How many can you solve? Test your spring knowledge with a trivia quiz about March!

rockfish (Japanese black rockfish)

In the past, herring were famous as a harbinger of spring because vast schools would swarm to coastal areas like Hokkaido to spawn when spring arrived. In recent years, however, their catch has declined, and when people speak of “spring herald fish,” rockfish (mebaru) is more often mentioned. Mebaru is a fish that comes into season around March to May and is delicious simmered.

clam (hamaguri)

Clam shells will never fit perfectly with any shell other than the one they originally paired with. Because of this trait, they are seen as a symbol of marital harmony—spending a lifetime with a single partner—and are eaten during the Doll Festival to wish for a girl’s happy marriage.

cosplay

Kyoto University’s graduation ceremony is famous for graduates attending in unique cosplay. Costumes inspired by anime characters and that year’s current events—brimming with wit and humor—are featured by the media every spring as a seasonal tradition.

school teacher

Tabidachi no Hi ni (On the Day of Departure) is a song that originated in 1991 at Chichibu Municipal Kagemori Junior High School in Saitama Prefecture. As the culmination of the wish to “make our school resonate with singing voices,” then-principal Noboru Kojima wrote the lyrics, and music teacher Hiromi Sakamoto composed the music. It was initially a surprise song for the faculty and staff to sing at the “Farewell Party for the Third-Year Students,” but gradually the students began to sing it, and it spread throughout the country.

ceramics

Seto City in Aichi Prefecture is one of Japan’s leading pottery and porcelain production areas. At the annual “Seto Ohina Meguri,” not only traditional Hina dolls but also creative Hina dolls made of ceramics and glass are displayed throughout the town. Exhibits unique to this pottery town are especially famous, such as the “Hinamid,” a gigantic Hina tiered stand standing 4 meters tall.