[For Seniors] Summer-Themed Quiz: A Collection of Fun Questions to Liven Up Recreational Activities

Social worker / Care workermoko
My name is Moko, a mother of three who admired my mother and worked in the care industry as a care worker and as a medical social worker (MSW) in a hospital. I will be drawing on my previous experience to write mainly about caregiving. Thank you in advance.
Care Worker Initial Training Certification ObtainedNakajima Junko
Leveraging my experience working as a care worker at a day service, I am currently active as a writer in the caregiving and welfare fields. Beyond writing, I hope to expand my work into web design and illustration. I am a mother of three who has begun studying to become a certified social worker.

How about an indoor quiz that lets you stay comfortable as a recreational activity on hot summer days? In recent years, Japan has been getting hotter year by year.

Quizzes let you train your brain without physical exertion, so they’re a great option for recreation in senior facilities during midsummer.

Since the theme is summer, it might help people feel the season and recall past memories.

For older adults, looking back and talking about the past can promote emotional stability and benefit cognitive function.

It also makes it easier to spark communication with those around them.

Enjoy a fun summer moment while doing brain training with quizzes!

[For Seniors] Summer-Themed Quiz: A Collection of Fun Questions That Liven Up Activities (21–30)

When is eel in season, which we eat on the midsummer Day of the Ox in July?

There’s an event in July called Doyo no Ushinohi (the Day of the Ox in midsummer).

On this day, people traditionally eat foods that start with the syllable “u,” and eating unagi (eel) is the most common.

Here’s a question: when is eel considered to be in season? The correct answer is from autumn to winter.

In other words, it’s actually not in season on Doyo no Ushinohi in July.

It’s said that Hiraga Gennai came up with the idea to promote eel sales in summer.

Still, since eel is thought to help prevent summer fatigue, it’s recommended to eat it during the hot season.

Raise the rankinglower

yamamoto

Report a problem

What is the significance of the Bon lanterns displayed during Obon?

One of the big events in August is Obon, isn’t it? Many people get together with their families and visit graves during Obon.

Now, here’s a question: what is the meaning behind the Bon lanterns you often see at this time? In fact, Bon lanterns serve as beacons to help ancestors find their way back from the other world without getting lost.

By the way, they are typically displayed from the 13th, when Obon begins, until the 17th, the day after the send-off.

However, this can vary by region, and some families display them from early July until the end of August.

Raise the rankinglower

yamamoto

Report a problem

What was the summer women’s clothing that became popular from the late Taisho period to the early Showa period?

The name of the easy-to-throw-on women’s summer garment that was popular from the late Taisho to the early Showa period was “appappa.” It’s said to come from an Osaka dialect word that describes a skirt flaring out with a “pah.” These days, most fashion-related buzzwords trace their origins to foreign languages, so you can really feel the change of the times in the fact that this one comes from a domestic dialect.

In 1929, when Tokyo was hit by its worst heat wave in 40 years, the appappa also became wildly popular.

My grandmother still calls it an “appappa,” so there may still be people who use the term even now…

Raise the rankinglower

yuri

Report a problem

Wind chimes, which evoke an image of easing the heat with their clear sound, were originally displayed for a different reason. What meaning did they originally have?

Furin, or wind chimes, are a hallmark of summer in Japan and have been loved since ancient times.

It’s common to hang them under the eaves of houses, and they chime when moved by the wind.

By listening to their sound, Japanese people were said to feel cooler during the sweltering summer even before air conditioning existed.

On the other hand, from the Heian to Kamakura periods, they were apparently hung under the eaves of aristocrats’ residences as talismans to ward off evil! There are also records that they were displayed with magical significance or as symbols of power, so it might be a fun bit of summer trivia to keep in mind!

Raise the rankinglower

miyabi

Report a problem

How many years do cicada nymphs spend underground?

One of the quintessential sounds of summer is the chirping of cicadas.

It’s also widely known that cicadas spend most of their lives underground and supposedly die a week after emerging.

Here’s a question: how long do cicadas actually spend underground? The answer is more than three years.

There are individual differences, though: the commonly seen min-min cicada spends about 2 to 4 years, and the tsuku-tsuku-bōshi about 2 years.

As an aside, the idea that cicadas die after a week is just a popular myth—most actually live for around a month above ground.

Raise the rankinglower

yamamoto

Report a problem

What is the name of the headache you get when eating cold foods like shaved ice, where your head suddenly aches sharply?

A quiz about relatable topics! Here’s a trivia question: What is the name of the headache you get when your head suddenly aches with a sharp “keen” sensation while eating cold foods like shaved ice? In summer, we often crave chilly treats like shaved ice and ice cream, right? Many people have probably experienced that piercing headache at those times.

It seems that headache is called “ice cream headache.” The mechanism behind this headache is apparently not yet fully understood.

Raise the rankinglower

Report a problem