ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Uta-garuta

Okay, so let's pretend you have a big stack of cards with pictures on them. Now, imagine there's a big board in front of you with a bunch of words written on it. The goal of uta-garuta is to match the picture card to the correct word on the board as fast as you can!

But wait, there's a twist! The words on the board are actually parts of old Japanese poems called waka. So not only are you trying to match the picture to the word, you're also learning about these special poems.

Uta-garuta is a game that has been played in Japan for hundreds of years, and people still play it today to test their memory, knowledge of waka, and competitive spirit. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?