Board game makers Alderac Entertainment Group (AEG) have announced a new game to launch on Kickstarter called Let’s Go! To Japan. Created by Josh Wood (Cat Lady, Santa Monica), this game captures the excitement of planning for a trip across the globe.
A Game Based on Real Experiences
Now here’s a story that we can all relate to: You meticulously plan a vacation, detailing your expenses and schedule. You’re ready to go. And then a pandemic happens. Game designer Josh Wood (Cat Lady, Santa Monica) had this experience and found inspiration in the midst.
“I saved for three years to go to Japan with my girlfriend, Kathleen,” explains Wood. “I spent a lot of time working on the trip: writing notes, figuring out the train system, and watching countless travel influencers. I was even learning Japanese! Finally, we saved enough! We had the trip booked: flights, hotels, restaurants, EVERYTHING!– then the pandemic started. [The notes] were a painful reminder of the trip we didn’t get to take. Sure I could’ve thrown [them] away and moved on, but instead, I felt inspired to make this game.”
Let’s Go! To Japan
Travel between Tokyo and Kyoto, exploring top tourist spots and local delights with the help of over 120 beautifully illustrated Activity cards. Created by Japan-based artists, the cards offer various activities for you to plan a week-long itinerary. Optimize your experience and resources by carefully placing the activities in your itinerary.
The game consists of 13 rounds in which players draw Activity cards and strategically schedule them into their week-long itinerary. The final round sees players following their planned trip, activating each card in sequence.
Finding the Perfect Look
In the game’s designer diary, creator Josh Wood explains more about the artists involved in the game’s creation:
“For Let’s Go! To Japan I wanted to use Japanese artists and artists who live in Japan,” Wood details on his blog. “I felt that it would help players feel like they were there if the images were captured by people who were actually there. One of the artists, Toshiyuki Hara, would only draw images if he could actually go to the location. This really helped give a sense of being there when he drew images such as Ikebukuro and the Imperial Gardens. Kailene Falls would order the food so she could illustrate what was actually prepared for her.”
Wood spent considerable time looking for the right artists for the game, often using Instagram as a catalyst for connecting to artists. “I spent a significant amount of time finding artists for Let’s Go! To Japan, writing messages in Japanese at times, and had a lot of sleepless nights worrying about the budget,” he writes. “Brigette Indelicato is someone that I highly trust whenever I need graphic design. For Santa Monica she really helped push the beachy feeling in that game and I knew she would do amazing work on this game. She also had to cancel her trip to Japan due to Covid, so it felt extra special that she got to work on this game. During this project she also had a baby, so I feel extremely grateful for all of her work she put in.”
Let’s Go! To Japan will launch on Kickstarter in March of 2023. Read more about the game on AEG’s website.