Kaiawase is one of the Japan’s old games. It is believed that princesses in the Heian Period used to play this game.

Originally, they used to match sizes, shapes or patterns to find pairs of shells (clams). However, it developed into the game where people would draw beautiful pictures on the internal side of the shells, put them on the floor with the picture facing down, and look for two shells with the same pictures — similar to the memory card game of today.

Also, it is said that these shells were considered to be “lucky charms.” Making them became popular among noble families, and so princesses used to take these with them when they would leave their house for marriage.

Two shells make one pair.

They say that a woman who was about to marry kept these shells, wishing to live happily forever with her husband as a pair of shells.

Women can be romantic now and then, don’t you think?