[Killing Time] A Collection of Fun Trivia Quizzes You'll Want to Share with Someone

Japan

Didn’t you think slippers were a cultural import from the West? Surprisingly, the answer is Japan. It’s said they were made by Risaburo Tokuno, a Tokyo tailor, during the opening of the country in the 19th century.

gold bar

Interestingly, the word “nugget,” popular in fast food and lunch boxes, also means a lump of gold or metal. It’s said the meaning comes from their golden-fried look and shape, reminiscent of gold nuggets. Taken literally, “chicken nugget” would mean something like a “natural gold nugget.”

8800m

Mount Everest, one of the Himalayas, has an exact elevation of 8,848 meters. It is twice the height of Mount Fuji, the tallest mountain in Japan.

Because it’s a color that excites people.

In bullfighting, cattle can only distinguish colors like white and black, and they simply react to the danger signaled by the fluttering movement of the cape; in reality, the cape can be any color. They say a red cape is used because humans imagine the color of blood, which excites them and makes them more aggressive.

South Korea

In Korea, there is a custom of eating seaweed soup called miyeok-guk on one’s birthday. It is said to originate from the tradition of mothers drinking seaweed soup after childbirth to help them recover their strength. Out of gratitude for being brought into this world, people are said to eat seaweed soup on their birthdays.

Italian

The word “paparazzi,” which refers to people who chase celebrities and other famous figures or incidents, is Italian. It originates from the name of a photographer, Paparazzo, who appears in director Federico Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita.

cabbage

A cream puff filled generously with cream, with a choux shell that’s crisp and fluffy. The choux part looks soft and puffy, and because its appearance resembles a cabbage, it was named “chou,” which means cabbage in French.