[For Seniors] Surprisingly Unknown! General Knowledge Quiz

Lake Biwa

Lake Biwa is located in Shiga Prefecture and covers an area of about 670 square kilometers, making it the largest lake in Japan. The second largest is Lake Kasumigaura, but it’s only about a quarter the size of Lake Biwa. Incidentally, Lake Biwa also boasts the greatest water volume in Japan.

Blue whale

The blue whale is known as the largest animal on Earth. Its body length can exceed 30 meters! It also weighs as much as 190 tons, and its enormous size is unmatched by any other animal.

chrysanthemum

A national flower is a flower that symbolizes a nation. In Japan, the flowers generally recognized as national flowers are the cherry blossom and the chrysanthemum. The chrysanthemum is given particular importance because it is also used in the Imperial Family’s crest. Cherry blossoms are one of the flowers loved by the public, as many people go to view them in spring.

pheasant

Japan’s national bird is the green pheasant. The pheasant is widely distributed across Japan and is cherished as the national bird due to its cultural and historical significance.

Kagawa Prefecture

The smallest prefecture in Japan by area is Kagawa. Next are Osaka, Tokyo, and Okinawa. Compared to Hokkaido, which has the largest area, it’s said to be about one forty-fourth the size. Although it’s the smallest prefecture, it has many islands in the Seto Inland Sea and is a very popular prefecture with numerous tourist spots.

the South Pole

We tend to think the north is colder than the south, but in fact Antarctica has the lowest temperatures and is the coldest. One reason is the difference in elevation. The Arctic ice is at most about 10 meters thick, whereas the average elevation of Antarctica is around 2,500 meters. Higher elevations are colder, just like on tall mountains.

dog

The old Japanese folktale “Momotaro.” On his journey to defeat the ogres, the first animal Momotaro took as his companion was a dog. The dog received a millet dumpling and became Momotaro’s follower. After that came a monkey and a pheasant. Incidentally, it’s said that the reason these three animals were chosen relates to the Chinese zodiac and directions: opposite the demon gate (kimon) lies the area associated with the zodiac signs of Dog (inu), Monkey (saru), and Rooster (tori), which is why these three were selected.