Q 01/05

Which Japanese volcano last erupted in 1707, showering ash on Edo?

A) Mount Asama

B) Sakurajima

C) Mount Fuji

D) Mount Aso

Answer · why

C) Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji's Hōei eruption began in December 1707 and tore new craters in the mountain's south-eastern flank, yet it released no lava, only a vast clo...

Q 02/05

Which wrapped robe, tied with a broad sash, is the national dress of Japan?

A) Haori

B) Yukata

C) Hakama

D) Kimono

Answer · why

D) Kimono

The kimono is always wrapped left side over right; the reverse, right over left, is used only to dress the dead for burial.

Q 03/05

Which city was home to Japan's imperial court for more than a thousand years, from 794?

A) Nara

B) Kyoto

C) Kamakura

D) Osaka

Answer · why

B) Kyoto

Kyoto, founded in 794 as Heian-kyō, was laid out on a grid modelled on the Tang capital Chang'an; the court stayed for some eleven centuries.

Q 04/05

Which dish, introduced to Japan by the British in the 1800s, is now popular enough to be called a national dish?

A) Curry

B) Ramen

C) Tempura

D) Udon

Answer · why

A) Curry

Curry reached Japan from India by way of the British; the navy adopted it, and today Japan's naval ships serve curry every Friday.

Q 05/05

What is the name of Japan's high-speed rail network?

A) Hayabusa

B) Shinkansen

C) Nozomi

D) Kodama

Answer · why

B) Shinkansen

Shinkansen, Japan's high-speed rail network, opened between Tokyo and Osaka in 1964; its 'bullet train' nickname translates dangan ressha, the name of...