The rules
Together with your friends make sushi with your hands and try to win a "private dinner" with a fellow player.
Beginning the game
All players put their hands on the table, palms facing down. The oldest player starts the game by placing an order.
Ordering sushi
To order a player says: "I order…” followed by the name of a sushi piece. All players then quickly collaborate to make the sushi piece named. Every piece of sushi requires two, sometimes three hands to form. The players have to make a piece with each of their hands in play.
Rules for making sushi
- You cannot use two hands in one piece.
- You cannot form two different pieces with only one other player.
- You cannot make two pieces with your hands in the same position (top or bottom).
For example: If the order is "Maki" and you have two hands in play, you need to use one hand as the bottom, the other hand as the top. And these pieces needs to be formed with two different players.
Note: Some simple two-hand pieces (chopsticks, wasabi and octopus) have no orientation. When forming these the position is not relevant. Three-hand pieces on the other hand always have two bottom positions and one top position.
Ending a round
To end the round, the ordering player says “Itadakimas” (I humbly receive). This can be done when all pieces are formed or when at least three seconds have passed.
Any hands not in a correct piece or with no piece at all count as a failure. A player who has failed loses the function of one hand for the rest of the game. All correctly formed pieces remain on the table.
Subsequent rounds
A new rounds begins with the player on the left placing a new order. Play continues as before.
Players who have lost both hands can still place orders for the other players when it's their turn.
Winning
When only two players remain, they are named the winners. All players stand up and the losing players bow respectfully to the winning couple. Players change the seating: winners are seated next to each other.
The winners have an advantage for the next game: They decide who of them places the first order. Also they don't have to follow rule 2 for making sushi: They can now form two pieces together whenever they want to (and when it's possible).
