[For Seniors] Iwate Prefecture Local Quiz: 3-choice questions to learn trivia about food, notable figures, and place names

Inazō Nitobe

The correct answer is Inazo Nitobe. He was from Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture and, inspired by his aspiration to become a “bridge across the Pacific,” he dedicated himself to world peace as the Under-Secretary-General of the League of Nations. He is also known for writing the classic Bushido in English, introducing the Japanese spirit to the world. As the portrait on the former 5,000-yen banknote, his face was likely familiar to many from long years spent in people’s wallets.

Morioka Reimen

The correct answer is “Morioka Reimen.” It’s a specialty dish from Morioka City in Iwate Prefecture, characterized by its translucent, chewy noodles and a deeply rich broth based on beef bones. In addition to kimchi, it uniquely features seasonal fruits such as watermelon, pear, or apple as a palate cleanser to soften the spiciness.

Morioka Jajamen

The correct answer is “Morioka Jajamen.” It’s characterized by mixing freshly boiled, warm flat noodles thoroughly with a special meat miso, cucumber, and green onions before eating. It’s also customary to finish the meal with a soup called “chi-tantan” (chicken egg soup): after you’ve eaten the noodles, crack a raw egg into the bowl and add hot cooking water to make the soup.

Wanko soba

The correct answer is “wanko soba.” It is a traditional hospitality dish passed down mainly in Morioka and Hanamaki in Iwate Prefecture. It is known for its distinctive style in which servers, with rhythmic calls of “Hai, jan-jan!” and “Hai, don-don!”, keep tossing bite-sized portions of soba into the guest’s bowl one after another. When you can’t eat any more, closing the lid of your bowl signals that you are finished.

oni; demon; ogre; spirit (depending on context)

The correct answer is “oni” (a demon). This legend is known as the “Mitsuishi Legend” handed down at Mitsuishi Shrine in Morioka City. Long ago, the god of Mitsuishi captured a wicked oni that had been tormenting the villagers and made it press its handprints onto the shrine’s gigantic rocks as proof of a promise never to misbehave again. It is said that this act of leaving handprints on the rocks is the origin of the present prefectural name “Iwate” (“rock hand”). Moreover, because the oni swore it would “never come again,” the area around Morioka also came to be called “Kozukata” (literally, “the place that does not come”). This legend is very familiar to the people of Iwate Prefecture and is passed down as the root of the prefecture’s name.

Morioka City

The correct answer is “Morioka City.” Morioka City is the prefectural capital located in the central part of Iwate Prefecture and once flourished as a castle town of the Nanbu Domain. With Mount Iwate as a backdrop and the Nakatsu River and Kitakami River flowing through, its beautiful scenery has earned it the nickname “the City of Trees and Water.”

Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree

The correct answer is “Ishiwarizakura” (the Rock-Splitting Cherry Tree). It stands within the grounds of the Morioka District Court and is designated as a National Natural Monument. The sight of its thick trunk rising from a narrow crack in a massive boulder and blooming magnificently is cherished by locals as a true symbol of vitality.