Category: Games & Apps

Zen Koi

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Since you guys seem to like posts that involve fun games that may not be specifically kimono-related but often reflect back on Japanese aesthetics, I’d love to tell you about Zen Koi by LandShark Games.

There are many variations on a legend about the koi fish that states that if it swims upstream and through perseverance and determination reaches the gate at the top of a waterfall, the gods will reward the koi by transforming it into a dragon. This app loosely follows that premise. You begin with a tiny koi hatched from an egg, and to progress in the game you eat specific types of prey. You grow, level up your koi, and expand your pond, until you reach the final level and ascend your fish, which then becomes a dragon.

The gameplay is incredibly soothing and non-challenging. Occasionally the prey can be a bit tricky to catch, but there are no penalties and no time limits. If you miss, you can just try again. It’s almost more like a guided meditation than an actual game. It has a very simple and fluid learning curve but never stops being rewarding, especially if you’re a completist like myself. I keep playing to try to get as many variations of koi and dragons as I can! If you’re looking for something with a lovely, quiet feel and a pretty Japanese-style aesthetic to keep you occupied on long bus commutes or in waiting rooms, I highly suggest you check it out!

The game is free to download and free to play. There is a form of premium currency called pearls which you can use to expand your number of fish and buy new fish, but you can earn pearls by exalting your koi and watching brief advertisements for other games. At no point is real currency necessary to progress. You can get Zen Koi on Google Play for Android, or Zen Koi on the iOS App Store for Apple devices.

ねこあつめ – Neko Atsume!

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Ok, so this post is only very loosely related to kimono, but I thought it was worth sharing! You may have heard of the mobile app called ねこあつめ (Neko Atsume), as it’s gone a bit viral recently. It’s very adorable, and very easy. All you have to do is make sure your kitties have food and toys, and they will come visit your garden, sometimes leaving you little trinkets or currency. You only have to check it a couple of times a day, and it’s more of a cute diversion than an actual game.

The main reason I’m posting, though, is that a few of the rare kitties available wear kimono!

neko_samurai_cropThis guy's name is Osamurai-san. You can try to coax him into your garden by putting out the Sakura Zabuton or the High Quality Log.
maroThis is Maromayu-san, and he wears traditional Heian era garb. He'll come visit if you put out the Mari Ball item, and sashimi for food.

And once you’ve expanded your garden, you can also buy a very pretty little Japanese garden theme for it:

Neko Atsume garden

You can download Neko Atsume for free for iOS here and Android here. There is a great English-language tutorial available here, and another handy guide here on MeoWoof!

Fun With Kimono Dolls, part 3!

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The first two entries in this series were so fun and so well-received I thought that another round would be a fun way to get back into regular blogging. Lots of neat new kimono doll-maker apps have come out since I did the first two, so hopefully you will find one you love. 🙂

I have also gone through the previous entries and tidied them up, removing dead links and adding larger thumbnails.

Wedding Kimono - Lots of fun, flashy, modern-style uchikake in this one! There is a variety of skintones and some versatile wigs, so decent base customisation. You can choose from several different kimono and several different obi.
Girls Kimono Show - Two girls in this one! Lots of very fun furisode and accessories. Kimono and obi are already paired, but you can choose handbags, footwear, scarves, etc to coordinate. There are also outfits with hakama. Plenty of hairstyles, eyecolours, makeup, etc to choose from but the skin tones are fixed.
Cute Kimono - Bit of a misnomer here, this one is actually yukata. Plenty of adorable patterns that vary from traditional to modern. Decent choice of accessories, and the base model is pretty customisable too.
Geisha Scene - By far the most customisation when it comes to the kimono. You can choose colours, patterns, accents, etc. There are also lots of options for collar and hem style, and you can make them as accurate or as inaccurate as you'd like. Up to three ladies can be included, and their hairstyles, makeup, and skintone can all be changed. Tons of options in this one!
Garden Geisha Scene - Choose from a selection of pre-designed kimono and obi, and then choose accessories, parasol, footwear, etc. Not a lot of customisation, but still makes a lovely little doll.
Furisode Maker - Lots of patterns and colours available in this one. Personally I find the pose a little awkward, but still fun. There are a selection of skin tones in this one too, but they seem to all be tint shifts of the original colour and as such don't feel very natural.
Chibi Kimono Maker - Quite possibly I've saved the best for last. This is where my new sidebar avatar came from, and it has an enormous variety of colours, patterns, and textures. There are options for multiple layers of pattern and gradient for the kimono, fancy obijime, date-eri, all the fun little accessories that make kitsuke such a creative hobby. Lots of hair colours and styles and a wide array of skintones give you tons of freedom with this adorable little doll maker.

Fun With Kimono Dolls, part 2!

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I had so much fun making the first Fun With Kimono Dolls post, I decided it might be good to do it again! Here are a few more reasonably accurate kimono dress-up games for you to play with when you’re bored 🙂 Have fun!

Elouai's Candybar Dollmaker - This is NOT specifically a kimono dollmaker, there is an enormous selection of clothing, accessories, backgrounds, facial expressions, hair, etc. Sadly, no options for skin tone though. I had this doll as my avatar on the sidebar of this blog for a very long time!
Mega Yukata Creator - Lots of options for traditional-style and modern sexy style yukata here. Great selection of hair, eyes, and skintones. Sleeves and kimono construction are not totally accurate, but it's still fun. 🙂
Folk Fashion Kimono - Nice doll with a few hairstyles, and a large selection of accurate kimono and obi.
Kokeshi Maker - Not exactly kimono, but totally adorable! Make your own kokeshi by selecting base skintone, hairstyle, and outfit.
Kimono Girl - Cute dress-up game with lots of hikizuri and fun accessories. Doll base (skin, face, etc) is not customiseable.

Fun with kimono dolls!

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Have you ever had the urge to make a kimono outfit or play around with coordination, but didn’t have time? Or perhaps your collection isn’t big enough and you don’t have a lot of pieces to play with? Maybe you’re just too tired, and want to do something fun and relaxing! Fear not, the internet’s come to the rescue again! There are plenty of very fun little interactive kimono dress-up dolls out there to play with.

Wabitas Simulator - Fun simulator with tons of colour and pattern options for the juban, kimono, and haori. Solid colour choices for obi, no options for obiage, obijime, or zori.
KainoaTec - Cute modern furisode simulator. You can choose the furisode, obi, obiage, obijime, date-eri, zori, and hair accessory. Hairstyle and face are not customizeable. There are also three different poses available.
DollDivine Kimono Maker - Slightly ukiyo-e stylized geisha simulator. You can choose the juban, hikizuri (long trailing kimono), haneri, and obi as well as tons of customization options for the hairstyle, face, and accessories. Plenty of skin tones, and lots of hair and eye colours, both natural and fantastic.
Yukata Girl - Modern yukataHIME style, with lots of crazy hairstyles, footwear options, three lengths of yukata, and plenty of customizable patterns you can layer for even more personalization.
Kimono Girl - Adorable chibi-style simulator, with tons of kimono options, as well as obi, obiage, obijime, footwear, and hakama! Skin tone, hair, and face options too.
Kimono Maker - Design a kimono. Choose the base colour and then choose patterns and accent colours. Doll itself (skin, hair, makeup) is fixed.

Have fun, and if you make any awesome outfits using these, please share! 🙂