and after 10,000 players have logged in, they find themselves unable to log out, their physical bodies simply lying unconscious on their beds at home. The series follows the characters as they try to fight their way out of the game. The kicker? If they die in the game, they die in the real world.
It’s a series full of exciting quests, exquisite choreography, beautiful soundtracks, and stunning visuals. This series is sure to mesmerise you.
HAIKYU!!
“Haikyuu!!” is continuing with its fifth season, “Haikyuu!! To The Top.” It’s such a popular series that it’s been adapted into a movie and many original stage plays, it has pop-up stores all over Japan selling merchandise, and even has its own themed café at the famous Animate building in Ikebukuro.
The series’ main character, Hinata Shoyo, is a volleyball player and joins his high school volleyball team only to find that his arch nemesis, Tobio Kageyama, is now one of his teammates. Throughout the series, we see dramatised volleyball matches with comically unrealistic techniques (like most sports anime), and we meet a myriad of characters. There is incredible character development and the characters’ personalities and relationships with one another, and the suspenseful play of volleyball grabs many viewers.
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
This series is originally a manga that has recently been adapted into an anime. It became so popular that its second season is being showcased as a movie, “Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train,” set to release on October 16, 2020. It recently opened its own themed café at Sweets Paradise in Harajuku.
The series is set in the Taisho period in Japan and follows Tanjiro, a kind-hearted boy who sells charcoal for a living. One day, his family is slaughtered by a demon and his younger sister Nezuko is transformed into a demon herself. With rage and revenge fuelling him, this once gentle boy trains to become a demon slayer in hopes of killing the demon who murdered his family, and turning his sister back into a human. Produced with stunningly beautiful animation, vibrant colours, and a unique art style, this series is a compelling one to watch.
Entertaining Japanese Video Games
We all know Pokémon, Mario Kart/Super Mario Bros., and of course, Animal Crossing. We asked our Japanese friends to recommend their favourite video games. If you have time and want to delve deep into a world where you have TOTAL control, then take a look at these games.
Final Fantasy
On 10 April this year, Square Enix released the long-awaited “Final Fantasy VII Remake,” the first of several parts, with higher-quality graphics and additional content. The game’s release wasn’t announced until three to four years ago, but a demo clip of the remake released in 2005, meant only to promote the then upcoming PlayStation 3’s higher-functioning graphics, has kept fans of the series expecting and waiting patiently for a full remake of the entire game.
“Final Fantasy VII Remake,” like all the other Final Fantasy games, takes place in a fantasy world with its own lore, complex and well-developed history, and monsters to battle. As of right now, “Final Fantasy VII Remake,” with the latest graphics, is only available on PlayStation 4, but the other Final Fantasy games are playable on other PlayStations, some on Xbox and some on computers. Each “Final Fantasy” game has different characters, mythology, history and a different set of monsters, so be sure to check out all of them.
Bloodborne
This is a PlayStation 4 third-person game released by Sony. It sends players into the plague-ridden city of Yharnam, a former town of prosperity that, under mysterious circumstances, has become overrun with monsters. While the creature designs are not very scary, they become pretty bizarre and terrifying when they’re towering above you.
The key to this game is, don’t give up! Monsters are unpredictable, they come out of nowhere and are hard to beat. But, if you persevere, the dark, eventful adventure you’ll have is worth it.
Dark Souls
You may have heard some people say that this action role-playing game is difficult, because when you die in the game—and you’ll die a lot—you lose all your “souls” (the currency of the game) and you have to restart from your last checkpoint, completely broke and unable to upgrade your character. It’ll make you want to throw your controller at your screen or pull your hair out. While it’s hard, it’s not unfair, and it becomes more manageable as you’re playing.
As you’re playing, you’ll experience these moments that make you fall in love with the game. There are countless ways to explore the secrets of this well-developed world of demons, dragons, and firelords, and you’ll be kept busy and endlessly fascinated and curious for more.
The Legend of Zelda; Breath of the Wild
When you climb on top of hills, you get to see beautiful sceneries that may include waterfalls, sunsets, forests, lakes, shrines and castles. You may feel a cold that zaps your health, experience rain that makes it hard to scale mountains, or the warmth of the sun comforting your skin. This game has all of that.
