Tanuki Pons is a resource-management and exploration game where you play as a tanuki rebuilding a hot-spring town. In summer, your first priority is to unlock the mountain path and gather wood and stone, because those are the two resources that gate almost every early upgrade. This guide explains how exploration works, what to do first in summer, and how to upgrade shrines efficiently.
What to Do First in Summer
Summer in Tanuki Pons lasts 30 in-game days. The very first thing you should do is send your starting tanuki to the forest (unlocked by default) to gather wood, and your second tanuki to the quarry to gather stone. Do not build any new facilities until you have at least 50 wood and 30 stone, because the mountain path repair costs exactly those amounts and it unlocks the second exploration zone, which triples your daily resource income.
After repairing the path, build a second storehouse (costs 20 wood, 10 stone) to double your storage cap. Then focus on upgrading the shrine to level 2, which costs 60 wood and 40 stone. This order matters because the shrine gives you a 20% exploration speed bonus, which compounds with every subsequent trip.
How Exploration Works
Exploration is a time-based mechanic. You assign a tanuki to a zone, choose a duration (1, 3, or 6 hours of real time), and when they return they bring resources based on the zone’s base yield multiplied by the tanuki’s stamina and the shrine’s level. The game does not require you to stay online; the timer continues even when the app is closed, so you can send a tanuki on a 6-hour trip before work and collect when you return.
Each zone has three resource types: primary (the main one), secondary (about 60% of primary), and rare (about 10% of primary, used for shrine upgrades). The forest gives wood, herbs, and acorns. The quarry gives stone, clay, and fossils. The mountain path (unlocked in summer) gives iron ore, coal, and gemstones.
Stamina is the key limit. Every tanuki has 100 stamina, and each hour of exploration costs 10 stamina. If a tanuki runs out of stamina mid-trip, they return early with only the resources gathered so far. You restore stamina by feeding them rice balls (crafted from rice, which you grow in the paddy field) or by letting them rest in the hot spring for 2 hours.
Shrine Upgrade Mechanics
The shrine is the central upgrade building. Each level increases exploration speed by 10% and unlocks a new passive bonus. Level 2 gives a 20% speed bonus and unlocks the “blessing” system, where you can spend rare resources to get a temporary 50% resource boost for one exploration trip. Level 3 gives a 30% speed bonus and unlocks the second expedition slot, letting you send two tanuki to different zones simultaneously.
Upgrade costs scale linearly: level 2 costs 60 wood and 40 stone, level 3 costs 120 wood and 80 stone plus 10 fossils, and level 4 costs 200 wood, 150 stone, and 20 gemstones. In summer, you can realistically reach level 3 by day 15 if you optimize your exploration, but level 4 usually requires early autumn resources.
Optimal Exploration Strategy
For the first 5 days, send one tanuki to the forest for 3 hours and the other to the quarry for 3 hours. Collect and immediately repair the path. From day 6 onward, use the mountain path for iron ore (needed for tools) and the forest for wood. Avoid 1-hour trips because the travel time to the zone (30 minutes each way) is the same regardless of duration, making short trips inefficient.
Use the hot spring strategically. A tanuki with 100 stamina can do two 3-hour trips (60 stamina total) and then needs a 2-hour rest. If you have three tanuki (you start with two and unlock the third by building the guest house), you can rotate them so one is always exploring, one is resting, and one is doing chores.
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
The biggest mistake is building the rice paddy before the storehouse. Rice takes 3 days to grow, and you need a storehouse to hold it. Build the storehouse first. Another common error is sending a tanuki with low stamina on a 6-hour trip; they’ll return after 5 hours with only 50% of the resources. Always check stamina before assigning.
Do not spend fossils on blessings until you have at least 30 saved for the level 3 upgrade. The blessing gives a one-time boost, but the permanent speed bonus from the shrine is always better. Also, do not clear the bamboo grove until you have the axe tool, which requires 10 iron ore and 5 wood; clearing without the axe gives only 20% of the bamboo yield.
Shrine Upgrade Priority in Summer
Here is a day-by-day priority list for summer:
- Day 1-3: Gather 50 wood and 30 stone, repair the mountain path, build a second storehouse.
- Day 4-6: Gather 60 wood and 40 stone, upgrade shrine to level 2.
- Day 7-10: Unlock the third tanuki by building the guest house (costs 80 wood, 60 stone).
- Day 11-15: Gather 120 wood, 80 stone, and 10 fossils, upgrade shrine to level 3.
- Day 16-30: Focus on iron ore and gemstones for autumn upgrades; keep shrine level 3.
The shrine level 3 is the single most important summer goal because the second expedition slot doubles your resource income for the rest of the season.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does exploration continue while the app is closed?
Yes. The game uses a real-time timer that persists even when you close the app. You can send a tanuki on a 6-hour trip, close the game, and collect when you reopen. The only exception is if the game is force-stopped on your device; the timer still runs, but you won’t see the notification.
What is the best exploration duration?
For most players, 3-hour trips are the sweet spot because they give a good balance of resources per real-time hour and fit into a typical gaming session. 6-hour trips are better if you are away at work or school, but they require full stamina (100) and a high shrine level to avoid early returns.
How do I get fossils quickly?
Fossils come from the quarry as a rare drop (about 10% of the stone yield). To speed this up, upgrade the shrine to level 2 and use a blessing before a 6-hour quarry trip. You can also send a tanuki with high stamina (above 80) to increase the rare drop chance by 5% per 10 stamina above 80.
Should I upgrade the shrine or the storehouse first?
Upgrade the storehouse first if your storage cap is below 100. If your cap is above 100, upgrade the shrine first because the speed bonus pays off immediately. In summer, you should have at least 150 storage by day 10 to avoid losing resources when you collect from a 6-hour trip.
Can I change the exploration zone mid-trip?
No. Once a tanuki leaves, you cannot recall or redirect them. You can only cancel the trip, which returns the tanuki immediately with 0 resources and wastes the stamina spent. Always double-check the zone and duration before confirming.
What happens if I run out of rice balls?
If you have no rice balls, tanuki can still explore but at half stamina recovery rate. The hot spring restores 50 stamina per 2 hours regardless of food, so use it as a backup. You can also buy rice balls from the traveling merchant (costs 100 coins for 5) but this is inefficient; grow rice instead.