[For Seniors] Enjoyable Brain Training! Liven Up with a Local Three-Choice Quiz

mutton

Genghis Khan, a Hokkaido local dish where lamb and vegetables are grilled on a distinctive dome-shaped iron pan, originated when surplus wool sheep raised in Hokkaido began to be used for food. Although lamb, which has a distinctive flavor, wasn’t very popular at first, it has now become widely enjoyed.

crested ibis

The Japanese crested ibis went extinct in Japan in 2003. After that, ibises were brought in from China, and their numbers are now increasing. Bringing in animals from abroad can raise concerns about the ecosystem. However, it’s said that Japanese and Chinese crested ibises have very few genetic differences and are almost the same.

eel

Hitsumabushi is one of the signature foods of Nagoya. It’s made by placing sliced, grilled eel (kabayaki) on top of rice. Before eating, you divide it into four portions, and there are three ways to enjoy it by adding condiments or pouring dashi broth. It’s fun to change up the flavor and find the style that suits your taste!

Tochigi Prefecture

Nikkō Tōshōgū Shrine, which enshrines Tokugawa Ieyasu, is located in Tochigi Prefecture. Speaking of Nikkō Tōshōgū, the Three Wise Monkeys—“see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil”—are famous, aren’t they? In fact, the Three Monkeys are just one of eight carved panels. Across the eight panels, the stages of life are depicted using monkeys, and the Three Monkeys appear in the second panel. It’s said that, for childhood, the teaching conveyed is to avoid seeing, speaking, or hearing evil.

Aomori Prefecture

Ōma Town is the northernmost town on Japan’s main island of Honshu, located at the tip of the Shimokita Peninsula in Aomori Prefecture. Tuna caught in Ōma, famous for fetching high prices at auction, is known as the “black diamond.” It’s said that the highest price for a single tuna has exceeded 300 million yen—truly a price worthy of a “black diamond.”

Gifu Prefecture

Shirakawa-go, home to gassho-zukuri villages that are among Japan’s most beautiful landscapes. In Shirakawa-go, where snowfall can reach nearly two meters, the roofs were designed with steep slopes so that accumulated snow naturally slides off. The roofs are also nearly one meter thick, which helps prevent rainwater from seeping into the interior.

pickles

In the Akita dialect, pickles are called “gakko.” To prevent dried daikon radishes for pickling from freezing in the cold season, people used to hang them from the ceiling and smoke them over an irori hearth to preserve them—this is said to be the origin of iburigakko. It’s a product born from the wisdom of life in Akita Prefecture, where winters are snowy and bitterly cold. These days, there are many variations, such as chopping it and mixing it with cream cheese or adding it to potato salad.