10 Most Beautiful Board Games

6. Tokaido *

You know what else is nice… Japan!

As expected for a land with such a rich and thematic cultural aesthetic and drop dead gorgeous scenery, game designers ruddy love making games about Japan, and they’re almost always very pretty indeed, from the very pretty Hanamikoji, to the very pretty Takenoko (+1 bonus point for an adorable panda, hello little man) to the very pretty Rising Sun.

But actually, for my money, the most beautiful japanese themed board game is Tokaido.

When you first look at it, it’s might not immediately grab you in the way that say, Rising Sun punches you in the face with its colourful game board, but Tokaido, a leisurely game about just having a really nice time in Japan, slowly beguiles you with its serene charm.

You move along this board, which manages to burst with information and colour without feeling cluttered, collecting these experiences, some of which come in the form of card sets that, when you add to your collection, build these really sweet panoramas.

Man I want to go to Japan.

All of the art in the game brims with life and colour, whilst maintaining a simple, almost cartoony style that compliments the journey of the game perfectly. Also it might have one of the nicest box covers in gaming.