[Trivia] Challenge! Spring General Knowledge Quiz

Heian period

It’s said to have originated from children’s doll play and a purification ritual in which paper dolls were floated down the river, and it took on its current form as Hinamatsuri during the Edo period. Do you have Hina dolls at home? In March, that vivid vermilion scene is always dazzling and lovely whenever you see it.

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.

prosperity of descendants

Kashiwa-mochi, eaten on Children’s Day, May 5th, during the Boys’ Festival, carries the wish for the prosperity of one’s descendants. The oak tree has the characteristic that its old leaves do not fall until new buds appear, which came to symbolize an unbroken family line and thus became associated with the flourishing of future generations.

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.

Tokyo Disneyland

The theme park that opened on April 15, 1983 is Tokyo Disneyland, located in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture. It was the first Disney park to open outside the United States, and its tagline is “The Kingdom of Dreams and Magic.” Eighteen years after its opening, in 2001, Tokyo DisneySea opened next door.

flower festival

The festival that celebrates the Buddha’s birthday is called “Hana Matsuri” (Flower Festival). It is also known as Kanbutsu-e and is held every year on April 8. People pour sweet tea over a statue of the newborn Buddha enshrined in a flower-adorned pavilion, praying for children’s health and for their wishes to come true.