[Trivia] Challenge! Spring General Knowledge Quiz

Suruga Bay

The sakura shrimp fishery, known as a spring tradition, takes place only in Suruga Bay in Shizuoka Prefecture in Japan. It’s a delicacy unique to Suruga Bay, which is also one of Japan’s three deepest bays. While you’ll often see dried sakura shrimp in supermarkets, around the production area they’re also eaten freshly boiled (kama-age), among other preparations.

Oshima cherry

The leaves used to wrap sakuramochi are from a cherry tree called Oshima-zakura. They’re chosen because they have a strong fragrance and large leaves. Wrapping sakuramochi with these leaves is said to impart the leaf’s aroma and help prevent drying and bacterial growth.

Yamanashi Prefecture

The Yamataka Jindai-zakura, Japan’s oldest cherry tree, stands within the grounds of Jissoji Temple in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture. Its age is estimated at around 2,000 years, and it is not a Somei Yoshino but a variety called Edohigan-zakura. In the Taisho era, it was designated a Natural Monument of Japan.

To conceal uneven coloring

Color irregularities can occur in the leather materials used during the production of randoseru. Black and red tend to make such irregularities less noticeable, so they were commonly used to conceal the appearance.

5 to 6 flowers

The cherry blossom opening declaration is made when 5 to 6 flowers bloom on a designated sample cherry tree. These sample trees are located in each prefecture and on outlying islands, and observations and declarations are made at each location. Observations are basically conducted using Somei Yoshino trees, but in Hokkaido and Okinawa, different cherry varieties are used.

stem

Bamboo shoots are in season in spring. Because they grow in the soil, you might think we’re eating the roots, but in fact what we usually eat is the stem of the bamboo shoot. They have husks to protect themselves from wild animals, and as these husks peel away over time, they become bamboo.

harbinger of spring (often refers to the Japanese bush warbler, 'uguisu')

The Japanese bush warbler is also known as the “harbinger of spring.” It’s called this because it begins singing earlier than any other bird in early spring, just when it feels like you can almost hear the footsteps of the season approaching. By the way, the famous “hoo-hokekyo” call is heard only in spring; in other seasons, it sings differently.