After a hundred-year slumber, our main character Link awakens and is tasked with defeating Calamity Ganon before it destroys the world. There are mini challenges, side quests and different ways of combat that will require you to think and strategise. If you want something that’s not too grotesque, or a game with beautiful art and moving music, be sure to pick this up.
Persona Series
This is a series of games where you practice time management as you have to juggle a social life, studying, and working at a job. A huge part of the game is “social links” or, as they are called in “Persona 5,” “confidants”. As you build relationships, you unlock fun, bonus gameplays.
Though it may sound mundane to some or come off as too similar to real life to be fun, it’s actually gained a lot of popularity, not just in Japan but in Western countries too. Check it out to find out why!
Dragon Quest
The “Dragon Quest” series has spanned over 30 years and had been immensely popular in Japan long before it made its way overseas. It’s a rather simple game where you play as a lone knight sent on a mission to retrieve a sacred artifact that had been stolen by an evil warlord. You will have to fight monsters, buy new weapons, and save a princess. You’ll also need to complete mini-missions and side quests.
This game has been highly praised for its animation and artwork that is unique and stylish. And, like many games, it has a beautiful soundtrack.
Okami
This is an older game but a great one. It revolves around the Japanese god Amaterasu who takes the form of a white wolf. You play as Amaterasu in wolf form and encounter other famous gods from Japanese mythology. If you’re interested in learning more about ancient Japanese legends, this game is a fun way to do it!
Katamari Damacy
This is probably the cutest game on this list. You play as a prince whose father has destroyed the stars, constellations, and moon. You need to rebuild them and you do so by rolling a magical ball called a Katamari onto other objects. As you do so, your Katamari will grow larger and larger until it’s big enough to become a star. It’s good for players who only want to play for a short amount of time.
Animal Crossing
“Animal Crossing” is a game where you get to play as a human who lives in a village inhabited by animals and you can do activities such as fishing, catching bugs, and hunting for fossils. Since the latest “Animal Crossing” just launched on March 20, it has gained a lot of attention.
Japanese Board Games
If you’re getting tired of UNO, Jenga or other classic games, here are some traditional Japanese ones you can try out.
Shogi
Shogi is essentially Japanese chess, played with two people. You win by capturing your opponent’s king piece. Order your own set online and learn how to play with the instruction manual, and start your new hobby!
Gomoku
Gomoku is the Japanese version of the game Othello. It’s played with round black and white pieces. Each player (two players) is assigned a colour and the goal of the game is to have more of your pieces on the board than your opponent. You do this by surrounding your opponent’s stones with your own. It’s a little complicated but any set you get will come with its own instruction manual.
Sudoku
Sudoku is a popular Japanese numbers game. The objective of sudoku is to fill a 9×9 grid with numbers one to nine. The numbers cannot repeat themselves in a 3×3 cell, or on the same row or column with the other cells. It’s a fun brain teaser that can entertain you for hours.
Daifugo
Daifugo is one of the most popular Japanese card games. The rules are similar to poker, making use of the same hands: two pairs, three of a kind, straight, flush, and so on. This game requires four players and a lot of strategising.
Origami
There are a bunch of origami instructions out there on the web. Get yourself some sheets of paper and try out this traditional Japanese art form. Origami can be a fun and relaxing way to spend your time and create beautiful paper art.
Dive into the World of Japanese Entertainment
Exploring Japanese anime, video games, and board games can open up a world of imagination, adventure, and fun. Whether you’re captivated by the strategic mind games in “Death Note,” the culinary battles in “Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma,” or the heartwarming slice-of-life moments in “Himouto! Umaruchan,” there’s an anime for every taste.
For gamers, titles like “Final Fantasy VII Remake,” “Bloodborne,” and “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” offer immersive experiences that transport you to fantastical realms filled with epic quests and stunning visuals. Meanwhile, traditional board games like Shogi and Gomoku, and even the brain-teasing Sudoku, provide a perfect way to engage your mind and connect with others in a more tactile way.
The variety and creativity found in Japanese entertainment are truly boundless. So, whether you’re a seasoned fan or new to the scene, dive in and discover the captivating stories, incredible artistry, and innovative gameplay that have made Japanese anime, video games, and board games beloved worldwide. Enjoy your journey into this vibrant and exhilarating universe!
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