We recently watched the live-action movie series Chihayafuru (a trilogy) with my wife. She asked me if I had heard of Carta before seeing it. Surprisingly, I hadn’t even come across the name. Carta is a Japanese game where two participants duel on a tatami floor, aiming to be faster than their opponent in finding the correct card. The cards feature the second part of a Japanese poem, while a speaker reads the full poem aloud. The goal is to identify the card that corresponds to the recited poem and touch it first. Excelling at Carta requires a unique combination of memory, concentration, and dexterity.
The Storyline and Its Relatable Characters
The main character of Chihayafuru is your quintessential shōnen-style protagonist—optimistic, talented, and constantly seeking new challenges. The twist? She’s a girl. In high school, she endeavors to form a Carta club to compete in the nationals. Her passion for Carta began in childhood, playing alongside two close friends. The story grows richer with the introduction of a love triangle, the formidable Queen of Carta (the strongest player in Japan), and evolving dynamics among the new club members.
The three main characters are strikingly relatable:
- The Enthusiast – Someone deeply passionate and driven to improve.
- The Prodigy – A naturally talented player who loses motivation due to personal circumstances but finds their passion reignited.
- The Reluctant Player – Someone initially uninterested but drawn into the game for personal reasons, such as admiration for another. This character faces internal struggles, eventually growing stronger and more self-aware through rivalries and challenges.
Cultural Humility and Personal Reflection
Before watching Chihayafuru, I hadn’t encountered Carta, which humbled me. Despite living in Japan, my knowledge of its traditional games was clearly lacking. My wife, familiar with the manga that inspired the movies, had learned about Carta through another manga exploring the poems featured in the game.
This experience reminded me of the importance of maintaining a global perspective and embracing opportunities to learn about other cultures. Such insights are essential to fostering self-awareness and working toward a more equitable society.
Carta as a Brain-Enhancing Activity
As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, self-awareness is a vital step toward reshaping society. Achieving this awareness is often easier when our brains are in a state of high neuroplasticity—a condition that enables us to reframe and rewire entrenched biases or prejudices.
Learning new skills, especially those requiring focus and concentration, is a powerful way to enhance neuroplasticity. Carta stands out as an ideal activity in this regard. Its demands on memory, agility, and strategic thinking make it an excellent tool for mental fitness.
Building a Society That Rewards Brain Health
The lessons from Carta extend beyond the game itself. Imagine a society where activities that benefit our brain—like exercising, learning, or socializing—are encouraged and rewarded. Currently, many healthy choices are inaccessible or costly, while unhealthy ones are readily available and often cheaper.
What if we reversed this paradigm? What if activities like being empathetic, learning, or maintaining social connections were incentivized or even made free? Such a shift would empower individuals to make better choices for themselves and society as a whole.
A Question to Reflect On
How can we, as individuals or communities, take small steps to create an environment that prioritizes brain health and personal growth? What role can games like Carta play in inspiring such a transformation?
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