Sunday, February 11, 2018

旅かえる

I wonder if the lower arousal happiness supposedly more valued in East Asian cultures can be found an online game? Specifically this one, "旅かえる/Tabi Kaeru," a Japanese game which is apparently taking China by storm. By storm is the wrong term. You are something like the housekeeper for a frog who likes to travel - that's him, falling asleep as he reads. By collecting clover leaves you can get things to give him for his next trip: various kinds of food for his bento, protective charms, and travel supplies like tents and lanterns. These will affect how far he can travel and how quickly he'll return. But you don't travel with him, and once he's decided to depart on an excursion, all you can do is wait - it can be hours or apparently even days. You can harvest new clover leaves as they appear in his front yard, and check the occasional mail (online advertisements). His friend the snail might come by for a visit, too, perhaps with some gifts. Frog might send home
a photo, like this one, and when he returns he might bring some souvenirs. He'll eat, write in his diary, go to bed with a book, and then, when the time seems right, hit the road again. And that, apparently, is it. The pleasure of the game lies in packing his lunch, and waiting.