Japan's Calendar of Seasonal Events

What is the wish behind welcoming the "Toshigami" (New Year deity) during Oshogatsu (New Year)?

1. To pray for good health and a good harvest throughout the year
2. Only to wish for business prosperity
3. Only to ward off bad luck
4. To pray for marriage

What is the meaning behind packing osechi (New Year's) dishes into stacked lacquer boxes (jubako)?

1. To express the wish of 'stacking up good fortune'
2. It has no meaning other than preservation
3. Because it is considered bad luck without a stacked box
4. Only to make the dishes look nice for guests

What is the purpose of eating nanakusa-gayu (seven-herb rice porridge) on January 7th?

1. To let the stomach rest after the rich New Year's feasting
2. To ward off a year's worth of bad luck
3. To celebrate the autumn harvest
4. To pray for business prosperity

What should be avoided when handling the kagami mochi during kagami biraki (the New Year rice cake breaking ceremony)?

1. Cutting it with a blade (because it evokes seppuku, ritual suicide)
2. Breaking it by hand or with a wooden mallet
3. Doing it on January 11th
4. Calling it 'opening' (hiraku)

Why is kagami biraki often held on January 11th?

1. One theory is that it avoided the 20th, the monthly memorial day of Tokugawa Iemitsu's death
2. Because January 11th is a taian (auspicious) day
3. Because it is four days after the Nanakusa festival
4. There is no particular reason

After the age of adulthood was lowered to 18 in 2022, what happened to Coming-of-Age ceremonies (such as the 'Twenty-Year-Old Gathering') held by most local governments?

1. Most municipalities continued holding the ceremony for people turning 20, as before
2. It was uniformly changed to target 18-year-olds nationwide
3. The ceremony itself was abolished
4. Both 20-year-olds and 18-year-olds are invited every year

What is generally considered proper etiquette when giving otoshidama (New Year's money gift)?

1. Prepare crisp new bills and present them in a small decorative envelope (pochi-bukuro)
2. Give used, worn bills
3. Hand over the cash directly without an envelope
4. Never give anything other than cash

Who is otoshidama originally meant to be given from, and to whom?

1. From a senior/superior to a junior/subordinate
2. From a junior/subordinate to a senior/superior
3. Only between people of the same generation
4. There is no fixed rule

Where is Setsubun (the event held the day before Risshun, the first day of spring, to drive away evil) said to have originated?

1. China
2. Uniquely Japanese
3. India
4. Europe

What is the correct understanding regarding the date of Setsubun?

1. It varies from year to year due to the gap between Earth's orbital period and the calendar
2. It is always fixed on February 3rd every year
3. It only changes in leap years
4. It is fixed on the last day of February

Where did the custom of eating ehomaki (lucky direction sushi roll) originally come from?

1. Originated in Kansai (Osaka)
2. Originated in Edo
3. Originated in Kyushu
4. Originated simultaneously nationwide

What meaning is behind the Setsubun custom of 'hiiragi iwashi' (holly and sardine)?

1. A charm to ward off evil: the smell of sardine keeps demons away, and the holly's thorns pierce their eyes
2. An offering to pray for a good harvest
3. A substitute food for ehomaki
4. Simply a reuse of New Year decorations

Hinamatsuri is said to have formed from the combination of which two traditions?

1. China's 'Joshi no Sekku' (a purification ritual by the water to cleanse impurity) and Japan's ancient custom of 'nagashi-bina' (floating dolls)
2. The Buddhist Ohigan (equinox) observance and New Year traditions
3. It formed independently as a female counterpart to the Boys' Festival (Tango no Sekku)
4. An import of Western doll culture

What is the correct understanding of the folk saying that 'if you're late putting away the Hina dolls, you'll be late getting married'?

1. It is not historical fact, but a folk belief that arose from teaching children to value the seasons
2. It is a fact backed by scientific evidence
3. It is a fact based on Buddhist teachings
4. It has a legal basis

What meaning do the four colors of hina arare (pink, green, yellow, and white) carry?

1. They represent the four seasons, expressing a wish for good health throughout the year
2. They represent the social rank of the Hina dolls
3. They are purely for visual beauty
4. They derive from the five sacred colors of Buddhism

Among whom did hanami (cherry blossom viewing) originally begin?

