[For Seniors] Never Run Out of Conversation Starters! A Collection of Fun Facts About April and Spring

About 20% of elementary school students wear uniforms.

It’s said that about 20% of elementary school students wear uniforms.

The wearing rate varies by region, with higher rates in western Japan, Shikoku, and the Chugoku region.

Some parents point out benefits of having uniforms, such as not having to worry about what to wear and avoiding differences caused by casual clothes.

However, since elementary school children are in a period of rapid growth, uniforms can quickly become too small.

Replacing them can also be costly.

Incidentally, uniforms were introduced in elementary schools during the Meiji era.

The topic of uniforms also seems likely to lead into discussions with older adults about what they wore in their own elementary school days.

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Nakajima Junko

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There’s an unusual surname that’s written with the characters for April 1st but read as “Watanuki.”

When April comes, we often get a spell of pleasantly warm weather, don’t we? So here are some fun facts related to the springtime mood.

There are people whose surname is written with the characters for “April 1” (四月一日) and read as Watanuki.

It’s an unusual surname, but it has an origin that’s very fitting for April.

As it gets warmer in April, people used to switch from winter kimono padded with cotton to ones with the cotton removed.

Because the cotton (wata) was taken out (nuku) on April 1, the name became Watanuki.

Japan has many other rare surnames as well.

It might be fun to look for them together with older people.

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Cherry blossoms are actually in the rose family.

It’s surprising to hear that cherry blossoms belong to the rose family, isn’t it? After all, they look completely different.

But those who know the wild species of roses would understand.

In Japan, the famous native species is the flower called ‘nobara’ (wild rose), which has only five petals and actually resembles cherry blossoms more.

The roses with many petals that most people are familiar with are largely the result of selective breeding.

Wild roses can be found in the fields and mountains of Japan, so if you’re an older rose enthusiast, do try looking for them sometime.

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Pollen is said to travel up to 600 meters high.

For those with hay fever, symptoms tend to get worse as spring approaches.

Since pollen already starts to scatter around February, many people visit the hospital as early as January.

Here are some fun facts about pollen.

Believe it or not, pollen is said to travel up to 600 meters high.

It’s hard to picture 600 meters, but the Tokyo Skytree is 634 meters tall.

Surprising, isn’t it? In other words, pollen can reach people living on high floors as well.

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A single strawberry has 200 seeds.

When we think of fruits that symbolize spring, strawberries are one of them.

Take a bite of a strawberry and you’ll notice its juicy flesh and sweet-tart flavor.

Do you also feel the little bumps in your mouth? Many people might think, “Are those seeds?” but it turns out they’re not.

In fact, those bumps are the actual fruits, and the seeds are inside them.

It’s said that a single strawberry has about 200 to 300 of these bumps.

That means the sweet-and-tart part we usually eat is what’s called an aggregate fruit, made up of 200 to 300 tiny fruits.

Strawberries may also be used for spring snack-time activities with seniors.

Sharing these fun strawberry facts could make those snack sessions even more enjoyable.

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