ICHI: Seasons of Japan 2026

In ICHI, players cycle through the four seasons as they race to be the first to empty their hand of cards. The game is presented bilingually in English and Japanese, with each card displaying numbers and season names in both languages along with hiragana, kanji, and rōmaji.

Each player begins with seven cards, and one card is placed face-up in the center to start the discard pile. On your turn, you must play a card that either matches the current season or advances to the next season in the cycle (Spring to Summer to Autumn to Winter, then back to Spring). When advancing to the next season, the card you play must have a number that is the same as, one higher, two higher, or three higher than the number on the previous card. This progression mechanic creates a rhythm of matching and climbing that requires players to carefully manage their hands.

The deck includes special action cards to throw off your opponents, including familiar favorites like "Draw 4" and "Skip", as well as new surprises like "Steal turn" and "Shuffle Hands". When a player has only one card remaining, they must announce "ICHI!" (Japanese for "one"). The first player to play their final card wins the round.

—description from the designer