We took the new members to a magic shop to buy playing cards and other tools. It was the first time for the new members to go to a magic shop, and their eyes lighted up when they saw the playing cards on display all over the wall. Sophia Magic Club gives a box of playing cards to each new member, so you don't necessarily buy them, but I think you will be more motivated to practise if you buy playing cards with your own favourite design. As it was the first time for me to visit a magic shop in a long time, I bought too much. Official Site of Magic Fantasia

It is not an overstatement to say that playing cards are the most used tool in close-up magic. This article introduces recommended playing cards for those who are unsure about choosing the best ones to use for magic. Materials of playing cards Playing cards are mainly divided into two types of material: paper and plastic. Plastic playing cards are water-resistant and flexible, but have the disadvantages of high friction and cracking. On the other hand, paper playing cards are weak against water, but some are processed (embossed) to reduce friction. The handling of playing cards is a very important factor in magic, so it is recommended to choose playing cards with embossing or other processes that improve the ease of handling. Paper playing cards can be folded, which gives you more magic options. Size of playing cards Playing cards are generally divided into two sizes: bridge size and poker size. Bridge size is 57 mm wide x 89 mm high and poker size is 63 mm wide x 89 mm high. Poker size is said to be the most common size worldwide, but people with smaller hands can choose bridge size. Design and visibility of playing cards The visibility of the face side of playing cards (the side with the numbers and suits) is one of the most important factors in choosing playing cards. The design of the face side of playing cards used in magic should be easy for the spectators to see. No matter how stylish the playing cards are, if the face side is difficult to see, they are not suitable for showing to spectators. The design of the back side is also an important factor, although it has little to do with visibility. Some cards have borders on the back, while others do not. Depending on your acts, it may be more suitable to have no borders, but basically, those with borders are easier to use. The size of the playing cards also has an impact on visibility. Larger cards may be easier to see than smaller cards for spectators seated at a distance. The difference between bridge size and poker size may be minimal, but choose playing cards to make it as easy as possible for spectators to see them. Also, some playing cards contain two (rarely three or more) jokers of the same design, while others contain one of each of differently designed jokers. You can use them according to your acts, but jokers of the same design will give you a wider range of acts. Bicycle Rider Back If you want to do close-up magic, I would first recommend these playing cards. They are so well-known playing cards that you have probably seen them before. There are several types of back side designs, but the most famous is Rider Back. Gaff cards and gimmicks sold in general are often made for Rider Back. The surface is embossed for smooth handling. If you are starting out in magic, you should definitely buy one of these for now. There are many different types of Rider Back, some of the most common are listed below. Bicycle Rider Back Standard These playing cards are sometimes sold by the set of 12 boxes and are probably the cheapest of all Bicycle playing cards. The disadvantage is that the letters are printed on the back of the box, which limits the performances that can be done. Each joker is in different colour. Bicycle Rider Back The most common Bicycle playing cards. The back of the box has the same design as the back side of playing cards. It contains one each of different designs or different colours of jokers. Bicycle Gold Standard The design of the back is the same as Rider Back, but the paper quality is different from that of common Bicycle playing cards, which are of the highest quality and made from Bee paper. The back of the box has the same design as the back of the playing cards, but it has a gold sticker on it. The two jokers are in the same design and one blank face card is included. They have become difficult to obtain in recent years. Those are the common types of Bicycle Rider Back. When you are unsure, buy a Bicycle Rider Back and you will be in the clear. Other choices There are other playing cards commonly used in magic other than Bicycle Rider Back. You can also find Bicycle playing cards, which are not Rider Back but have a similar design, and Bee and Tally-Ho, which are manufactured by the USPC as well as Bicycle playing cards. Conclusion You can choose any playing cards, but you should pay attention to visibility and design when choosing playing cards for showing to spectators. However, if they are for home use, you should choose ones that motivate you to practise yourself. Why not go to a magic shop once and buy playing cards with a design you prefer? Official Site of Bicycle Playing Card

