This is a list of board games invented, developed and/or published in Japan.
| Game name | Year | Publisher/Designer (Japan) | Players | Gameplay style | Similar Games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Go (囲碁, igo?) | ? | Traditional | 2 | Strategic territory and surrounding game | weiqi in Chinese, baduk in Korean |
| Gomoku (五目並べ, gomokunarabe?) | ? | Traditional | 2 | Strategic abstract game played with Go pieces on a Renju board (15x15), goal to reach five in a row | Renju, Four in a row, Irensei |
| Irensei (囲連星?) | ? | Traditional | 2 | Strategic abstract game played with Go pieces on a Go board (19x19); unites elements of the game of Go with those of Gomoku | Go, Gomoku |
| Jinsei Game (人生ゲーム, jin-sei gēmu?) | 1967 | Takara | ? | Japanese adaption of The Game of Life | The Game of Life |
| Renju (連珠?) | ? | Traditional | 2 | Strategic five-in-a-row game with equal chances for both players | Pente, Gomoku |
| Shadow Hunters (シャドウハンターズ, shadō hantāzu?) | 2005 | Game Republic | 4-8 | Supernatural themed, strategic, secret team play | Bang!, Mafia |
| Riichi Mahjong (リーチ麻雀, Riichi Maajan?) | ? | Traditional | 4 | Chinese Mahjong with Japanese rules | Mahjong |
| Shogi and variants (将棋, shōgi?, generals' chess) Japanese chess | ? | Traditional | 2 | Played on a 9x9 board; can use captured pieces against opponent | Chess |
| Sugoroku (双六?) | ? | Traditional | ? | Race game, two variants | Backgammon (variant), Snakes and Ladders (variant) |
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—Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882–1945)
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—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)
“As long as lightly all their livelong sessions,
Like a yardful of schoolboys out at recess
Before their plays and games were organized,
They yelling mix tag, hide-and-seek, hopscotch,
And leapfrog in each other’s way all’s well.”
—Robert Frost (1874–1963)