[For Seniors] Fun! Let’s Get Excited with Japan’s Number One Quiz

Shōmyō Falls

Shomyo Falls in Toyama Prefecture has the greatest drop of any waterfall in Japan. Fed by the waters of the Tateyama mountain range, it has a drop of 350 meters. The name “Shomyo” is said to come from the roar of the falls, which sounds like many people chanting Buddhist prayers. Incidentally, Hannoki Falls beside Shomyo Falls has a 500-meter drop, but it is not officially recognized as Japan’s tallest waterfall. This is said to be because it appears and disappears depending on the water volume.

Nagano Prefecture

Nagano Prefecture has 77 municipalities, and 35 of them are villages. During the Heisei-era municipal mergers, many municipalities chose not to merge. It seems that the prefectural governor at the time did not push mergers forcibly as a matter of policy. One reason given was that, in mountainous Nagano Prefecture, mergers would yield limited benefits. Because of this background, there are many small villages in Nagano.

triple jump (track and field)

The Olympics inspire great emotion every time they are held. In Japan, the first person to become a gold medalist was Mikio Oda in the triple jump. After that, Yoshiyuki Tsuruta won a gold medal in the men’s 200-meter breaststroke. After retiring, Mikio Oda was active as a coach and served as the head coach of the track and field team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Gifu Prefecture

The city with the largest area in Japan is Takayama in Gifu Prefecture. They say Takayama is roughly the same size as Tokyo. What’s more, it’s larger than Kagawa Prefecture, the smallest in Japan, and Osaka Prefecture, the second smallest. The reason Takayama is so large is that ten municipalities merged during the Heisei-era great municipal mergers.

Tokaido Shinkansen