[For Seniors] Fun Brain Training! Quizzes Recommended for October

One high-end ingredient that represents autumn in Japan is described as having a “smell trapped in leather shoes,” and it isn’t commonly eaten in the West. What is this luxury ingredient?

As autumn is known for whetting the appetite, many delicious foods that boost our cravings come into season.

Starting with rice, there are also Pacific saury, sweet potatoes, chestnuts, pears, and grapes, but the true king of autumn flavors is undoubtedly matsutake mushrooms.

As a luxury ingredient, matsutake aren’t something we can easily enjoy every day, and their greatest allure lies in their uniquely sweet aroma.

This fragrance is said to stimulate the appetite and have a calming effect, and in recent years, it has reportedly been found to be potentially effective in helping prevent cancer.

What is the ghost that turns into an animal when it sees a full moon, which also appears on Halloween?

Halloween is an event with a strong spooky image, filled with various monsters that bring its world to life.

Among the monsters that appear at Halloween, which one is known for transforming into an animal when it sees the full moon? It turns into the animal strongly associated with howling at the full moon, and you might also recognize it as a character in board games.

The answer is the “werewolf,” also known as the Wolf Man or jinrō, a monster whose legend dates back to ancient times.

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kappamaki

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What day does Halloween correspond to in Japan?

Halloween is often associated with events and festivals, but it was originally important in the calendar as well.

So what day in Japan would Halloween correspond to? It comes from the fact that in ancient Celtic Druidism, the day after Halloween—November 1—was considered the beginning of winter.

Thinking about it as a change of seasons and a celebration of that year’s harvest leads us to the answer.

The answer is “New Year’s Eve.” Because the start of winter was regarded as the start of the new year, it became established as an occasion to look back on the year’s harvest.

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kappamaki

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When children go around asking for candy and say “Trick or treat,” it literally means “Give me candy or I’ll play a prank on you.” So if you don’t give them candy, they’ll “trick” you—that is, play a prank.

You’ve probably heard kids say “trick or treat” when they go around collecting candy on Halloween, but can you explain what it really means? It might be a bit tricky for some seniors, but that also makes it fun to see what clever answers they come up with! When using it as a quiz question, a fill-in-the-blank format like “Give me candy or I’ll ______!” is recommended.

You can choose whether or not to tell them in advance that the answer is four letters.

Imagining the answer gives the brain a workout, so it’s great for brain training too!

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miyabi

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What is a ____ that starts with ____?

[What's a ___ that starts with ___?] A failproof, never-boring brain training activity [Whiteboard Recreation]

Here’s a brain-training quiz that you can enjoy with a large group as long as you have a whiteboard.

For example, let’s say you make a quiz like, “What are some ___ that start with ___?” First, you put a letter in the first blank.

Then you put a category in the second blank.

For instance, if you put “i” in the first blank and “foods” in the second, the quiz becomes: “What foods start with ‘i’?” Have everyone answer in turn.

If you say, “Let’s try to come up with 10,” everyone will think hard.

That’s what makes it a brain workout.

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Hirakawa Masako (Bōkarisuto: Sakata Mizumako)

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