How about quiz games like wordplay and riddles during recreation time at day service centers and other senior facilities? Puzzles that hide meanings in the arrangement, color, or orientation of letters, as well as riddles, are enjoyable brain teasers.
The answers often draw on familiar folk tales or everyday events, so seniors can experience that delightful “I get it!” moment of surprise and accomplishment when inspiration strikes.
The process of thinking stimulates the brain, and smiles and conversation naturally arise when the answer is revealed.
This time, we’ll introduce clever wordplay and riddle quizzes that are sure to get seniors excited and thinking, the kind that make you say, “Wow, that’s clever!”
November 2 is Conveyor Belt Sushi Day. In which prefecture is the restaurant located that first opened a conveyor belt sushi shop in the world?
November 22 is widely known as Good Couple Day in Japan, but it’s also Conveyor Belt Sushi Day.
It was established in honor of the birthday of Yoshiaki Shiraishi, the chairman of “Mawaru Genroku Sushi,” who invented conveyor belt sushi.
Although conveyor belt sushi is now familiar to everyone, its origins go back further than you might expect: the first restaurant opened in 1958 in Higashi-Osaka, Osaka Prefecture.
Later, when “Mawaru Genroku Sushi” exhibited at the 1970 Osaka Expo, it became hugely popular, and conveyor belt sushi spread nationwide.
The Ogasawara Islands are the administrative area of Ogasawara Village in Tokyo.
The term “Ogasawara Islands” refers collectively to islands such as Chichijima, Iwo Jima, and Okinotorishima, which lie about 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo in the Pacific Ocean.
Although it is said that the Ogasawara Islands were discovered in 1593, they had no permanent residents and remained uninhabited for roughly 17 years until 1830.
Because these islands have been isolated by the sea and have never been connected to a continent since their formation, they have developed many unique ecosystems through independent evolution.
For this reason, they were inscribed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site in 2011.
Do you know which prefecture in Japan has the smallest area? The answer is Kagawa.
Some older people might answer “Osaka Prefecture.” In fact, there was a time when Osaka Prefecture was considered the smallest in Japan.
Until 1978, it was Osaka; after that, Kagawa became the smallest.
Some people may think Osaka got larger due to land reclamation for Kansai International Airport.
However, the major factor was a change in 1988 to the topographic maps of the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, which serve as the basis for calculating area.
Which prefecture has the smallest population in Japan?
The least populous prefecture in Japan is Tottori.
Factors include an aging population, declining birthrate, and the outflow of young people who leave the prefecture for jobs or higher education.
Once they move away, many end up finding employment in the Kansai or Kanto regions.
These reasons for population decline aren’t unique to Tottori; they’re common challenges across rural areas.
That said, Tottori has plenty of attractions.
It’s home to the famous Tottori Sand Dunes, designated as a national natural monument, and sightseeing spots like Hakuto Shrine, known as the setting of the myth “The White Rabbit of Inaba.” It could be enjoyable to search online for Tottori’s sightseeing spots together with an older adult.
What is the name of the southernmost island in Japan?
In addition to large islands like Honshu, Japan is also made up of many smaller islands.
Among those small islands, which island is the southernmost point of Japan, and in which prefecture is it located? When you think of the south, Kyushu or Okinawa might come to mind first, but you may get closer to the answer if you picture Japan’s shape spreading diagonally not only north–south but also east–west.
The correct answer is Okinotorishima in the Ogasawara Islands of Tokyo; this is the southernmost point among all Japanese islands, including uninhabited ones.
Which prefecture in Japan has the most hot springs and was the first in the country to host the Winter Olympics?
Some seniors may have fond memories of enjoyable hot spring trips, don’t you think? The prefecture with the most hot springs in Japan, which also hosted the Winter Olympics, is Hokkaido.
The 11th Winter Olympic Games in Sapporo were held from February 3 to February 13, 1972, in Sapporo City.
It was also the first Winter Olympics ever held in Asia.
In the 70-meter ski jump—equivalent to today’s normal hill—Japanese athletes won the gold, silver, and bronze medals.
It was Japan’s first-ever sweep of the podium at the Winter Olympics.
In which prefecture is Kinkazan (Mount Kinka), where Oda Nobunaga established his base to unify the country?
Gifu Prefecture is home to Mount Kinka, where Oda Nobunaga established his headquarters to unify the realm.
For seniors who enjoy history, this might be an easy question.
Gifu Castle was built atop Mount Kinka.
The region where Gifu Castle stood—now Gifu Prefecture—was once called Mino, and there was a saying: “He who controls Mino controls the realm.” Perched on the sheer cliffs at the summit of Mount Kinka, Gifu Castle was renowned as an impregnable fortress due to its elevation and commanding views, and it’s said the Oda clan struggled to capture it from Saitō Dōsan.
How about learning some Sengoku-period trivia together with the seniors?
October 2 is Tofu Day. Which prefecture in Japan has the highest tofu production?
Tofu, a soy-based food indispensable to our meals.
October 2 is known as Tofu Day.
The reason is simple: in Japanese wordplay, 10 (tō) and 2 (fu) make “tōfu.” Here’s a question related to Tofu Day: Which prefecture produces the most tofu in Japan? The answer is Hokkaido.
Tofu is made from soybeans, and although most soybeans are imported from overseas, Hokkaido can produce soybeans stably, so there are many tofu manufacturers there.
Japan’s first moving walkway debuted in 1967 (Showa 42). Do you know where it made its first appearance?
Moving walkways found in airports and large train stations look like escalators, but instead of taking you up or down a floor, they carry you straight ahead.
They’re faster than walking and let you glide smoothly to your destination, making them very convenient.
So, where did moving walkways first appear in Japan? Here’s a hint: it’s in Kansai, in a place known for people who are often in a hurry.
The answer is Osaka! The first one was installed at Hankyu Umeda Station.
At the time, the station was undergoing expansion, and the walkway was built to improve access from platform to platform.
By the way, you often see people walking on moving walkways, but it’s dangerous, so once you step on, stand still and ride it to your destination.
