Ticket to Ride: Japan + Italy

My wife and I have a few of the Ticket to Ride games, and we play it online as well. Very enjoyable games, provided you don't play them in the full cut-throat manner in which they were intended. Feelings can get hurt. Tempers may flare. Drinking may result. I got this Japan version for my wife for Christmas and BONUS! It contained Italy too! (other side of the board). BE AWARE that this is an expansion game, which means you must have one of the base games like the Ticket to Ride US or Europe, because you use the trains and train cards from those games. This set does include the bullet trains required for the Japan game, along with separate destination cards for Japan and Italy, but it DOES NOT include regular trains or train cards (which you can't play without). We enjoy playing both Italy and Japan, but if we're feeling intellectually lazy, we choose Italy over Japan because the latter has you occasionally worm-holing from one place to another, and can make you spend more time up front figuring out how to get from here to there. (For you programmers out there, think of jumping to a subroutine, only without returning). And with Japan, you also have separate markers to keep track of how many bullet trains you each put down, and there's extra scoring in the end based on who went further on that scoring. Last, Japan may leave you struggling a bit more with pronunciations--but you learn something, so stop complaining! In general, I'd recommend this game and rate it as low difficulty getting started (maybe moderate if you haven't played the predecessor base games), and moderate difficulty in getting to understand winning strategies. Addendum: Read the rule book. There are a few gotcha's. For example, when playing Italy, you use all 45 of your color trains, but with Japan, you only use 20 of them. Enjoy!!

All Ticket to Ride expansion maps have their own twists on the original and these maps are no exception. Italy is similar to Old West and Legendary Asia in that a connected, varied network is rewarded, though the compulsory connection rules from Old West don't apply. The map gets congested very quickly for anything beyond a 2-player game and really forces some tough decisions from players. The ferries are a solid mechanic as well, though not why I personally enjoy the map. Japan on the other hand is fast-paced due to players only having 20 trains in their color. The bullet train mechanic is really well done and players really need to stay on top of things to ensure they're not caught flat-footed by a player who ends the game quickly or who gains a commanding lead in bullet train development. I'm not sure which side I like better yet. Usually with the double map expansions I have a clear preference but not this time. That tells me that both maps will get plenty of play and that this is a very good expansion. I think the key for both is the map's ability to consistently force tough decisions due to a rapidly changing landscape. One other thing to note is that the map board itself is high quality and it is big. I'd recommend being very careful in folding and unfolding to ensure no damage.

Arrived in time for Christmas. A complement to the traditional Ticket ToRide game. Family loves playing the game.

We LOVE Ticket To Ride and all of the additional games in the family. I particularly loved the fact that by buying this. Version you get 2 games in 1. It was so fun to use the Italy side and learn the new rules and challenges in the Italy version. The point system for the regions was a little convoluted in print but once you play and then tally it up it’s super simple and a fun new bonus to the classic game the Japan side was even more fun the micro maps adding new places to the map was fun but the Bullet trains was the coolest added part of this version of the game. So much fun. We keep playing both versions and having a blast. The use of your original TTR set or TTR Europe set was a little annoying cause you have to take 2 games out. But it makes sense. It would be nice if TTR released a set of just train cards and the packs of trains so you could just take a smaller thing out for these additional boards. But either way always so much fun playing TTR!

For months of quarantining, my family has entertained ourselves by playing games. Our favorites continue to be in the Ticket to Ride category. We own the USA map and the 1910 expansion cards and the Rails and Sails World set. My kids wanted to expand the collection so they talked us into getting the Italy/Japan set. First, the Italy/Japan does not include the trains so you will need to already have a version that includes train pieces and train color cards. This set does come with a dual sided map board, route tickets for both regions, counter pieces and bullet trains that will be needed for the Japan play. Both Japan and Italy have updated rules and additions to make the playing challenging and different from the other versions of the games—including building a shared bullet train and using ferries. We are still learning the kinks, the routes and the maps to build our individual strategies. As usual, the maps are colorful and fun and we’ve had a great time playing together. As a family, we continue to love playing Ticket to Ride together.

The expansion itself is great. It adds an easy to learn but complex element to Ticket to Ride. We enjoy the big Japan map also. Plus you get really cool Bullet Train engines. If you see this for 25$ or less you are getting a great deal. I would not spend the list price for this, despite how good the expansion is. Not worth 45$. You have to use cards and trains and markers from either the regular edition or Europe. Also, the instruction book sometimes just tells you to look at original rules rather than write a sentence or two to explain some basic rules, that was not necessary. You get a big map, 16 bullet trains and some cards, not worth 44$, so I would recommend waiting for a sale. The expansion itself is fun because you now have some big consequences and rewards which makes this a bit of a brain burner, which is good.

Ticket to Ride: Italy & Japan expansion set has been a fantastic addition to our game collection. The set features a dual-sided map board with updated rules and unique gameplay elements for both Italy and Japan. However, it's important to note that this expansion does not include trains, requiring you to have a base game that includes train pieces and color cards. This part is a little annoying to have to bring both games out just to play this, but we still enjoy. With new features like bullet trains in Japan and ferry routes in Italy, we've had a blast exploring the intricacies of each map and developing winning strategies. The colorful and engaging gameplay keeps our family entertained, and we highly recommend this expansion to any Ticket to Ride enthusiasts looking for a fresh and challenging experience.

Two additions in one! JAPAN and ITALY! We thought we would like Japan the most, but it turns out we prefer Italy more. The add on for this game (besides a new map) is the different provinces you go through. It can really add on to your points and is a fun, new addition to the game. Japan is harder to wrap your head around. There are the bullet trains that are communal and only 20 regular trains. It's hard to control getting the most regular trains for points and enough bullet train additions by you to get more points. It is a challenge and it is fun, but I just haven't wrapped my head around it yet. It is a good game!

We have a few other versions Ticket to Ride. We absolutely like these 2 additions - Japan and Italy. Nice and different game scenarios. Highly recommend.

Wonderful extension for Ticket to Ride, especially if you're fond of Japan and Italy. Variations introduced include the Shinkansen for Japan and the Ferries for Italy

Excelente a expansão. O lado da Itália pouco muda, apenas as balsas e aforma de pontuar e este deve ser o mapa mais bonito de TTR, a arte é linda. Já o Japão os trens balas mudam consideravelmente, faz com que os jogadores comprem muitas rotas ao longo do jogo, é mais rápido e também divertido. Recomendo a todos, entrega da Amazon sempre excelente.

Mega gutes Brettspiel!! Ich habe es für meinen Bruder gekauft und wir haben es zusammen gespielt. Es hat so uns Spaß gemacht. Am Anfang des Spiel waren wir ein bisschen verwirrt, weil die Regeln etwas komplizierter sind als das originale Spiel. Allerdings kamen wir schnell klar!

Je recommande à 100%. Nouvelles règles, nouveaux défis pour tout le monde. Nous jouons très régulièrement sur cette version. Attention c’est une extension pensez à avoir les wagons de la version classique auprès de vous