Play

Games from Japan Almanac

五目並べ · Five in a row

Gomoku

Place stones on a wooden board and be first to line up five. Your rivals: bold Kocho, who plays to win loudly, and patient Dakki, who sets traps.

  • Two rivals with their own styles and voices
  • Approachable and Challenging levels
  • Dakki's lesson on a live board
Play Gomoku free

Plays in your browser. Add it to your Home Screen and it opens like an app, even offline.

Gomoku in play: Kocho across a wooden board with black and white stones

お絵かきロジック · Picture logic

Nonograms

Fill the right squares from the row and column clues, and each grid blooms into a colour picture of Japan: a torii, Red Fuji, a castle, a sake set.

  • A new picture every day, the same for everyone
  • 41 pictures to collect as illustrated souvenirs
  • Hints that explain the reasoning
Play Nonograms free

Plays in your browser. Add it to your Home Screen and it opens like an app, even offline.

Nonograms in play: a 15 by 15 grid of clues with a castle picture half found

数独 · The daily puzzle

Sudoku

A calm daily Sudoku hosted by Kocho and Dakki. Every solve stamps a region of Japan into your passport, and every hint teaches the technique behind it.

  • One daily puzzle for everyone, plus free play
  • Four levels graded by technique, not luck
  • A stamp passport of Japan's regions
Play Sudoku free

Plays in your browser. Add it to your Home Screen and it opens like an app, even offline.

Sudoku in play: today's easy puzzle on a lacquered board

かなタイル · Learn hiragana and katakana

Kana Tiles

Tile-matching solitaire for learning Japanese kana. Pair each hiragana with its katakana twin or its sound, and tap any tile to hear Dakki say it.

  • Six lessons, from あいうえお to きゃ しゅ ちょ
  • Every board can be cleared, with hints, undo and shuffle
  • Hiragana ↔ katakana or kana ↔ rōmaji
Play Kana Tiles free

Plays in your browser. Add it to your Home Screen and it opens like an app, even offline.

Kana Tiles in play: a pagoda of hiragana and katakana tiles with Dakki below

こいこい · Browser, iPhone & iPad

Koi-Koi

Play Nitō at Red Fuji free in your browser. The full iOS game brings more rivals and worlds: Hokusai, Kissa Chaos, Last Train and Talk Show + Cross Mode. The same 48 cards Japan Almanac follows through the year.

Koi-Koi is available on the App Store for iPhone and iPad as a free download with in-app purchases.