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Janken: The Final Word

janken.jpg
This ridiculous diagram is part of the revisied lesson plan project that I am working on in the office. At least I'm getting pretty good at using Word and Excel as a result...

Teaching Janken in elementary school makes for a good lesson, but I that the Japanese version sounds so much better than "Ro sham bo" or "Rock, paper, scissors...". Watching it played in Japan can be really entertaining because it sometimes takes on tones similar to those of a Wild West showdown or the fierce swashbuckling of pirate-folk. Especially when the stakes are high.

Janken settles everything neatly and quickly, with authority. Who gets to ride shotgun? Who has to pay for the next round of drinks? Who gets the priviledge of sitting next to the English teacher during lunch? Should we go soak in an onsen or grab some food and beverages? Who has to eat the big chunk of wasabi as punishment for losing? Any decision made by Janken is solid as stone. And unlike an arbitrated decision or ther verdict delivered by a court, it is very rare to see the loser really complain about the fairness of the decision, let alone contesting it.

This simple game has a very colorful anthropological and linguistic history behind it, spanning over years long gone, and weaving itself into the fabric of cultures around the world. It is interesting to note that the symbols used vary widely from place to place, and within the same region depending upon the social context. In Japan there are several versions including a variant of Janken played with the face (a good old fashioned drinking game), and one specific to Osaka.

Janken should be used more often to mitigate problems and disagreements between individuals and groups of people. With the responsible usage of Janken, imagine how much faster problem mitigation would become should our world leaders, political groups, and more adults in general used it to settle our differences.

It certainly works in the context of public schools and between friends and peers. But you'll always find someone who, once they lose, demands that Janken is always played two out of three. This is almost always the person who will change the rules to back when they win the first round. Unless otherwise stipulated, one round of Janken determines who wins and who loses. Period.

Comments (3)

YoMama:

Great subject to write about! I always wondered where it originated from and what other cultures might have a variation of Jan-Ken-Po! And yes, I also notice that a loser who demands 2 out of 3 to insure another chance, is usually a sore loser in other venues as well. I'll bet you've gotten better at playing this game since the "quickdraw" kids are always hitting on you!

Heck, using Janken to resolve political disputes is much better than the arm wrestling idea I had before! Just imagine how much peace the Taiwanese parliament would have in resolving conflicts instead of using their current WWE Royal Rumble format...wait...on second thought...I find the Royal Rumble format entertaining to watch actually. Scratch that thought.

latimeria:

my earliest memory is - me and mom with nothing better to do than to sit across each other on the kotatsu (must have been winter), rolled up newspaper in hand, jan - ken - poi, winner gets to hit the other in the head with the rolled up newspaper. This must be the reason for the damaged grey matter later in life.

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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on November 29, 2005 2:55 PM.

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