Currently valued at around ¥1.54 trillion ($14 billion), the Japanese video game industry is one of the biggest in the world. In modern gaming, it’s arguably the most influential cultural market on the planet. Today, there’s no shortage of games across different platforms that are centered around Japanese culture. Let’s take a closer look at some of these notable games.
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Ghost of Tsushima
Ghost of Tsushima puts players in the sandals of Jin Sakai, one of the last samurai on Tsushima Island during the 13th-century Mongol invasion. One-on-one blade duels and spectacular large-scale battles are common in this next-gen open-world game. But so are peaceful quests centered around composing different haikus. In many ways, the game captures much of the tranquility and violence in this specific time and place in Japanese history. And while The Verge’s review of Ghost of Tsushima rightly notes how the game is far from perfect, it is nonetheless a sprawling and highly engaging account of feudal Japan in the 13th century.
Rune Factory 4
Released in 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS and remade for the Switch in 2020, Rune Factory 4 is a veritable microcosm of Japanese gaming culture. Combining elements from RPGs, life simulators, dungeon crawlers, and farming games, every in-game action contributes to separate experience bars which in turn contribute to overall XP. As we previously tackled in Geekymint’s guide to Rune Factory 4, you can even date, marry, and have kids in the game’s gorgeously designed universe. Among the many Japanese games ported for western audiences, Rune Factory 4 is a very thorough introduction to Japan’s well-developed culture of gaming.
Tokyo Sushi Diner
Aspiring sushi master Akira enlists the player’s help to make the best sushi in the world. Also known as Sushi Tycoon, this mobile touchscreen strategy game allows players to take on the role of a sushi restaurant manager. Based on real-world elements and values in the blooming Tokyo seafood industry, the game is all about selling sushi, sourcing the best seafood suppliers, and creating a stellar management team. The game is a colorful and engaging dive into the operations behind real-world places like the Tsukiji fish market, the Ginza shopping district, and the upscale neighborhoods of Akasaka, which are just some of the places named in ExpatBets’ guide to Tokyo’s sushi spots. Apart from being a fun casual game, Tokyo Sushi Diner can prepare you for what to expect when it comes to Tokyo sushi culture.
Obenkyo
This gamified language learning tool is arguably the best way to learn how to write and read Japanese. Through flashcards, drawing games, and multiple-choice questions, Obenkyo is a touchscreen game for learning Japanese Hiragana, Katakana, and Kanji. These are the different elements that comprise the written Japanese language. And apart from English speakers, it’s also usable by speakers of Spanish, French, Portuguese, Swedish, Thai, Polish, and Chinese.
These are just some of the best games centered around specific elements of Japanese culture. Whatever gaming platform you prefer, there’s certainly no shortage of games that can improve your understanding of Japan’s contemporary culture.
