SAPPORO - Mahjong is shedding its long-standing image as a smoke-filled gambling pastime for adults and emerging as a "brain sport" enjoyed by university students and children, with cleaner venues, professional competition and regulatory changes helping broaden its appeal.
In Sapporo, a mahjong parlor that opened last year has become a gathering place for young players by banning smoking and alcohol.
Yu Umemura, head of Mahjong Village One Chance, said the business does not allow cigarettes, does not serve alcohol and refuses entry to people who have been drinking.
The venue is also used by Toripon, a Hokkaido University mahjong club established this spring.
The club has around 100 members, mainly from Hokkaido University, according to Satoshi Shukunami, a first-year master's student and member of the group.
Beginners are taught the rules, while experienced players gather about three times a week and compete based on their results.
Many of the members are new to mahjong and play in a relaxed atmosphere.
One university student said he became interested through playing mahjong with his family and was influenced by his father.
A student from South Korea said mahjong also provides a way to communicate without relying heavily on language skills. "I'm Korean, but the best thing is that I can play normally even if I can't speak Japanese very well. I've also made quite a few friends," he said.
Mahjong parlors have traditionally been regulated under Japan's entertainment business law, with people under 18 generally prohibited from entering.
The National Police Agency revised its guidelines last month, however, allowing mahjong facilities operated for educational and similar purposes to function without obtaining a permit under the entertainment business law.
Umemura welcomed the change, saying he hopes younger generations will become familiar with mahjong and that the game will continue to spread.
Interest is also growing among children.
A mahjong class for children was held at a culture center in Sapporo in August, attracting nine participants ranging from elementary school students to high school students.
The children learned basic rules from scratch, including how to count and stack tiles and how combinations are formed using numbers from one to nine.
A fourth-grade elementary school student said an online mahjong game sparked an interest in trying the game in person.
A third-grade student said watching his father play inspired him to take up mahjong, adding that the excitement comes from the possibility of completing a high-scoring hand.
Parents also say the public image of mahjong has changed significantly.
One parent said professional competition such as M.League has helped promote a cleaner image compared with the mahjong culture of earlier generations.
M.League, a professional mahjong competition launched in 2018, has played a major role in the game's resurgence.
Featuring team competition with players wearing uniforms, the league presents mahjong as a "brain sport" rather than as gambling and has attracted a large following.
Some parents are also drawn to the game's educational potential.
One parent who enrolled a child in the Sapporo class said mahjong could help develop thinking skills and hoped the child would continue playing.
The transformation marks a sharp contrast with mahjong's reputation during the Showa era, when parlors were strongly associated with cigarettes, gambling and overnight play.
With a growing emphasis on non-gambling play, no smoking and no drinking, mahjong is increasingly being promoted as a clean, strategic game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Source: HBCニュース 北海道放送