1. It began among Heian-era court nobles and spread to commoners in the Edo period
2. It was first started by commoners in Edo
3. It came from Western cultural influence after the Meiji era
4. It was part of Buddhist monks' religious training

What is the legal purpose of 'Shunbun no Hi' (Vernal Equinox Day)?

1. A day to celebrate nature and cherish living things
2. A day to honor ancestors (as explicitly stated by law)
3. A day to celebrate the start of farm work
4. A day to mark the change of seasons

What is the correct legal purpose of 'Kodomo no Hi' (Children's Day)?

1. A day to respect children's character, promote their happiness, and express gratitude to mothers (with no distinction between boys and girls)
2. It is explicitly defined by law as a day to celebrate boys' growth
3. It is explicitly defined by law as a day to celebrate girls' growth
4. No legal purpose has been specifically established

What are the respective origins of kashiwa mochi and chimaki on Children's Day?

1. Kashiwa mochi symbolizes prosperity for descendants, based on the oak (kashiwa) tree, whose old leaves don't fall until new buds appear; chimaki originates from China and carries the meaning of warding off evil
2. Both originate from China and share the same meaning
3. Kashiwa mochi means warding off evil, and chimaki means prosperity for descendants
4. Both are the same custom that arose in the Edo period

Where did Mother's Day originally begin?

1. It originated with an event started by Anna Jarvis in the United States
2. It began independently in Japan before the war
3. It originated from a traditional Chinese event
4. Mother's Day has no origin and simply arose spontaneously

Why is 'yellow' considered the symbolic color of Father's Day in Japan?

1. It is a uniquely Japanese custom established in 1981 by the Japan Father's Day Committee as the 'Yellow Ribbon Campaign'
2. Because yellow is also the traditional color in the United States, where the holiday originated
3. Because yellow carnations were inexpensive
4. Because it is a color designated by law

What is the origin of the Tanabata legend of Orihime and Hikoboshi?

1. China's 'Kikkoden' festival was introduced during the Nara period and became a court event in the Heian period
2. It is a legend that arose uniquely in Japan
3. It is a legend that arose from Buddhist teachings
4. It arose from Edo-period commoner culture

How does the timing of ochugen (mid-year gift-giving) differ between the Kanto and Kansai regions?

1. Kanto runs from around July 1–15, while Kansai runs from around July 15–August 15, with the timing differing by region
2. It is uniform nationwide, from July 1st to 31st
3. Kanto is fixed in August and Kansai in July
4. There is no particular difference in timing

How does the typical price of oseibo (year-end gifts) tend to compare with ochugen gifts?

1. There is a tendency to choose gifts priced around 20–30% higher than ochugen gifts
2. There is a tendency to choose gifts priced around 20–30% lower than ochugen gifts
3. The custom is to keep the price roughly the same as ochugen
4. Fewer people are given oseibo gifts

What do the Obon 'shoryo-uma' (spirit horse, made from a cucumber) and 'shoryo-ushi' (spirit ox, made from an eggplant) each represent?

1. The cucumber horse means 'so ancestors can come quickly to greet us,' and the eggplant ox means 'so they can return slowly with souvenirs' — their roles are opposite
2. Both share the same meaning of 'wanting them to come back quickly'
3. The cucumber means sending off, and the eggplant means welcoming
4. The meaning doesn't vary by region, and there is no shared nationwide interpretation

When is Obon generally held in most regions?

1. Around August 13–16 (some regions hold it in July)
2. June 1–3
3. December 13–16
4. At the same time as the September Ohigan

Where was the custom of Jugoya (the harvest moon of mid-autumn) adopted from?

1. Heian-era court nobles adopted China's moon-viewing culture
2. Edo-period commoners started it independently
3. It derived from the Buddhist Ohigan observance
4. It was introduced from the West during the Meiji era

Is it correct to think that 'Jugoya always means a full moon'?

