Japanese Cultural Events at Hayakawa

Discover upcoming Japanese cultural events, workshops, and activities at Hayakawa Chennai.

Lets Play Karuta at Hayakawa 2026

OCT

02

2026

10 AM IST

Hayakawa Campus, Chennai

Google Map:

PS

Entry is FREE! This event is only for the current/ex-students of Hayakawa.

Details

Karuta in Chennai – Hyakunin Isshu Japanese Poetry Card Game

Hayakawa Japanese Language School & Cultural Center, Chennai, is pleased to present Let's Play KARUTA - Enjoy Hyakunin Isshu as part of Japan Month 2026, an initiative of the Embassy of Japan in India.

This special Japanese cultural event invites students and Japan enthusiasts to experience Hyakunin Isshu Karuta, a traditional Japanese card game that combines poetry, Hiragana reading, listening, concentration, memory and quick reflexes.

This will be the third Karuta event conducted by Hayakawa in Chennai.

What is Hyakunin Isshu?

Hyakunin Isshu (百人一首) is a famous classical Japanese poetry collection featuring 100 waka poems by 100 poets.

The best-known version, Ogura Hyakunin Isshu (小倉百人一首), is associated with the poet Fujiwara no Teika (1162–1241).

These poems are also used in Uta-garuta (歌かるた), a traditional Japanese card game in which players listen to a poem and quickly identify the matching card.

How Karuta is Played

A reader recites a poem from a Yomifuda (読み札) or reading card.

Players listen carefully and race to touch the matching Torifuda (取り札) or playing card before the opposing team.

The Torifuda are written in Hiragana, making Karuta especially enjoyable for Japanese language learners.

If you can read Hiragana, you can enjoy Karuta.

No previous Karuta experience is required.

Hayakawa Team Karuta Championship

Hayakawa's Karuta event will be conducted as a fun team competition.

Maximum 3 participants per team
Open to participants of different ages and Japanese proficiency levels
Two teams compete in each match
Each team is identified by a coloured band
The competition will have three rounds
Winning teams advance to the next stage
The final two teams compete for the title of Hayakawa Karuta Champions
The team collecting the highest number of cards wins the match

Special Individual Prize

During the first round, participants who collect the highest number of cards within their respective teams will also have an opportunity to win a special individual prize.

Main Game Rules

Each match will have two teams, one referee and one reader.

A total of 50 Torifuda cards will be placed in the playing area, with 25 cards on each team's side.

Players may touch the correct card on either side of the playing area.

The player who touches the correct card first wins that card for the team.

Touching an incorrect card is called O-tetsuki (お手つき).

If a team commits an O-tetsuki, it must give one previously collected card to the opposing team. If the team has no card to give, it cannot claim a card during the next recitation.

Who Can Participate?

This event is suitable for:

Hayakawa students
Former Hayakawa students
Japanese language learners
Japanese culture enthusiasts
Anyone who can read Hiragana

You do not need advanced Japanese proficiency or prior Karuta experience.

Experience Japanese Culture in Chennai

At Hayakawa, Japanese learning goes beyond textbooks and examinations.

Through cultural activities such as Karuta, Japanese tea ceremony, Shogi and other traditional Japanese experiences, students gain a deeper understanding of Japanese language and culture.

Join us during Japan Month 2026 and experience the excitement of traditional Hyakunin Isshu Karuta in Chennai.