[Trivia] Challenge! Spring General Knowledge Quiz

Netherlands

It originates from when the shogunate adopted Dutch backpacks as luggage carriers while introducing a new military system in the late Edo period. They began to be used for school after the Meiji era and became widespread nationwide around 1955 (Showa 30). What color was your randoseru?

horsetail

It was named that because the part called the “nutritive stem” resembles a cedar tree. In fact, it’s a plant that’s hard to eradicate; if rhizomes remain underground, it will keep sprouting even after being cut back. By the way, when written in kanji, tsukushi is “土筆,” which comes from its appearance—like a brush stuck into the soil.

the first strong spring wind

It refers to the strong winds that blow between the beginning of spring (Risshun) and the spring equinox. However, it doesn’t mean they occur without fail every year; the Japan Meteorological Agency has clear criteria for officially recognizing them. Incidentally, there’s a hit song by the group Candies titled “Haru Ichiban,” and it’s said that the agency established the definition of ‘haru ichiban’ in response to the song’s popularity.

Domyoji

Kantō-style sakura mochi, “Chōmeiji,” is made by wrapping sweet red bean paste in a wheat-flour crêpe, while Kansai-style sakura mochi, “Dōmyōji,” wraps the bean paste in glutinous rice. The name of Chōmeiji-style sakura mochi comes from it being sold in front of Chōmeiji Temple in Sumida Ward, Tokyo. Dōmyōji-style sakura mochi is named for the use of “Dōmyōji flour,” which was produced at Dōmyōji Temple in Fujiidera City, Osaka Prefecture.

Emperor Saga

There is a record that it was held in 812 at Shinsenen Temple in Kyoto. However, at that time it was a somewhat different event from today’s way of enjoying cherry blossoms—reciting Chinese poems while viewing them—whereas the so-called banquet-style hanami is said to have been popularized in 1598 by Toyotomi Hideyoshi during the Sengoku period.

vegetables

Generally, we define as “vegetables” those crops that are planted as seedlings in the field and harvested within a year, and as “fruits” those that continue to be cultivated for two years or more, such as tree-grown produce like apples and mandarins. So by that definition, watermelon and melon are considered vegetables.

dandelion

I bet some people thought, “I see—because the blooming flower looks like a lion’s mane.” But actually, “dandelion” means “lion’s tooth,” and it comes from the fact that the plant’s leaves are jagged like teeth.