Fun things to enjoy in January: from indoor games to traditional New Year’s pastimes
January, when we welcome the New Year, is the perfect time to enjoy activities that are a little different from the everyday! From traditional New Year’s games like karuta, fukuwarai, and spinning tops to easy, casual fun like charades and plastic-bottle bowling, why not try some seasonal games this time of year? In this article, we’re sharing plenty of ideas for January activities that will put smiles on the faces of family and friends.
Whether it’s games that get you moving indoors despite the cold or ones you can enjoy while connecting with older adults, discover the charm of each activity and make wonderful memories to start the new year.
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Fun activities to enjoy in January: From indoor games to traditional New Year’s pastimes (41–50)
Blox
Let me introduce the territory-claiming board game, Blokus.
Players fill the board with pieces of their own color, and the winner is the one who has the fewest squares left in their remaining pieces at the end.
Since there are pieces in many different shapes, the key to victory is using them cleverly to prevent your opponents from placing theirs.
Fun activities to enjoy in January: from indoor games to traditional New Year’s pastimes (51–60)
werewolf
Werewolf is a game where each player is assigned a role such as a wolf or a villager.
It’s a psychological battle in which you enjoy figuring out who the lying wolves are and how the wolves can eliminate the villagers without being detected.
It’s recommended for at least three players, ideally around ten.
Go (the board game)
Go is a territory-capturing game played with black and white stones.
By surrounding intersections with your own stones, you claim territory.
The player who secures more territory in the end wins.
It’s a traditional tabletop game long enjoyed in Japan, and there are professional leagues as well.
We recommend starting on a smaller board with fewer intersections.
tycoon
Daifugō is one of the card games played with a standard deck.
Players take turns playing cards that are stronger than the ones on the table, and the first person to run out of cards wins.
There are many optional rules such as ‘7 Transfer,’ ‘8 Cut,’ and ‘Villain Name.’ Find the set of rules that suits you and give it a try!
Shogi
Shogi is a Japanese tabletop game that both adults and children can get excited about.
Its depth is endless no matter how much you play.
If you’re a beginner, it might be good to start by learning joseki—standard opening strategies—and how to move the pieces in the opening.
Let’s all aim to become future masters!
nervous breakdown
You lay the cards face down and try to draw matching pairs—that’s the rule.
It’s a card game where memory is key.
It’s the kind of game you want to enjoy with a big group in a warm room.
Remembering the pictures that are turned over is important, but the first step is to at least roughly remember where those cards were flipped.
Telephone game on the back
It’s a game where you write characters on people’s backs in a line, and the last person has to guess the prompt.
Rather than writing big or slowly, it might be better to exaggerate the distinctive parts of the prompt.
You can also enjoy a variation where you draw pictures instead of writing characters.