How many can you get right? A tricky 3-choice trivia quiz you'll want to tell someone about

Togo Heihachiro

It’s said that nikujaga originated when Heihachiro Togo, unable to forget the taste of the beef stew he’d had while studying in Britain, ordered the navy’s head chef to recreate it after he returned to Japan. Since ingredients for Western cuisine—such as wine, butter, and demi-glace—weren’t available in Japan at the time, the chef is said to have used traditional Japanese seasonings like soy sauce and sugar instead.

Lake Biwa

When traveling to Kyoto, crossing Lake Biwa by boat was a shortcut, but there was a danger of capsizing due to a strong wind called Hiei-oroshi. Therefore, there is a lesson that one should choose the overland route, walking across the Setano Karahashi Bridge, even if it is a detour. From this, a proverb became established meaning that choosing a safe detour over a dangerous shortcut will, in the end, get you to your goal more quickly.

Ride of the Valkyries

According to research from the UK, the tempo and intensity of the music you listen to while driving are said to have a significant impact on the driver’s psychological state and driving behavior. “Ride of the Valkyries” is thought to be particularly likely to have this effect, rapidly increasing a driver’s heart rate.

pheasant

Japan’s national bird is the green pheasant. It was selected as the national bird by the Ornithological Society of Japan in 1947. Reasons for its selection include that it is endemic to Japan, it appears in old folktales such as Momotaro and has long been familiar to the Japanese people, and that the males have beautiful plumage while the females are noted for strong maternal instincts.

It doesn’t melt

Because ice cannot efficiently absorb microwave energy, heating it in a microwave mostly evaporates surface moisture, and heat doesn’t easily reach the center, so it doesn’t melt right away. In practice, a thin layer of water on the outside of the ice absorbs the microwaves and warms up, gradually melting the ice from the outside in, but ice does not melt in a microwave as efficiently as one might intuitively expect.

Witch’s Strike

In Germany, a sudden lower back strain is called “Hexenschuss,” pronounced hek-sen-shoos. Literally, it means “witch’s shot” or “witch’s blow.” The expression likens the sudden, unexpected stabbing pain in the lower back to being struck by a witch’s magic.

staple bread

In Japan, bread is categorized into several types based on its intended use. Among them, the formal name for the loaf bread commonly eaten as a staple at the daily table is “shushokuyō pan” (bread for staple use). This refers to the square-shaped loaves typically found in supermarkets and bakeries, which are frequently used for breakfast and lunch.