Animal
Myths & Folklore
Idols
Games
POP CULTURE
100
This animal, known as the largest species of living rodent in the world, is a semi-aquatic mammal native to South America. They have become popular interactive exhibits in Japan due to their extremely gentle nature, and are frequently displayed in baths with floating tangerines.
Capybara
100
This Japanese deity is often considered the principal kami of Shinto, and is known as the goddess of the sun. She is also known as one of the “Three Precious Children” of the creator god Izanagi.
Amaterasu
100
This vocal instrumentation program, later re-branded as a virtual idol, was released in 2007 by Crypton Future Media, and has since seen use in over 100,000 songs across the globe by artists from all backgrounds.
Hatsune Miku
100
This Japanese company, technically founded in 1889, is now one of the “big three” video game companies of the world today.
Nintendo
100
This Japanese music genre uses synthesizer programs to mimic human voices, modeled alongside animated characters. Stage performances often utilize projection technology to make them seem like they’re really on the stage.
What is Vocaloid?
200
This species of monkey, native to Japan, is also called the ‘Snow Monkey’ due to some living in the colder, snowier climates of the region. They have brownish gray fur, pinkish-red faces, and short tails.
Japanese Macaque
200
This mythical creature, which is a common theme among most East-Asian mythologies, is depicted in numerous different ways, but always as a fox, with up to nine tails. They can be malicious, mischievous, or even benevolent, depending on their affiliations.
Kitsune (or Kyuubi Kitsune) (you at least need one of the Japanese names, “Nine-Tailed Fox” doesn’t count because I put it in the question lol)
200
This youtube content creator, or ‘virtual idol’, is best known for being the most-subscribed VTuber on the platform, as well as for her music, the most popular of which has amassed over 29M views to this date.
Gawr Gura
200
This video game series, which originated in 1996 on the Gameboy, has since been ranked the #1 highest-grossing media franchise of all time.
Pokémon
200
In 2016, this Japanese animated film directed by Makoto Shinkai became the highest-grossing anime film of all time, surpassing Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away.
What is Your Name? (Kimi no Na wa)
300
This species of bird, endemic to Japan, is characterized by their black tail and body, with white accents and underparts. They are most often found in coastal or river areas, and usually measure at ~20cm long.
Japanese Wagtail
300
This early Japanese chronicle of myths, legends, and semi-historical accounts is known as the very first literary text of Japan. It recounts the tale of the creation of Japan by Izanagi and Izanami, among other tales.
Kojiki
300
This multimedia franchise revolves around groups of “school idols”, and consists of multiple TV anime series, films, manga, and video games, including a series of mobile rhythm games.
Love Live
300
This series of rhythm games involves a 4-button input system located on a floor panel that you stand on, and received critical acclaim for popularizing video games as a medium for exercise.
DDR
300
This contemporary Japanese fashion style, characterized by its extravagant and colorful clothing, often includes elements like oversized bows, petticoats, and wigs.
Answer: What is Lolita fashion?
400
These two subspecies of wolves, one native to the southern islands of Japan, the other to the northern regions, are both extinct today. This is due to agricultural reforms and other policies enacted during the Meiji Restoration. (each one of them has multiple names, and I will accept at least one of either subspecies)
Japanese (Honshuu) Wolf / Hokkaido (Ezo, Sakhalin) Wolf
400
This Japanese Deity is one of the principal kami of Shinto, and more than 1 in every 3 Shinto shrines is dedicated in their name. Commonly associated with foxes, this deity is said to represent fertility, rice, sake, agriculture, and general prosperity.
Inari (or Oinari-sama)
400
This idol group, which holds the Guinness World Record for “largest pop group”, is named after the Akihabara area of Tokyo, due to their own theatre being located there.
AKB48
400
This turn-based RPG, the third in a series written by Shigesato Itoi, has seen occasional popularity across the western internet due to its lack of an official localization outside of Japan.
Mother 3
400
This influential Japanese film director, often dubbed the "Emperor of the Monsters," created the iconic Godzilla franchise.
Who is Ishirō Honda?
500
This subspecies of Red Fox is native to Northern regions of Japan, as well as the Russian island of Sakhalin. It is sometimes called the Ezo Red Fox, due to its habitat coinciding with the historical lands of the Ainu people. However, today in Japanese it is more regularly referred to by another name.
Kitakitsune (“Northern Fox”) (or Sakhalin / Hokkaido Red Fox, I guess :/ )
500
This mythical creature (technically originating from Chinese mythology) is described as a chimera bearing, cloven hooves, golden scales, and horns which resemble antlers. Due to being widely confused with this creature due to the vague resemblance, the same name is used in Japanese to refer to Giraffes.
Kirin (or ‘Qilin’)
500
This Japanese girl group, formed in 1997, is known for being the longest-running female idol group, and for having the most top-10 singles by an artist in Japan.
Morning Musume
500
This arcade-exclusive 4v4 MOBA was initially released by Konami in 2018, and is an official spin-off of Konami’s popular game series “Bomberman”, utilizing a similar-but-opposite title for the game.
Bombergirl
500
Question: This Japanese film, directed by Akira Kurosawa, is a jidaigeki (period drama) that explores the concept of honor and justice as told through the story of a wandering samurai.
What is "Yojimbo"?