[For Adults] A Collection of Recreation and Game Ideas to Liven Up Hanami (Cherry Blossom Viewing)
With the warm spring weather, many of you are probably planning hanami cherry-blossom outings.
Simply eating and drinking while admiring the sakura is fun, but since you’re at it, wouldn’t it be great to include some group activities that really liven things up? There are actually plenty of games perfect for hanami—friendly competitions that adults can enjoy, as well as activities that bring out your inner child.
In this article, we’ve gathered a wide range of recreation ideas to make adult hanami even more enjoyable.
Try them out and get closer with your friends!
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[For Adults] A Collection of Recreation and Game Ideas to Liven Up Cherry-Blossom Viewing (1–10)
Giant soap bubble
How about a recreation using soap bubbles like the ones we played with as kids? This time, though, try making giant bubbles instead.
It’s fun for adults too, since it brings back a childlike sense of wonder.
You can buy bubble solution, but you’ll need a lot, so it’s better to make your own using liquid starch and dish soap.
For a company or club hanami picnic, you could split into teams and compete to see which team can make the biggest bubble—that would be a lot of fun, wouldn’t it?
Magical Banana
Anyone around their late twenties or older will know the hugely popular game “Magical Banana.” It was a hit on the 1990s quiz-style variety show “Magical Zunō Power!!” The rules are simple: you say a word you associate with a given term, so even if you don’t know the game, you can jump in right away.
You answer in a distinctive rhythm, which is sure to get everyone excited.
Keep going until there’s only one person left, and if you prepare a prize for the winner, it’ll double everyone’s motivation.
Earphone Loud Telephone Game
A classic game that surely not only children but also adults have played: the telephone game.
The idea is to see whether a word or sentence can be passed along accurately to the last person.
But this version, the “Earphone-Blasting Telephone Game,” is exactly what it sounds like: you play the telephone game while listening to music through earphones.
And the music is cranked up loud! So even though it’s a telephone game, you have to read the other person’s lips and figure out what they’re saying before passing it to the next person.
Naturally, it almost never gets passed on correctly, and the answer reveal is guaranteed to be hilarious!
[For Adults] A Collection of Recreation and Game Ideas to Liven Up Cherry-Blossom Viewing (11–20)
Gesture Relay
A classic recreation game: charades.
You look at a prompt and convey it through gestures—can the other person guess it? In this version, the charade is passed along relay-style from one person to the next.
Names of objects or single words are easier to convey, while full sentences are much harder, so it could be fun to adjust the difficulty as you play.
Since continuing gestures until someone understands can take a long time, it’s a good idea to set a time limit for each turn—say, a one-minute gesture term.
Catching Cherry Blossom Petals
At cherry-blossom viewing, the moment when petals swirl through the air is truly lovely, isn’t it? At times like that, why not enjoy a game of catching the falling petals? Adults and children alike can join in and see who can catch the most.
Try catching the petals with your hands or quickly reaching out before the wind carries them away—there’ll be laughter all around.
It’s a heartwarming way to spend time together and create memories that let you feel the arrival of spring.
Give it a try to make your hanami even more memorable!
A game where you poke balloons with a stick
Here’s a game that can liven things up with just a single balloon.
Did you know that a balloon won’t pop even if you stick something like a pencil into it? Using that property, players take turns sticking in pencils one after another, and whoever pops it loses.
It offers the same kind of thrill as Pop-up Pirate, and the reactions when the balloon finally bursts are part of the fun!
Giant Badminton
If you’ve got plenty of space to play—like a large park or a riverbank—how about trying badminton? You can buy badminton sets at variety shops, but this one is a bit different: it features extra-large rackets and a shuttlecock that’s ten times the usual size.
It’s called “Giant Badminton.” Because the shuttlecock is so much bigger, it moves in a slightly unusual, quirky way compared to the standard one.
As adults, we don’t often get the chance to play badminton, so it’s sure to be a hit.