Gold Coins to a Cat Trivia Quiz

Answer: Casting pearls before swine

A 'koban' is an old gold coin and 'neko' means cat. 'Gold coins to a cat' means that it's a waste to offer things to those who are incapable of appreciating them. A cat has no use for money, and it would be pointless to give it to them. The similar common admonition not to cast pearls before swine originates with the New Testament book of Matthew (Matthew 7:6(NKJV)).

Answer: Veil

The Japanese bride has a choice of two traditional head coverings; either the wataboshi (a hooded 'veil') or a tsunokakushi (a ribboned headband). My choice would be the wataboshi, even though to my mind it looks less elegant. The word 'tsunokakushi' literally means 'hides her horns', as according to Japanese folklore, a woman sprouts a pair of horns when she gets married.

The tsunokakushi ribbon hides the horns, allegedly to show she will endeavour not to be jealous or angry. Riiight.

Answer: Sohun Studio

Sohun Studio is a relatively new production company that creates simply drawn games with lovely music. 'Nagoro' tells the tale of a little girl who walks through a village, past shops, workers, through pretty gardens and up to school, interacting on the way with each person she passes. Once at the end of the village, the scene changes, showing the girl, now well grown, retracing her steps.

The woman is regretful that the village is not what it was; fewer people and more dilapidated. She sings a song of trapping her memories so they can't escape.

Another Sohun game, 'I Want to Remember You', has a similar theme of remembering when older.

Answer: Hell Valley

Located in the northern part of Nagano prefecture, Jigokudani Yaen-koen lies in the path of the Yokoyu River, which rises in Shiga-Kogen mountains. The steam rising from the thermal springs in the area, coupled with the very steep cliffs, gave it its local 'Hell Valley' nickname.

Popularly known as snow monkeys, troops of wild Japanese macaque have inhabited the area for centuries. The location is covered in snow for several months of the year, and the monkeys enjoy keeping the cold at bay by indulging in a good soak in the hot springs.

Answer: Eleki gitā

'Eleki gita' means electric guitar, and is a 'wasei-eigo' word - the use of English words to create a new word in Japanese. Another such word is 'manshon' (mansion) or 'tacchipaneru', which is a touch panel (screen) phone.

Hogaku is the name of traditional Japanese music and literally means 'home' music. 'Bansho' is a bell, 'hichiriki' is a double-reed flute, and 'shamisen' is a lute.

Answer: Mount Fuji

About 1200 years ago, lava spewing from nearby Mount Fuji formed a 21m (70ft) deep lava tube, which became the ice cave. Because the average temperature of the cave is around zero degrees Celsius, as water drips through the rock it freezes into icicles. Larger pillars of ice are also formed, some reaching 30m (100ft) tall. Blocks of ice were used in the days before electricity to supply the local shogun.

Also formed during the same eruption were two other lava tunnels, one of which became a wind tunnel, and the other which is known as the bat cave. All three were designated national monuments in 1929.

Answer: Typhoon

The Kintaikyo Bridge was originally built in 1673 from wood from all over the country, at the behest of Hiroie Kikkawa, the feudal lord of that area. Natural disasters have meant that the bridge has been rebuilt several times in the same location.

The bridge, with its design featuring a series of five wooden arches made of numerous different sorts of local woods, spans the Nishiki River. Its name, Kintai, means 'gold brocade sash' after the traditional Nishiki kimono obi and the band it creates spanning the Nishiki river.

Answer: A self-mummified monk

There was a period when some Shugendo monks in Japan thought it was a good idea to go through a process that they hoped would result in self-mummification. To become a 'sokushinbutsu' (living Buddha), monks consumed nothing but nuts and seeds for about three years, exercised vigorously to reduce their body fat, and drank a concoction made from tea laced with poisonous lacquer, to start the embalming process. When they were nearing death, the monks were put in an underground tomb where they sat with their legs crossed, ringing a bell every day to let their colleagues know they were still alive. About 16 monks successfully achieved a level of preservation and can still be visited. Their goal in becoming embalmed was to create a bridge to the next life.

The region of the Dainichibou Temple has high levels of arsenic in the water, thought to have assisted in the embalming process.

Answer: Blue

This tiny cephalopod squid, which grows to an average of just 7.6cm (3") long, is found all across the waters of Japan, but it's only in Toyama Bay that they come to shallow waters to spawn from March and June. They create long 'highways' of bright blue lights, which emanate from three tiny organs located at the tip of a pair of underside 'arms'.

Answer: Peach

Peach Boy (aka Momotaro) is one of the most famous characters in Japanese folklore, who shares his provisions with a dog, a pheasant, and a monkey he meets on his self-appointed quest to defeat the marauding horde of Oni, which are mythological ogre-demons. Together, the group overcome the monsters of Ogre Island.

While the origins of the Peach Boy are fuzzy (get it?! Yeah, sorry), it's actually a shrine where artefacts that gave rise to the legend are worshipped. These are an eclectic mix that include a cudgel and bones and the 'fossilised' peach stone from which Momotarō was born. Parents visit the shrine to pray for their children's health.