"First- and second-graders at Odaiba Gakuen spent their third and fourth periods playing New Year’s games. On behalf of Rotary Club, I attended the event as a part of the Club’s social service. The New Year’s games included:
Hanetsuki: A game similar to badminton, using hagoita (a rectangular wooden paddle), and hane (a brightly-colored shuttlecock).
Koma asobi: A game of spinning tops.
Otedama: A game similar to jacks, using small bean bags that are tossed and juggled.
Sugoroku: A board game resembling Backgammon as well as Snakes and Ladders.
Karuta: A card game in which players must snatch the right card with an alphabet that matches the first letter of the proverb being read out.
Fukuwarai: Similar to Pin the Tail on the Donkey, blindfolded players pin different parts of the face (eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, etc.) onto a blank face, and laugh at the humorous results.
During the two hours, the students were given 10 minutes to get a taste of each of the traditional games. They also had a chance to see up close how Sembei or rice crackers are made, which is a rare opportunity.
Rotary members helped make the rice crackers. Two specialists were invited to bake the rice crackers, while the members dipped the freshly-baked crackers into soy sauce and wrapped them with nori. We baked as much as 550 crackers which were served to the students at Odaiba Gakuen (1st to 9th graders) as well as the staffs, and the children from a nearby kindergarten.
Rotary also donated Hagoitas or the wooden paddle for the game of Hanetsuki. First graders were given a paddle each, and were free to paint and decorate the faces of the paddles as they liked.
Rotary members and the students had lunch together, and devoured the handmade rice crackers! "
Sugoroku: A board game resembling Backgammon as well as Snakes and Ladders.
Karuta: A card game in which players must snatch the right card with an alphabet that matches the first letter of the proverb being read out.
Fukuwarai: Similar to Pin the Tail on the Donkey, blindfolded players pin different parts of the face (eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, etc.) onto a blank face, and laugh at the humorous results.
During the two hours, the students were given 10 minutes to get a taste of each of the traditional games. They also had a chance to see up close how Sembei or rice crackers are made, which is a rare opportunity.
Rotary members helped make the rice crackers. Two specialists were invited to bake the rice crackers, while the members dipped the freshly-baked crackers into soy sauce and wrapped them with nori. We baked as much as 550 crackers which were served to the students at Odaiba Gakuen (1st to 9th graders) as well as the staffs, and the children from a nearby kindergarten.
Rotary also donated Hagoitas or the wooden paddle for the game of Hanetsuki. First graders were given a paddle each, and were free to paint and decorate the faces of the paddles as they liked.
Rotary members and the students had lunch together, and devoured the handmade rice crackers! "
