Fun October Trivia Quiz & Facts! Exciting Questions for Kids

Aomori Prefecture

Aomori Prefecture is famous for the Aomori Nebuta Festival held in August. In autumn, when apples are in season, Aomori produces the most apples in Japan and is known as the “Apple Kingdom.” More than half of all apples in Japan are grown in Aomori.

panda

On October 28, 1972, the first giant pandas in Japan arrived from China. To commemorate the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, a male giant panda named Kang Kang and a female giant panda named Lan Lan were presented. At Ueno Zoo, where Kang Kang and Lan Lan were given, a panda boom ensued. Pandas, known for their fluffy black-and-white fur, are incredibly cute, aren’t they?

pumpkin

When you write “kabocha” in kanji, it’s written as 南瓜. There are said to be two reasons for this. One is that people from Portugal and Spain used to be called “namban-jin” (southern barbarians) in Japan, and since kabocha is a gourd that came from Portugal, it was written as “southern gourd.” The other reason is the theory that the Chinese term 南瓜 was adopted as is. Although kabocha is often harvested in summer, it stores well, so it can be eaten into autumn and winter. Because pumpkins are essential for Halloween, they also carry an autumn image.

sweet potato

We usually write satsumaimo in kanji as 「薩摩芋」. In addition to this, there is also the term 「甘藷」 that refers to satsumaimo. 「甘藷」 is read as “kansho.” In China, sweet potatoes are called 「甘藷」, which means “sweet tuber.” It seems that the term 「甘藷」 came from China and came to be used as-is in Japan as well.

potato

Colcannon is a classic Irish dish from the birthplace of Halloween. It’s a potato-based dish and, like Japanese potato salad, is a staple that’s eaten regularly in Ireland. Unlike potato salad, it doesn’t use mayonnaise; instead, boiled potatoes are mashed with heavy cream and butter. In Ireland, it’s also enjoyed as a festive food. On October 31st, Halloween was even known as Colcannon Night.

ginkgo nuts

Ginkgo nuts are in season from around October to November. Around this time, have you ever noticed yellow fruits on the ground near ginkgo trees? Those yellow fruits are ginkgo nuts—the fruit of the ginkgo tree. Ginkgo nuts grow on female ginkgo trees. They’re often used in dishes like chawanmushi (savory egg custard). Because ginkgo nuts have a distinctive smell and can make a mess when they fall onto roads, male ginkgo trees are often planted along streets.

harvest

One of the colors that represent Halloween is orange. The meaning of the color orange in Halloween is “harvest.” It also evokes the image of sunlight. Besides orange, Halloween is also associated with purple and black. In fact, each Halloween color is said to have its own meaning. Purple, green, and white are linked to ghosts and witches, while black represents the winter after Halloween and darkness.