Have you heard of Jishaku? As I was packing up the house last week a package arrived in the mail. Inside was a game called Jishaku. Jishaku proved to be the ultimate distraction for keeping my kids entertained while I tended to last minute packing details.
The word Jishaku is Japanese for magnet. This simple looking game has the ability to drive you bonkers – in a good way. Jishaku can be played three different ways. No matter which game variation you choose your odds of winning depends on your ability to master the magnetic force field. This is especially tricky because the magnets are oddly shaped and there is no way of telling which is the north and which is the south pole of the magnet. Beware because the magnets seem to have a mind of their own! They remind me of mexican jumping beans.
Jishaku is a game of skill and chance. It is recommended for ages 8 and up however my kids (ages 4 and 7) are old enough to grasp the basic concept – it helps that they are familiar with other strategy games like checkers. (The magnetic game pieces are unsuitable for infants or young children.) After they were done exploring Jishaku my kids continued to have a blast playing with the magnets and inventing their own variations of the game.
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I’ll have to check it out, as Monopoly is lost on my 4-year-old daughter and my 7-year-old son (and his parents) can’t stand Candyland.
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