You bought playing cards to do magic, but you may be wondering if you need any other tools. This article introduces the tools used in close-up magic other than playing cards. Pad (Mat) Many magicians put a pad on the table when performing magic. If playing cards or coins are placed directly on the table when performing magic, cards and other objects may slip or make noise. A pad is used to prevent it. The surface of a pad is covered with cloth, which makes cards and other objects much easier to handle. It also reduces the sound of heavy objects such as coins. Some techniques are difficult to perform without pads, but sometimes pads are not used when performing magic while standing, such as table hopping. If you mainly perform magic on tables, you may buy a pad. Coins There are many close-up magic tricks that use coins. You can buy coins such as American half dollars sold in magic shops, or you can use coins which you have around you. In this case, use 500 yen coins as much as possible. Smaller coins are easier to hide, but less visible and less easy to handle. Everyday items There are also some close-up magic tricks that use everyday items. Playing cards and coins are also everyday items, but these are not included below. Banknotes Banknotes are also sometimes used in magic, although not as much as coins. The size of the banknotes varies slightly according to the amount of money, but this has little effect on the performance. Folded or wrinkled notes are often less likely to reveal the trick than clean new notes. Rubber bands Sometimes they are used as one of the tools for magic tricks, but there are also magic tricks that use rubber bands as the main tool. You can use ordinary rubber bands on the market, but you should avoid ones that are too easy to break. Pens Sometimes they are used as tools for magic, but there are also magic tricks that use pens as the main tool. If they are too thick or have a special shape, they are difficult to use. A marker pen can be used for magic using a pen, as a wand or as a tool for signing. Magic tools on the market Magic tools are sometimes sold in variety stores and toy shops. Many of them are designed for people without any magic experience to perform easily. The disadvantage is that most of them have a secret or trick in the tool itself, so it is difficult to hand it to the spectator and check it out. There are some, such as Tenyo's Dynamic Coins, whose tricks are difficult to reveal even if they are handed over to be checked. Conclusion If you are just starting out in magic, it is enough to just buy playing cards. There is no problem to buy a pad after you have started practising a little while. If you want to do magic with your technique and not so much with gimmicks, you don't need to buy magic tools on the market. If you don't want to practise difficult techniques but still want to do magic, you can start with magic tools available on the market. Official Site of TENYO Magic

The training camp was held in Atami from 1 to 2 September 2022. This was the first training camp for Sophia Magic Club in a long time, and the first for the current members, as the camp could not take place last year and the year before due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also the first summer camp as Sophia Magic Club for me, so I had to prepare for a lot of things I didn't understand, such as the application forms to be submitted to the university, but it was a memorable experience this summer.

We took the new members of the club to the magic shop again this year to buy playing cards and other tools. I think it was only last year that everyone in the club started going to the magic shop together, but this will become a regular annual event. The author bought four new items this year, despite having bought five last year. By the way, when I opened Cherry Casino to use it, I found that it was a card with a cutting error. Unfortunately it is unusable. Official Site of Magic Fantasia

Sophia Magic Club went to the Magic Market 2022 Autumn on 5 November. This was the first time for me to go to the Magic Market, so I was very excited about it. There were magic shops and magicians with stalls, and many magicians and magic lovers were there to buy them. Seeing the success of the Magic Market, I was amazed at how many magicians there are in this world. It was also a very good experience for me to meet a junior member of my high school magic club. Mr Kobayashi of Restaurant Magic Lab, from whom our members purchased products at the Magic Market, later donated lecture books to us. We would like to thank him very much. Official Site of Magic Market 2022 Autumn Official Site of Restaurant Magic Lab

Sophia Festival 2022 was held at Sophia University from 2 to 4 November, and Sophia Magic Club performed on stage magic on all three days. Thank you very much for the many spectators who came to the festival. On 13 November, Sophia Magic Club was invited to perform at TOITAFes2022 at Toita Women's College, and performed a various genres of magic.

Freshman Week, which was held on 9 and 10 April, has come to a successful conclusion. Thank you to everyone who came to the classroom. On 19 April, we held a lecture session for new members. It was a great success, with more new members coming than expected. Sophia Magic Club is still accepting new members who wish to join. If you are still interested in joining, please contact us by email or DM on SNS. Please subscribe to our SNS as well. Instagram (@sophiamagicclub) X (Twitter) (@sophiamagicclub) LINE (@915mryph)

On 14 July there was the Sophia Yukata Day, and Sophia Magic Club also enjoyed Asakusa in yukata. The author entered the university in the midst of the Corona disaster, so there were no club events at that time, but this year we were able to enjoy the Yukata Day with everyone in the club.

A training camp was held in Hakone from 4 to 6 September 2023. During the day we went sightseeing in Hakone and practised magic at night. We taught and showed each other and practised to improve our skills for the Sophia Festival. Compared to last year, the number of members more than doubled, which was deeply emotional for those who knew the year before last, when there were only a few members due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sophia Festival 2023 was held from 2 to 4 November. Sophia Magic Club held a Magic Bar for the first time in four years. As none of the current members of the club had experienced the Magic Bar at the Sophia Festival, it was difficult to prepare and organise the event, but we had about 700 guests over the three days. Thank you very much. We would also like to thank once again all the alumni and alumnae who came to the event. Official Site of Sophia Festival 2023

Sophia Magic Club went to the Magic Market 2023 Autumn at the real venue on 18 November. In addition to buying instruction books and playing cards, we had a very useful time interacting with other magicians. Official Site of Magic Market 2023 Autumn