[For Seniors] Prevent Dementia with Brain Training! A May-Themed Quiz Collection

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.

May is warm, refreshing, and full of beautiful fresh greenery.

Some of you may find your hearts dancing in this invigorating season.

However, there are also seniors who, with age, find it harder to sense the changing seasons.

So this time, we’d like to introduce quizzes suitable for seniors in May.

By working through the questions and answers, they can recall images of May and spend each day feeling the season.

Using their minds also serves as brain training, which can stimulate the brain and help prevent dementia.

Let’s help seniors enjoy the season through fun quizzes!

[For Seniors] Prevent Dementia with Brain Training! May-Themed Quiz Collection (1–10)

What is it that we don’t have to do during the Cool Biz period starting in May?

In May, as temperatures gradually rise toward summer, you can really feel the heat even while working, and it gets harder to stay focused.

Cool Biz, a set of measures tailored to those temperatures, refers to the period when certain things are not required.

A key hint is to consider which aspects of work make you feel hot and think about what you can stop doing to stay cooler.

The answer is that it’s the period when you don’t have to wear a suit—an initiative aimed at reducing heat and enabling more comfortable work.

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There are two zodiac signs for people born in May. What are they?

Zodiac signs are essential for things like horoscopes, but many people may only know the ones around their own sign.

This piece looks at which signs correspond to May, since zodiac signs serve as a major reference for your date of birth.

If you were born in May, it’s easy, but if not, you might get closer to the answer by eliminating signs near your own.

The answer is Taurus and Gemini: Taurus runs from April 20 to May 20, and Gemini runs from May 21 to June 21.

The time when these constellations are visible in the night sky also differs during this period, so it’s recommended to learn that together as well.

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When is it considered best to avoid putting out the May dolls?

Gogatsu-ningyo, the traditional decorations for Children’s Day, are imbued with the wish for children to grow up healthy.

So, when is the time you should avoid putting them out? The hint lies in Japan’s notions of bad luck—especially those inescapable unlucky observances and how they’re scheduled.

The answer is the day before Children’s Day.

Hastily preparing everything at the last minute evokes a funeral, which is considered inauspicious, so it’s best to display them before then.

It’s also avoided because rushing suggests a lack of sincerity toward the Gogatsu-ningyo.

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[For Seniors] Prevent Dementia with Brain Training! May-Themed Quiz Collection (11–20)

Why do people take a shobu-yu (iris bath) on Children’s Day (Tango no Sekku)?

Children’s Day on May 5 is also called Tango no Sekku, a festival that originated in China as a ritual to ward off misfortune.

The traditional shobu-yu (iris bath), a staple of Children’s Day, is said to be closely tied to the history of Tango no Sekku.

May was believed to be the time when the rainy season approached and with it the season when evil spirits and calamities drew near.

Because the shobu plant has a strong fragrance, it was thought to have the power to drive away evil.

Along with this belief, the custom of shobu-yu was brought to Japan and became popular as a way to dispel evil and pray for children’s healthy growth.

In addition, through wordplay with shobu meaning “victory” (shōbu) and “martial valor” (shōbu), in samurai society it also came to embody the wish for children to grow up strong and valiant.

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Snow peas are in season in May, but what do the peas inside become when they grow?

The foods that taste good change with the seasons, and in May, snow peas are one of the representative seasonal treats.

The peas inside snow peas get a different name as they mature—what are they called? We often think of eating the whole pod, but the main part is still the pea itself, so if you picture the peas you see in the store, you might figure it out.

The answer is green peas.

This name refers to the stage when the peas are larger than in the snow pea stage but still tender.

As they mature further, they’re called red peas or white peas, so “green peas” is a term used only for a limited period.

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Japan’s three most famous teas are Uji tea, Sayama tea, and what is the third tea?

Tea is cherished throughout Japan, and there are regions renowned as production areas.

Among teas produced in these famed regions, the three most celebrated are known as the “Three Great Teas”: Uji tea, Sayama tea, and—what is the third one? Since these are teas from the three major production regions, you might figure it out just by thinking of a place strongly associated with tea.

The answer is Shizuoka tea from Shizuoka Prefecture.

As the tea-plucking song passes down: “In color, Shizuoka; in aroma, Uji; and in taste, Sayama.” It’s a historic tea, also known for being a favorite of Tokugawa Ieyasu.

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What do you call bonito that is in season in May?

Delicious foods come with each season, and of course there are foods considered delicious in May as well.

Katsuo (bonito), which is sometimes introduced as being in season in May, is known by what name? It’s said that katsuo has two peak seasons a year: the autumn season from September to October is called “modori-gatsuo” (returning bonito).

Corresponding to this, if you think of the bonito that arrives at the beginning of the year, you can probably guess the answer.

The answer is “hatsu-gatsuo” (first bonito).

It is said to be lean, light in flavor, and well-suited for processing.

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