Shogi in Ryogoku
On an adventure late at night, I was walking home from Akihabara and as I was passing through Ryogoku I noticed something very odd. I passed a bench and in between two benches was a board. There were a couple of shogi pieces etched into a metal board and I was surprised to see a place on the street where people can play shogi! Shogi is, for lack of a better term, Japanese chess. It has different rules and different pieces but it is similar in nature. While the game isn’t that popular anymore it is still played by many people. It is also a mystery to many others, just as chess can be a mystery for many in N. America too. The only problem is that like any other public board game, there are no pieces. You must bring your own shogi pieces to the board but I’m sure someone has them out there. Now if only someone would be there to teach me how to play.
Information
- Shogi (Wikipedia)
I’ll send U out to Ryogoku for you! He often tries to turn the tv to the shogi program… only to have it drowned out by groans and sighs coming from… somewhere… heh.
Yay! Although I worry that I won’t be able to understand the game for a few weeks… …
Do you groan when you watch chess? I prefer to play rather than watch, but after 30 minutes, I’m bored but still want to play. Maybe I’m a masochist. 😉
Can we see you play if we happen to be in town?
Ru? A demo please? ^^
Yes you can. Although do you really want to watch?
I think Ru will need several packs of Smirnoff and a big bottle of Umeshu. We can get something for you too. ^^