Hanamikoji: Getting charm points with the geishas

This review of Hanamikoji was featured on Episode 102 of The Five By. Check out the rest of the episode, which also features Forbidden Desert, Sorcerer City, Chai and Just One.

There was a time in my life when my two-player games sat unplayed on my shelves. But since 2020, the year that none of us could’ve ever predicted, many of those games have since hit the gaming table. 

Hanamijoki, first reviewed by Ruth in Episode 18, is one of those delightful two-player games that have come into the rotation. Designed by Kota Nakayama and artwork by Maisherly and Mashiro Misaki, Hanamijoki is an abstract area majority card game that features gorgeous and colorful Japanese style geisha artwork.

 One geisha is holding an umbrella, one playing a flute, one pouring tea — each scene is unique in activity and color. This version I have is published by EmperorS4 but this game is now being published by Deep Water Games. 

This small portable box, which is about the size of a small paperback, includes 7 geisha cards, 21 item cards, cardboard victory markers and cardboard action tokens — 4 for each player. Though the game comes with few components, it packs a big punch with its tension-filled back-and-forth gameplay. And you don’t need a lot of table space to play this game, which is good these days as many game tables have evolved into multi-purpose spaces within the household. 

In Hanamikoji, players are working to gain the favor of the seven geishas by collecting their favored performance item, in this case, cards that match the geishas’ symbol. The seven geisha cards are displayed in between the two players, and this is where most of the gaming occurs as cards are placed above or below each geisha card based on which player plays them. Each geisha card has a number on the top left of the card, which indicates their charm points and equals the number of matching item cards for that geisha. The geishas range from 2 to 5 charm points. 

Hanamikoji is played over three rounds. One item card is randomly removed at the start of each round. Players begin a round with a hand of six item cards, and on their turn, they draw an item card from the deck and spend one of their actions playing cards from their hand. For those actions, there are exactly four of them, and each player gets the same set to be used in any order by the player on their turn. 

The four actions are represented by cardboard tiles, and if a player uses that action during the round, they flip it over to the non-colored side. So, what are these actions? 

The first one is choosing 1 card from your hand and placing it face down in front of you. This card will remain a secret and will be scored at the end of the round to go toward that geisha’s charm points. 

The second action is choosing 2 cards from your hand and placing them face-down in front of you, and these cards will not be scored during this round. 

The third action is choosing 3 cards from your hand and placing them face-up in front of you. Your opponent then selects one of these three cards to place in front of a geisha on their side, and you get to place the other two cards in front of a geisha on your side of the table. 

The fourth action is selecting four cards from your hand and placing them in two piles of two cards each face up. Your opponent then selects one set of cards to place underneath the corresponding geisha, and you take the other ones to place in front your geisha. 

Players go back and forth taking one action each until they’ve exhausted all their action tokens. Players flip over secret cards that score, and count which player the geisha favors based on the number of item cards each player has given them. The victory markers on the geisha card will then move toward the player who gains her favor. 

Players aim to win 4 geishas or 11 or more charm points. If there is no clear victory in the first round, players play until three rounds are over. In between rounds, the victory markers do not reset, but instead stay toward the side of the player who curried the geisha’s favor the previous round. If nobody gets the 4 geishas or 11 or more charm points after three rounds, the player with more geishas wins the game. 

This game is tense! You’re initially presented with limited information, as the round progresses, more and more cards are revealed but there’s still are still hidden cards from the one your opponent saves and the one removed from the game. 

You also have to make calculated guesses regarding which cards to play or save for a future action because you don’t want to get cornered into giving your opponent only good options because those are the only cards left in your hand. 

Hanamikoji is quick to set up and easy to learn. It doesn’t take up a lot of table space, plays fairly quickly at 15-20 minutes, and is compact for easy travel, for when we all decide to travel again. Lastly, even though the game seems deceptively easy, there’s a lot of strategy to explore. 

It’s one of the best “I cut/you choose” game mechanisms where you still feel like you have some sense of control over your destiny instead of being at the complete mercy of the other player. And the lovely artwork is just so pleasing and calming — when you’re not racking your brain about which cards to play. 

And that’s Hanamikoji! This is Meeple Lady for The Five By. You can find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram as Meeple Lady, or on my website boardgamemeeplelady.com. Thanks for listening. Bye!