The Krackling Excitement of Karuta

Karuta is a card game all Japanese children play, and at one of my schools they had a full period devoted to it one afternoon.

Karuta is played with two decks of identical cards. They have writing on them that corresponds to a short poem from ancient Japan printed on a set of leader cards. The language is actually an antiquated form, similar to Old English or Shakespeare. My teachers said they couldn't even understand the full meaning of a lot of the poems.

My kids played with about 100 cards, but there are many variations of the game, and different sets of cards, often by region. Four people use one set of two decks, two on either side of the cards spread out face-up. The leader, in this case one of the teachers, reads the beginning of the poem. The kids search for the paired card and try to grab it before their opponent does. Repeat x 100.

All of the students were really focused and into the game, and it was neat to watch. I got to read out two of the cards in my halting hiragana pronunciation, as well.

The correct way to recite these poems and most traditional verse or formal dialogue is in a tuneless singsong voice. I've heard this before here, and it reminds me very much of the cadence of the call to prayer I heard in Marrakech. Not all the teachers did it the traditional way, but some got really into it.

Also, some bonus snow pictures of the main street outside my apartment.