Anyone who has opened a pack of trading cards will know the thrill and excitement that goes along with it. Now imagine every character you’ve pulled is a middle-aged man from your town. If you’re sat there thinking ‘that sounds odd, why would I want that,’ you clearly haven’t heard of the card game which is currently taking a community in Japan by storm.
Kawara, a town in the Fukuoka Prefecture, has created an “Ojisan” or middle-aged man trading card game in an attempt to connect the younger generation with the older. This literally means packs of trading cards featuring the middle-aged men who live in the town are being collected by the local kids, and while it sounds strange, it’s one of the most wholesome things I’ve ever heard about and now I’m desperate to start collecting too.
The creator of the game, Eri Miyahara, is the secretary general of the Saidosho Community Council. In an interview with Fuji News Network, she explained that “Relationships between children in the community were weak. There are so many amazing people here. I thought it was a shame that no one knew about them. Since the card game went viral, so many kids are starting to look up to these men as heroic figures.”
Miayahara also explained that the card game started with the sole intention of being collectible rather than there being any sort of competition. But before long, kids started to compare the stats found on the cards with one another and began to notice that certain cards were stronger than others. As a result, cards with new rules were introduced to allow “battling”, but rather than your card being used to defeat your opponent, you have to outplay them using your Ojisan’s skills and abilities.
Every card features hit points (HP) and magic points (MP) which are used to “fight” with one another. Each skill and ability featured on a card directly links to the real-life profession of each man too. For example, the collection features a former fire brigade chief, a model-kit fanatic who “can assemble anything”, and the host of a soba noodle workshop.
However, the most popular card amongst the children is All-Rounder, which features Daimitsu Fujii, a 68-year-old man who worked as a correctional officer at a medical prison. The card has the highest HP and MP, which is what has made it so sought after amongst the children collecting the game. In the same Fuji News Network broadcast, Fujii himself says the card has resulted in kids around the town asking for his autograph, or referring to him as “the card guy.”.
This isn’t the only positive coming from the card game either. Miayahara went on to say “More kids are taking part in volunteer events, and the men are motivated by the attention. People don’t say hello if they don’t know each other, but once kids learn about their skills, they become ‘heroes you can meet.’ I hope this builds a community where children want to continue living.”
The handmade cards are currently only available at the Saidosho Community Center and are so popular amongst the children that they keep selling out. For ¥100 (around $0.70), you can get a pack of three cards, or for ¥500 (about $3.50) you can get a pack of six which may include a shiny middle-aged man. The intention to unite generations is clearly working, and the impact of this game is even spreading further afield in Japan. In the Aomori Prefecture, a card game called Aomori no Sakana: Fisherman Cards has rolled out featuring local fishermen dressed in Kappa costumes. I long for the day my local community gets a card game of its own, and when it does I’ll be first in line to collect them all.
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