Nintendo Japanese Playing Cards Game Set Hanafuda Miyako no Hana RED

So I'm a bit of a nerd when it comes to video games and specifically Nintendo, so I was pretty surprised when I found out that they not only still produced hanafuda decks (which is what they were making way before video games), but that they were also not that expensive to import. I decided to go ahead and buy a pack, and I gotta say: I can see why they did so well in Japan back in the 20th century, this is good stuff!The deck came in a plastic package with one of those retailer shelf hooks on them, which contains a thicker plastic card-holder that opens vertically. *That* holder contains a cardboard box which opens to give you the actual deck, along with some paper describing the cards and instructions on how to play the game koi-koi (the same game you can also play in Clubhouse Games on Switch, though they just call it "Hanafuda" there). As you can probably guess said instructions are entirely in Japanese, so if you can't read the language there's not much use for the paper, but I imagine the kind of people who would buy a deck of hanafuda either already know Japanese to some extent or are familiar with koi-koi or some other hanafuda-based card game already (plus you can always just look 'em up on the internet).The cards themselves are about the size (width/height/thickness) of six US pennies in a 3x2 grid,or about 1/3rd the size of a standard playing card, which was quite a bit smaller than I expected. Yet despite their small size, they feel surprisingly sturdy in the hand, like a poker chip. When I got my deck I spent an embarassingly long time just fumbling with the cards and admiring the artwork on the cards, which are all very high-quality prints (again, despite the small card size!).My only complaint is that the packaging is *very* tight, which can make it a bit of a hassle to put the paper instructions and the entire deck back into its packaging. You could probably just throw away the cardboard box and keep the deck in that plastic card-holder I mentioned (and maybe that's the intention), but I'd rather keep everything as original as possible.Overall though, I'd say it's definitely worth buying these if you're into hanafuda, and even if you aren't and just want to own a very nifty bit of Nintendo's history.

Love these! I love the container they come in because our cards always get lost. The cards themselves are sturdy and have a beautiful design. Great price point, too. This is a great gift for anyone but especially for the fact that it's a Japanese item which pleases most of the millennial crowd that is very invested in their culture lately.

I am very pleased with this set of cards. At first, I was skeptical as to whether or not these are legitimately Nintendo brand hanafuda (which means "flower cards" in Japanese). Indeed they are! For those who don't know, the famous video gaming company got its start over a century ago with hanafuda. Nintendo continues to make hanafuda as a tribute to their history. While they have made Pokemon and Mario themed cards as well, the images and style of these cards are the classic, original designs of flowers, animals, etc. One can appreciate owning a classic set of Japanese hanafuda as opposed to Hawaiian or Korean hanafuda decks that feature similar, yet somewhat changed artwork and other embellishments.The cards themselves may be smaller than expected if you have never seen them before. The are much smaller than standard 52-card deck of playing cards, but they are much thicker and have a very quality feel to them. Do not expect to shuffle these like a standard 52-card deck. There are other ways of shuffling these cards that can be looked up.If you are here because of Summer Wars, then definitely make the jump and buy this high-quality deck. It's fun to play the Japanese game of Koi-Koi and certainly not that difficult to learn. The instructions for this set are in Japanese, and while it increases the "legit" factor, doesn't help if you speak another language. It may be confusing at first as you look online for the rules of Koi-Koi, but stick with it and play a few times against yourself or a friend and I guarantee that after a few rounds, you'll get the hang of the game and the strategy. I recommend printing out a chart that shows how the cards match by month (suit), and another chart that shows the possible yaku that can be obtained during Koi-Koi. That's how I first learned!This 49-card deck does not contain the extra jokers, nor does it have the point values printed on the cards. Neither of these are needed for Koi-Koi or other Japanese games that use hanafuda, but may be desired if playing certain variations of the Hawaiian or Korean versions of the game. This deck is on the traditional Japanese side. It only features one blank card with some kind of serial number printed on it. It can be used to replace a lost card or I suppose, if you want a joker or a way to indicate on the playing field who the dealer is or if there are any double/triple/quadruple point things going on.

This product came very quickly. It was very pretty

I am a full blood American, so by what Ive heard, Im not the typical koi koi player. However I found out about the game a few months ago by a Japanese friend. And have been playing a digital version. I actually fell in love with the history of Nintendo and Hanafuda cards, so, I got a set! These things are beautiful! They are sturdy, like a hard card stock with a glossy finish. They come in an official Nintendo sealed case. Now, the instructions are written in Japanese, so you either have to read Japanese (I read a little) or you can find the instructions on how to play after a quick google search. They are very small, not like Poker cards or the such. I would recommend anyone to buy these and learn Koi Koi. It takes about thirty minutes to learn the suits (separated by months and flower types) and its super fun and addictive.

They look very nice but we would expect bigger cards. Somewhat hard to grab them as they're small. They are thick I would say but if not taken care properly they can get ruined easily. Still good purchase to play and admire the starts of Nintendo.

These are excellent; I wouldn't change anything.