Enjoy summer festivals even more! Trivia quiz & fun facts collection

Last updated:2025/6/27

10 years as a kindergarten teacher / elementary school teacher / junior and senior high school teacher / childminderkepiko
Graduated from Kunitachi College of Music, Faculty of Music (now: Department of Music Culture and Education, Early Childhood Music Education major). In elementary school, my homeroom teacher was Jun Kusaba, a game researcher. After graduating from university, I worked as a kindergarten teacher for 10 years and as an after-school childcare instructor for 7 years, then took a position as a music teacher at an international school in Singapore. In addition to music education, I engaged in activities that introduced Japanese culture, traditional games, and recreational activities, working with many children. Later, through freelance writing, planning, and editing at Shogakukan, I met many delightful adults and experienced the joy of communicating and sharing. Drawing on the perspective cultivated in the field of education and my experience as an editor, I provide practical information with an emphasis on both input and output, mainly in areas related to music and children. My hobbies include instruments, singing, handicrafts, toys, drawing, traditional games, the outdoors, and books. My special skill is spinning-top tricks.

A summer festival that adults can enjoy, too.

Here, we introduce trivia quizzes and fun facts about general summer festivals.

The quizzes are designed for everyone to enjoy, and the key is to think them through together.

There are questions about the tasty foods you eat at festivals and about the origins of the celebrations.

Festivals strongly reflect the local culture and traditions.

From food stalls to fireworks and Bon Odori, there’s so much to discover! Through these quizzes, get to know even more of the fun and charm of summer festivals.

Have a great time getting into the spirit with family and friends!

Enjoy the Summer Festival Even More! Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts Collection (1–10)

Who was the first person to see fireworks in Japan?

Tokugawa Ieyasu
Iemitsu Tokugawa
Tokugawa Yoshimune

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Tokugawa Ieyasu

The person said to have seen fireworks for the first time in Japan is Tokugawa Ieyasu. In 1613, fireworks were presented by the English envoy John Saris and his party, and it is said that Ieyasu watched them.

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What do you call the lights used to decorate so that festivals can be enjoyed even at night?

lantern
Lantern
torch

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lantern

At summer festival venues, lanterns are mainly displayed to enhance the nighttime atmosphere. They are traditional Japanese lighting fixtures with a light placed inside a frame made of washi paper or cloth.

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Which of these is the reason for holding a summer festival?

To celebrate the harvest
To honor our ancestors
To quell epidemics and disasters

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To quell epidemics and disasters

Summer festivals are said to have originated as events where people offered prayers to the gods to prevent epidemics and disasters that tend to spread during the hot summer. Today, they also incorporate regional characteristics and elements of entertainment.

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What flavor is one of the shaved ice syrups, “Blue Hawaii”?

Ramune flavor
Pineapple flavor
mixed fruit flavor not limited to any specific fruit

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mixed fruit flavor not limited to any specific fruit

Blue Hawaii often doesn’t have a fixed “this fruit flavor”; different manufacturers use different flavorings and tastes. Generally, it tends to be mixed-fruit or tropical in flavor, but there is no set taste.

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What do you call the phenomenon where eating shaved ice causes a headache?

chilled brain
Ice Brain
ice cream headache

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ice cream headache

The phenomenon where your head hurts when you quickly eat something cold, like shaved ice, is called an “ice cream headache.” Formally, it’s also known as a “cold-stimulus headache.” It’s thought to occur when the blood vessels in the mouth and throat are rapidly cooled and constrict, causing the brain to perceive pain.

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Patterns of iris flowers are often used on yukata, but which meaning is associated with the iris?

Courage, a match
healthy longevity
Prayer for a good harvest

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Courage, a match

Because the word for iris (shōbu) can also be read as “shōbu,” meaning “contest” or “match,” it carries wishes for courage and good fortune in competition. It was also a pattern favored by samurai.

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Which is the oldest fireworks festival in Japan?

Sumida River Fireworks Festival
Nagaoka Festival Grand Fireworks Show
Omagari Fireworks

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Sumida River Fireworks Festival

The Sumida River Fireworks Festival began in 1733 during the Edo period and is known as Japan’s oldest fireworks festival. It was held by the shogunate to ward off epidemics and to offer memorials for the dead, and it is still beloved by many people today.

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