Aichi Prefectural Police Headquarters, Education and Training Division, International Police Affairs Center Multicultural Coexistence Safety and Security Karuta - "Minna No Karuta"

After Tokyo, Aichi Prefecture is home to the second largest population of foreigners in Japan. The Aichi Prefectural Police received an inquiry asking if there was a karuta game (traditional Japanese playing cards) by which people could learn Japanese, and understand the rules. This prompted the Aichi Prefectural Police to create "Minna no Karuta (Everyone's Karuta) (available in Japanese)" with the themes of multicultural coexistence, safety, and security. The poems on the cards were publicly solicited, and 140 people, including both foreigners and Japanese, participated. A total of 331 entries were received, and 46 were selected to become "Minna no Karuta".

"Please take off your shoes before entering. Thank you for inviting me."
"Barbecuing on the balcony sounds like fun, but you shouldn't do it."
"When you ride your bike at night, turn its light on."
The cards contain rules for living safely and pleasantly in Japan, as well as things to be mindful of in daily life.

In addition, the deck also covers what foreigners want to tell Japanese people, and what they want them to know.
"Does ‘Ii desu' mean YES, or NO?"
"Don't write important things in kanji."
"I want everyone to know about my country."

Illustrations for the picture cards were solicited at the same time, and five organizations collaborated to create them. In every illustration, you can see that the contributors have worked very hard. As the name suggests, it has become "Everyone's Karuta". You can print the deck from the HP of the Aichi Prefectural Police, and use the cards freely by pasting them on cardboard. Having fun and playing will lead to an understanding of multicultural coexistence. It is also a very useful tool for studying Japanese.