So what does this have to do with cards and card games? As a matter of fact, it has everything to do with them! Japanese do not necessary the French deck of cards with its depiction of hearts, clubs, and kings and queens, but instead they have designed a large number of flower cards. It is not surprising that they included their love for the sakura by depicting it as one of the cards in the deck. What is more, there is even a card game that is called “Sakura,” yet incidentally it is not played in Japan, but in Hawaii or Korea.
The game play of Sakura is quite involved, and it takes a little getting used to, especially for those players who have never touched any deck of cards other than the French deck. To begin with, there are twelve suits in representation of the twelve months of the year. Each suit is represented by a different flower card. The month of January is represented by the pine, February is the ume blossom, March is shown by the sakura blossom, April has a picture of wisteria, May is represented by the iris flower, June is beautifully depicted as the peony, July’s heat is shown by the bush clover, the dry month of August is depicted with the help of Japanese pampas grass, September is symbolized by the chrysanthemum, the cooler month of October is shown as the maple, November is represented by the willow, and the month of December is honored by using the paulownia.
What makes the game so hard to remember is the fact that in addition to the different looking suits, there is also a complex scoring system tied to each suit and card - which some of them having special cards that are worth more points. The goal of this flower card game is to use your cards to your point advantage, so that you can form card combinations that are worth more than their stated values may be. While the game play is going on, you will be able to use the cards which you are holding in your hands, as well as draw from a specially designated pile. If you have made a good combination match, you will have the option to quit and simply cash in the points you have managed to score or you can choose the riskier but ultimately more rewarding option of continuing the game play to earn more points. Yet keep in mind that while you are in the game, your opponent may beat you to the punch! Also keep in mind that you are only given eight cards, so you will need to be wise when stopping your game play, so that you will not automatically disqualify yourself from higher point values simply by being too caution too early in the game.