A Field Trip to Japan Trivia Quiz

Answer: Over 14,000

Japan is a massive group of islands; there are a whopping 6,852 islands in this group! This makes Japan the largest island country is East Asia. The Japanese archipelago consists of over 14,000 islands.

The land mass that we usually think of as Japan is actually its four main islands. These are Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu. Honshu is the largest island of the four, and includes the country's capital, Tokyo.

Answer: Mount Fuji

Mount Fuji, which is located about 100 km away from Tokyo, is one of Japan's most famous geographical features and its largest mountain. It can be seen from Tokyo under good weather conditions. It is, in fact, an active volcano, and it last erupted between 1707 and 1708.

Mount Fuji has long been believed sacred. In fact, up until 1872, women were forbidden to climb to the top because of this. In history, samurais trained near its base. With Mount Haku and Mount Tate, it is one of the "Three Holy Mountains" of Japan, three mountains believed sacred in Japanese folklore and mythology.

Answer: China

Japan adopted the Chinese system of writing around AD 50; prior to this, the spoken language of Japan had no written form. Chinese literature also provides much of the historical evidence about Japan and its culture. The first written mention of the Japanese archipelago comes from the Chinese "Book of Han", completed in 111 AD, while the earliest record that mentions the Japanese language is a Chinese document from 256 AD.

Although written Japanese was influenced by Chinese characters, the language of Japanese itself bears no relation to Chinese, or any other neighboring language.

Answer: Matcha

Matcha, a green tea, is the most common tea drunk in Japan, and is at the heart of "the tea ceremony". Long used in China, the first documented mention of tea in Japan dates from the 9th century AD history book "Nihon Kōki", which tells of how the Buddhist monk Eichū brought back tea from China sometime before 815 AD. By 816, tea plantations had begun in Japan.

Matcha tea is either made as "thick tea" or "thin tea"; the leaves of the best quality are used for thick tea. The tea ceremony itself can also vary depending on the time of day, the season, the type of tea being served, and other factors.

Answer: Ring of Fire

The Ring of Fire, or the Pacific Ring of Fire, is caused by the underlying plate tectonics, where the lithospheric plates come into contact with one another. The Ring of Fire itself is in a horseshoe shape, and includes about two-thirds of the earth's entire number of volcanoes.

The Ring of Fire is massive; not only does it lie under Japan, but it also stretches up the eastern coast of China across to the western side of North and South America.

Answer: It is heavily forested

Yes, Japan is heavily forested despite--or perhaps more rightly because--of its mountainous regions. Mountainous regions make up about 73% of Japan, and most of these mountain regions are heavily forested, which means that the two features go hand in hand. Because of this rugged terrain, much of Japan's population is densely grouped in the less mountainous areas.

Answer: Karaoke

Karaoke was first prototyped in Japan by engineer Shigeichi Negishi in 1967, although it was developed in many regions of Japan over time. Early karaoke machines usually used 8-track cassette tapes connected to a television screen and microphones.

The term is derived from two Japanese words: "kara", meaning empty, and "ōkesutora", meaning orchestra. Today, people all over the world participate in karaoke, whether informally, at clubs, or on the internet.

Answer: declare war in order to settle disputes

Imposed by the United States of America after World War II, the Japanese Constitution allows for a constitutional monarchy, with an Emperor and a parliament. Article 9 officially translates as:

"ARTICLE 9. (1) Aspiring sincerely to an international peace based on justice and order, the Japanese people forever renounce war as a sovereign right of the nation and the threat or use of force as means of settling international disputes.
(2) In order to accomplish the aim of the preceding paragraph, land, sea, and air forces, as well as other war potential, will never be sustained. The right of belligerency of the state will not be recognized."

Article 9 has been the subject of much debate over the years, and in 2014 it was reinterpreted to allow for Japan's self-defense and aid of allies.

Answer: Okinawa Island

Okinawa Island is the largest of the Okinawa Islands about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of mainland Japan. At only about 11 kilometers (7 miles) wide and 106 kilometers (66 miles) long, its capital is the city of Naha. The United States Military was based from Okinawa during part of World War II, and there is still a strong American military presence there today. In addition, up until 1972 Okinawa was still under American administration.

There are many lovely attractions to explore on Okinawa, including several coastal rock formations, and Okinawa World, a theme park. You'll also be able to find many restaurants serving local cuisine.

Answer: Cherry blossoms

Every spring, between about the end of March to the beginning of May, Japan watches for the blooming of cherry blossoms, which only last a few weeks. While they bloom, "hanami" parties are often hosted. "Hanami", or the tradition of admiring flowers, dates back hundreds of years.

Although Japan does not celebrate an official Cherry Blossom Festival such as is celebrated in many parts of North America, "hanami" is still popular and parties can get quite noisy, with the consumption of sake. Because of this, many elderly people like to do "umemi" instead, an older form of "hanami" which is the viewing of plum blossoms.