1. No, that's incorrect. Because the number of days from new moon to full moon varies between 13.9 and 15.6 days, Jugoya doesn't always coincide with a full moon
2. Yes, that's correct. By definition, Jugoya is always a full moon
3. Jugoya doesn't carry the meaning of a full moon at all
4. It can't be said definitively because the definition of Jugoya differs by region

How many tsukimi dango (moon-viewing dumplings) are traditionally offered as part of the Jugoya offerings?

1. 15 (sometimes simplified to 5)
2. 30
3. Just 1
4. There is no set number

Where did the event that gave rise to Respect for the Aged Day begin?

1. The 'Keirokai' (Elder Respect Gathering) held in Nomadani Village, Hyogo Prefecture (now Taka Town)
2. A nationwide event that began in Tokyo
3. A memorial service started by a Buddhist temple
4. An event devised at the same time the national holiday law was enacted

What is the representative food offered on Shubun no Hi (Autumnal Equinox Day, the midpoint of autumn Ohigan)?

1. Ohagi
2. Kashiwa mochi
3. Tsukimi dango
4. Chimaki

How does Halloween in Japan differ significantly from overseas, especially the United States?

1. The children's 'trick-or-treat' custom barely took root, and instead it evolved uniquely into an adult costume event
2. In Japan, it has become established as a religious observance
3. In Japan, it is held at a different time of year, not at the end of October
4. Pumpkins are not used at all

What were Halloween jack-o'-lanterns originally made from in Ireland?

1. Turnips (rutabaga)
2. Pumpkins
3. Apples
4. Potatoes

In Shichi-Go-San, which combination of ceremony names correctly matches ages 3, 5, and 7?

1. Age 3 = Kamioki, Age 5 = Hakamagi, Age 7 = Obitoki
2. Age 3 = Hakamagi, Age 5 = Obitoki, Age 7 = Kamioki
3. Age 3 = Obitoki, Age 5 = Kamioki, Age 7 = Hakamagi
4. There is no difference in ceremony names by age

Today it's common to celebrate 'boys at ages 3 and 5, girls at ages 3 and 7,' but what about this difference between boys and girls?

1. It is a later custom; in some regions, both boys and girls were once celebrated at ages 3, 5, and 7
2. The rule has been consistent since ancient times
3. It is a rule established by law
4. There is no regional variation whatsoever

What event did 'Labor Thanksgiving Day' (November 23rd) originally derive from?

1. The imperial court's 'Niinamesai,' a festival celebrating a bountiful harvest of the five grains
2. A Buddhist memorial service giving thanks for the harvest
3. A commemorative day established by labor unions
4. An import of a Western harvest festival

What is the combination of the legal purpose of 'Culture Day' (November 3rd) and what is pointed to as its origin?

1. By law it is 'a day to love freedom and peace and promote culture,' but it is said to originate from the birthday of Emperor Meiji (Meiji Setsu)
2. By law, it is also explicitly defined as 'the birthday of Emperor Meiji'
3. A holiday commemorating the founding date of the Agency for Cultural Affairs
4. It was newly established with no particular origin

What is the representative Japanese custom for the winter solstice (toji)?

1. Taking a yuzu (citrus) bath and eating pumpkin to pray for good health
2. Eating dumplings (gyoza)
3. Eating mochi to ward off bad luck
4. Doing nothing is the proper custom

What is known as the trigger for 'fried chicken at Christmas' becoming established in Japan?

1. A campaign started in 1974 by KFC Japan (though some say roast chicken was already popular before then)
2. The traditional custom of the United States was passed on as-is
3. It's a Japanese food custom dating back to the Edo period
4. A way of celebrating designated by law

What meaning is packed into 'toshikoshi soba,' eaten on New Year's Eve?

1. It carries two meanings: 'living a long, thin life' and 'cutting off misfortune, since soba noodles break easily'
2. It is meant only to give thanks for the soba harvest
3. It is a remnant of buckwheat flour once being used in New Year dishes
4. It has no particular meaning and is simply a habit

How many times is the joya no kane (New Year's Eve temple bell) struck, and what does that number represent?

1. 108 times, representing the number of earthly desires (bonno) in humans
2. 100 times, representing a hundred-year plan
3. 12 times, representing the number of zodiac signs
4. 24 times, representing the 24 solar terms