[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 (31–40)
Tag (or Tag, holding hands)NEW!
In a regular game of tag, the person who gets touched by “it” switches places, but in this hand-holding tag, everyone who gets touched becomes “it.” Captured kids hold hands with the taggers and chase the remaining runners together.
As the number of taggers grows, the area you can move in gets smaller and it becomes harder to escape, but the taggers can’t turn quickly and move more sluggishly, so try to catch them off guard and survive until time runs out.
For this game, it’s recommended to set a rough play area in advance.
Taggers should be careful to avoid injuries.
Ice tagNEW!
In Freeze Tag, when the tagger touches a player, that player can’t move.
However, if a teammate touches them, they can move again and keep running.
The game ends when the tagger has caught all the players.
It’s also fun to set a time limit or define an area where players can run.
If you’re tagged, crouch so it’s clear you’re frozen and wait for a teammate to free you.
Since it’s hard for one person to catch everyone, set multiple taggers.
It’s a game where teamwork is the key to winning.
High TagNEW!
Let me introduce “Taka-oni,” a tag game where you can’t be tagged when you’re in a high place.
The basic rule is that one chaser (the “oni”) pursues the others (“children”), and whoever is tagged becomes the new oni.
In Taka-oni, there’s an added rule: if a child escapes to a high place, they can’t be tagged.
However, being up high doesn’t make you safe forever—each child can stay in the same spot for only 10 seconds.
After 10 seconds, the oni is allowed to tag them, so the child should run away or move to another high place.
acrostic using the Japanese syllabary (aiueo poem)
An aiueo acrostic is made by starting each sentence with one of the syllables a, i, u, e, o in order and building a composition.
For example, a = blue sky—it’s easy at first, but because you have to keep the meaning connected to the end, it gets harder in the latter half with e and o.
Since it’s a brain-teasing game you play while drinking, it sounds like it could produce some masterful lines.
Karaoke Contest
A classic recreational activity: karaoke.
It’s something everyone can enjoy, from kids to seniors.
Not long ago, karaoke required bulky equipment, but these days you can have fun with just a single microphone—there are models with built-in speakers, and even smartphone apps that let you enjoy karaoke.
While it could be a nuisance in crowded areas where picnic sheets are close together, karaoke would likely be a big hit at a private hanami gathering with just your group.
Rock-paper-scissors, then bop on the head
“Tataite Kabutte Janken Pon” is a game where you play rock-paper-scissors; the winner tries to hit, and the loser tries to cover their head.
It becomes a fun recreation when the chant speeds up and everyone gets quicker.
It’s best to use something soft to avoid injuries.
Using a squeaky toy hammer would make it even more exciting.
Three-letter shiritori
Unlike regular shiritori, this is a game where you have to connect words using only three-letter terms.
Because you have to come up with words instantly, you might blurt out unexpected, odd answers, making it surprisingly challenging.
You can also tweak the rules—like adding a time limit or starting from a difficult keyword—so try enjoying it in a variety of ways.
Ten Times Game
Didn’t you play the “say it 10 times” game when you were a kid? I mean, surely everyone has tried it at least once, right? A classic example is telling someone, “Say ‘pizza’ 10 times,” and after they do, you point to your elbow and ask, “What’s this?” to make them say “knee” by mistake.
You think, “There’s no way I’d fall for something that simple!” but when you actually try it, you feel yourself being led and get stuck trying to answer.
They say your mind gets rigid as you become an adult—so let’s loosen up and have fun with games like this.
Rhythm 4 Game
This is a game that became popular from the variety show “Let’s Go to School,” which V6 used to appear on, and has since become a staple party game.
It’s commonly known as “Rhythm 4 Game” or “Minorika Rhythm 4.” To make it easier to keep the beat, participants shorten their names or nicknames to two syllables.
The flow is: someone calls a name and says a number; the person called then says their own name that many times; then it passes to the next person, continuing in rhythm.
You can also mix in other words or optional rules to increase the difficulty, making it an even more fun game.
Who am I? game
As the prompt ‘Who am I?’ suggests, this is a game where you ask lots of questions to figure out who or what that ‘I’ is.
The great thing about this game is that you don’t need any props at all.
You can even throw in a few tricky questions—use your creativity to liven up the atmosphere!
