[For Seniors] Spring-themed quizzes: Fun trivia questions that help prevent dementia while you solve them

Mizakura

The Somei Yoshino cherry trees we often enjoy during spring hanami, as well as the mountain-blooming Yamazakura, do bear fruit, but the cherries are small and quite sour and bitter, so unfortunately they aren’t suitable for eating. In contrast, the sweet, tasty cherries commonly seen at greengrocers and supermarkets are harvested mainly from cultivars like “mizakura,” which have been bred specifically for their edible fruit.

100-yen coin

We use 100-yen coins without thinking much about them, but if you look closely, you can see a beautiful design of double cherry blossoms. By the way, the 50-yen coin features chrysanthemums, and the 500-yen coin features paulownia leaves, bamboo, and tachibana.

To reinforce the riverbank's ground

During the Edo period, heavy rains often caused river embankments to break, leading to floods. As a flood-control measure, cherry trees began to be planted along riverbanks. When the cherry blossoms bloomed, many visitors came for hanami in the spring. As large numbers of people walked along the tops of the embankments, their footsteps compacted the soil, strengthening the riverbanks and helping to prevent flooding. It was a wonderful example of the wisdom of people in the past, combining disaster prevention with the enjoyment of beautiful cherry blossoms.

mugwort

Sanshoku dango is cherished as a harbinger of spring, and each color carries its own meaning. Pink represents cherry blossoms, the symbol of spring; white represents shirozake, a sweet rice wine drunk during the Hinamatsuri (Girls’ Festival); and green is said to represent yomogi (mugwort) or fresh young greenery that sprouts vigorously from beneath the snow.

Rosaceae

Cherry blossoms, an essential part of Japan’s spring scenery, are in fact plants of the genus Prunus in the rose family (Rosaceae). Besides cherry blossoms, the rose family also includes many familiar fruits and plants, such as plums and peaches that bloom in spring, as well as apples, strawberries, and loquats that we often eat.

rice-washing water

Bamboo shoots are a quintessential taste of spring, but to enjoy them at their best, it’s important to remove their bitterness thoroughly. The most common method is to use rice-washing water. The calcium in the rice-washing water binds with oxalic acid and other astringent components in the bamboo shoots, making the bitterness less noticeable. In addition, the starch and bran components from the rice help soften the bamboo shoots and enhance their umami.

early May

The correct answer is “early May.” Hachijūhachi-ya is one of the zassetsu—supplementary seasonal markers created to capture seasonal shifts more precisely—and it refers to the 88th day counted from Risshun (the beginning of spring). On today’s calendar, it falls around May 1 or 2 each year. Tea leaves picked during this period are highly nutritious and have long been treasured as a “medicine for longevity” and a “good-luck charm.”