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The board game Tokaido takes you and your fellow players on a trip across the east sea road of Japan, rewarding adventurous travelers for collecting the most and best experiences. The game includes more than one hundred cards with beautiful watercolor-style illustrations, and you’ll naturally want to protect these gorgeous cards from damage. Since Tokaido is a game you’ll return to many times over the years, card sleeves are a must.

Tokaido Card Sleeves

There are seven different types of cards in Tokaido, but you can use the same size and style of sleeve for all of them. All Tokaido cards are mini cards, which means you’ll need mini Euro style card sleeves, such as the following:

• Premium Mini European Card Sleeves (SKS-9902) will fit your Tokaido cards precisely, and their added thickness offers the best protection of any Tokaido card sleeves.
• Sleeve Kings Mini Euro Card Sleeves (SKS-8803) are not quite as thick but still offer good protection and come in packs of 110 sleeves.

At 45mm x 68mm, the Sleeve Kings Mini Euro Card Sleeves (SKS-8803) are just a millimeter wider than the 44mm x 68mm Premium sleeves (SKS-9902). That millimeter won’t make a real difference to their overall suitability for your Tokaido cards. Whichever sleeve you choose, make sure to purchase enough for all 142 cards.

Tips for Tokaido Travelers

Just like traveling in the real world, your journey down the Tokaido road can present many dilemmas and opportunities. Making the right choices at the right times will help you become the most successful traveler in the end. Although your focus will vary based on the circumstances of any given game, some essential advice applies no matter what:

• Keep an eye on your purse. Just as in real life, getting the most out of your trip often takes money. If possible, don’t let your coins drop to nothing before replenishing them.
• Choose your character carefully. Picking a "rich" character when you’re first learning the game is smart because starting out with lots of coins is an obvious advantage. Once you’ve played Tokaido enough to strategize well, you can take a chance on poorer characters with valuable abilities.
• Don’t forget your spiritual side. For most characters, it's worth donating at least one or two coins at each Temple to try and get the Achievement card for most donations at the end. This is especially important for the priest character.
• Play to your strengths. Don't forget your character's unique ability and always play to take advantage of it. If your character doesn't start out with many coins, it's even more important to put their talents to good use. 
• Don’t rush through your journey. Because the person furthest behind gets the chance to take more action, it can be a good idea to let others get ahead, at least in the early stages of the game.

The journey of Tokaido is one you’ll want to take again and again, not only to try different strategies for winning but also simply to enjoy the ever-changing experiences of being a Traveler. To protect your cards over many “trips,” find the best Tokaido card sleeves at Sleeve Kings.