All About Japan 2

History/Geography

Language

Sports

Innovations

Fun Facts

100

What is the national flower of Japan?

Sakura (Cherry Blossom)

100

Can you site the Japanese 'syllabary'?

(Ex. a i u e o...)

100

What is Japan's national sport?

Sumo

The objective is to force the opponent out of the ring, dohyō, or to cause your opponent to touch the ground with any body part other than the sole of their feet.

100

Who is this character and what is their most common saying?

Mario

"It's a-me, Mario!"

100

What lucky cracker is popular in American Chinese restaurants but actually originated in Japan?

Fortune Cookie

It was suggested that they most likely originated from cookies made by Japanese immigrants and were introduced to the United States in the late 19th or early 20th century

200

What were the ancient Japanese warriors called and what is the name of their main weapon?

(50 bonus marks if you know which side they carried their weapon on)

The warriors were called the Samurai and their main weapon was a katana, which was carried on their left side.

The katana was also often paired with a smaller sword called wakizashi. This pairing was called daishō and only the Samurai were allowed to wear this to symbolize honour.

200

Can you write your name(s) in katakana on the blackboard?

200

What is Japan's most popular spectator sport?

Baseball

According to one website, baseball is 45.2% of Japanese people’s favourite sport

It was first introduced to Japan in 1872 but the first professional league was established in 1936.

It also actually differs slightly from American baseball (smaller ball, playing field, and strike zone).

200

What basic taste was discovered by a Japanese chemist?

Umami which was discovered by Kikunae Ikeda in 1908, is described as a savory taste

200

What type of burger is special to Japanese McDonald's?

Teriyaki burger

300

What are the two main religions that Japanese people practice?

Shintoism and Buddhism

Shintoism: 8 million deities and the belief is animism (all objects believed to have a kami), family and local community traditions

Buddhism: Buddha Deity and the purpose is to end suffering and become enlightened

300

Which way is Japanese traditionally read?

Traditionally from top to bottom and right to left

But can also be read left to right, top to bottom

300

Which female Japanese player is a four-time Grand Slam singles champion and has been ranked No. 1 by the Women's Tennis Association (WTA)?

Naomi Osaka

300

What code was invented by Japan and became especially useful during COVID times?

QR code which was invented in 1994 by Masahiro Hara who worked for the Japanese company, Denso Wave

QR stands for Quick-Response and its initial design was influence by a GO board

300

You better hope you have warranty on your packages because Japan has a world record for the deepest underwater what?

A mailbox located at a depth of 10 meters off the coast of Susami, a fishing town in Wakayama Perfecture.

- Receives around 1,000 to 1,500 pieces of mails annually

- Requires water-resistant postcards and an oil- based paint marker

400

What is the name of the Japanese anthem?

Kimigayo, which is usually translated to "His Imperial Majesty's Reign". The current music and lyrics were composed in 1880 and 1870, respectively.

The anthem is controversial because it is associated with wartime and honouring of the emperor. School boards require that the anthem (and flag) be used at events despite its association with war tragedies.

400

Topically of Vancouver, what kanji is this?

400

What years did Japan host the summer and winter Olympics?

(50 bonus marks for the cities they were hosted in)

Japan hosted the Summer Olympic games in Tokyo in 1964 and "2020".

They also hosted the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo and 1998 Winter Olympic games in Nagano.

1940 Summer and Winter Olympics were supposed to also happen in Japan but were cancelled due to the second World War.

400

As of 2018, name the top 4 Japanese car companies in the world

(50 bonus marks if in order)

Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Suzuki

400

Why was the Pokemon episode 38, named "Dennō Senshi Porigon", banned from ever playing again?

Because it had hospitalized many kids by causing seizures, temporary blindness and lost consciousness from the flashes during a Pikachu Thunderbolt attack on a cyber missile

- 685 viewers were taken to hospital by ambulances after it aired on December 16, 1997

500

How many prefectures are there?

47 prefectures

1 “to” (Tokyo-to), 1 “do” (Hokkai-do), 2 “fu” (Osaka-fu and Kyoto-fu), and 43 “ken.”

“Do,” “Fu,” and “Ken” have the same functions but "To" has a special function allowing it to have the same authority as the smaller regions of cities.