Make your Japanese date super tasty with:

• Sushi
• Dessert sushi
• Edamame
• Gyoza
• Tempura anything!
• Matcha ice cream
• Miso soup
• Onigiri
• Mochi ice cream
• Sake cocktails
• Asahi or Sapporo beer

• One Piece (1999 – ongoing), anime series
• Naruto (1999 – ongoing), anime series
• Lost in Translation (2003), film
• The Last Samuri (2003), film
• Memoirs of a Geisha (2005), film
• Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003), film
• The Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), film

Night in Tokyo playlist on Spotify

The Pokémon card game has been around since most of us were kids and is still going strong! Many of you out there may have tried your hand at playing a legitimate version of the game, but for those of us who aren’t quite ready to catch them all, learning how to play can come with quite the learning curve.

We’ve therefore made our own modified Dating in Captivity version of the Pokémon card game that you can play together with your partner which is easy to learn and super fun to play. Let’s go!

What you need for this activity

• 50 Pokémon cards
• Phone with timer app or egg timer
• Optional: a calculator

Instructions

First thing’s first. Choose your prizes or punishments for the winner and loser. Here are some suggestions!

• The winner gets a 15 minute massage from the losing partner
• The winner gets a kid-free sleeping in morning with breakfast in bed provided by the losing partner
• The winner is free of laundry duty for a week, and the losing partner must take care of all of the laundry
• The winner gets a sexual favor of their choosing, and the losing partner can’t say no
• The winner gets to choose the next Dating in Captivity date!

1. Shuffle and deal your cards face down so you each have a pile of 25 cards in front of you.
2. Start a timer for 10 minutes.
3. Flip one card at a time which will compete against your partner’s card in the same way as if you were playing “War” with regular playing cards.
   • In order to see which card beats the other, add the Pokémon’s HP score at the top of the card with their Attack score in the middle of the card. The card with the highest combined HP and Attack score wins.
   • The exception to this is if your partner lays a card with the Pokémon type that is your Pokémon’s weakness, in which case a battle is instigated. You can see your Pokémon’s type at the top of the card, and its weakness in the middle of the card (see an overview of the 18 types/weaknesses in the dropdowns below).
     • If, for example, your partner plays a fire type Pokémon with a water weakness, and you play a water type Pokémon, a battle is instigated regardless of the score value of the HP and Attack of your Pokémon.
     • To battle, each of you must lay 2 cards face down, followed by 1 card facing up (the same way you would play in “War” with playing cards). The cards that are facing up are now your new battle Pokémon and the one with the highest combined HP and Attack scores wins UNLESS your partner’s Pokémon is your weakness, in which case you keep continuing to lay 2 cards down and 1 face up until you both have neutral Pokémon facing up.
       • Once the battle is over and a winner has been determined, the winner collects all of the cards (including their partner’s losing cards) into their hand.
4. Continue playing this way until the 10 minute timer is up.
5. At the end of the 10 minutes, each player should pick their top 3 Pokémon (with the highest HP and attack scores) left in their hand and lay them spread out in any order they wish face down in front of them.
6. Flip your first card each. The Pokémon with the highest score wins and gets one point. Repeat for the next 2 cards.
   • Weaknesses do not apply in this round, just score the combined HP and attack scores.
7. The partner with the most points at the end of this round wins and gets to claim their prize!

In this activity, you and your partner will be giving each other mystery tattoos in Japanese kanji writing. Pick from one of the words we provide for you in the activity and draw it on your partner wherever you choose. Will you be nice or a little naughty with your word choice?

What you need for this activity

• A washable marker

Instructions

1. Pick which of you will get tattooed first.
2. The partner who is drawing the tattoo should pick which word from the choice below you plan to draw on your partner. Do not open the tabs for all of the words – only open the tab for the word that you choose (so you can’t tell later which word your partner is drawing on you).
3. Pick where on your partner you are going to be drawing. They have to consent!
4. Draw your tattoo as large or as small as you want. You’re in control. Just remember, your partner gets to retaliate!
5. After your tattoo is done, cover it up so your partner can’t see it until after they are done drawing on you.
6. Switch roles and repeat.
7. After you both are tatted up, reveal your works of art and which words you have chosen. Were you naughty or nice?

Tattoo word options

Family

Love

Happiness

Strength

Gratitude

Sh*t

Hippopotamus

Booger

Fart

Hungry

Folding paper into cool shapes has never been so fun! Grab some paper and spend some quality time together following these origami tutorials. You can even give your kids your project afterwards so they can marvel at your cool new skill.

What you need for this activity

• 2 pieces of paper cut 10x10cm
• 2 pieces of paper cut 15x15cm
• 2 pieces of paper cut 20x20cm

Instructions

Follow the following origami tutorials to make some beginner-friendly projects.

Karaoke is a pastime that you either love and embrace or completely avoid at all costs. When it’s just you and your partner, karaoke can be a little less intimidating than it can be in front of a crowd, which makes it all the more fun. In this activity, you and your partner will be signing karaoke to some great hits!

What you need for this activity

• Computer or smart TV

Instructions

Take turns singing the karaoke songs below, or sing them together! Let your guard down and go all in – bonus points for a good performance (even though we aren’t actually keeping score). Get started with our hits below or feel free to find some of your favorites on YouTube.

Which Pokémon would you choose to have as a pet?

Would you rather have to eat a full sushi roll for every meal or never eat sushi again?

Which cosplay character would you dress up as to turn your partner on?

If you could only visit Japan for one day, what would you absolutely make sure you could see/do?

Would you rather be lost on the streets of Tokyo without your phone or without any money?

What would the anime series about your life be called?

If you had to host your own quirky Japanese game show, what bizarre challenges would contestants face to win amazing prizes?

Who would win in a war between Godzilla and a giant Hello Kitty?

If you were a sumo wrestler, what would your ring name be, and what would your signature move look like?

Would you rather be a ninja, samurai, or sumo wrestler?