[For Adults] Fun Games to Liven Up Your Cherry-Blossom Viewing: Recreation and Party Games
Hanami is already a lot of fun just by eating, drinking, and chatting while admiring the cherry blossoms.
That said, if it’s a long stretch from noon into the night, there are times when the mood dips if you keep the party going nonstop.
And even though it’s spring, March and April can still be quite chilly.
So in this article, we’ve gathered some activities perfect for hanami—light recreation to get you moving and warm you up, as well as lively games to keep idle moments at bay.
It’s geared toward adults, so it’s great for company outings or university groups!
Be sure to check it out!
- [For Adults] Fun recreational games. Perfect for short breaks too!
- [For Kids] Fun Activities for Cherry-Blossom Viewing: Recreation and Games
- Team-based recreational activities for adults that are fun even with large groups
- Fun recreational games that liven up outdoor activities
- Entertainments and performances to liven up cherry-blossom viewing: spring mini games
- Recreation Ideas for Seniors to Enjoy March
- [For Seniors] Fun Spring Recreational Activities: A Collection of Games and Play Ideas
- Games you can play with just conversation. Classic and popular activities you can enjoy without any props!
- [For University Students] A Roundup of Fun Games and Recreational Activities
- Fun activities that liven up a camp: recreational games
- Games and activities everyone can enjoy together. A collection of fun play ideas.
- Indoor games and recreational activities recommended for spring
- Simple mini-games that liven up a party
[For Adults] Fun Activities for Cherry-Blossom Viewing: Recreation and Games (1–10)
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.
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.
Perfect Match Game
It’s a team-based game called “The Perfect Match Game.” The two teams take turns asking each other questions, and you add up the numbers from the answers to get as close as possible to a preset target number.
If you go over, you’re out.
It’s surprisingly hard if the target number is small, and the game ends quickly, so setting it somewhere in the hundreds of thousands might be better.
You nominate someone on the opposing team and ask them a number-related question.
For example, ask about the rent where they live or their most expensive recent purchase—keep asking in a way that doesn’t push the total over the target.
[For Adults] Fun Activities for Cherry-Blossom Viewing: Recreation and Games (11–20)
Pedometer Dance Battle
At your cherry-blossom party, why not host a dance contest using pedometers to crank up the excitement? It works great as either an individual or team competition.
Have everyone grab a pedometer and dance to their favorite music! Step to the rhythm, add some light jumps, and you might even end up laughing along the way.
Watching the pedometer numbers shoot up with every move is fun for the spectators too! It could be extra fun to prepare a special hanami-themed snack as a prize for the winner.
Enjoy a lively spring day and make the best memories together.
No-English game
Let me introduce a fun “No-English Game” for cherry-blossom viewing! You can easily enjoy it with your favorite smartphone or console games, or with card games.
Set rules so that no one is allowed to use English.
Make it a team battle, and boost the fun by choosing team names in languages other than English.
For a card game, UNO is a great pick.
Even when calling out colors and numbers, English is off-limits.
For example, say colors like “aka” (red) or “ao” (blue).
Follow the rules and have a lively, noisy good time together! Enjoy it while eating your hanami picnic lunch!
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!
Smartphone Typing Battle
Want to amp up the fun at your cherry blossom viewing party with a smartphone Typing Battle? The rules are super simple.
Grab your phone and see who can type the given phrase the fastest! Try it with your friends at the hanami—competing on typing speed is sure to get everyone hyped.
Enjoy the beautiful scenery while adults and kids alike join in.
You might be surprised by who ends up the champion!