2002-06-27 - 11:23 p.m.
This is a Japan quiz. Open your notebooks and take out a pen. Write down the correct answers and then check your work at the end. Ganbatte!
Questions:
1) Which of the following are you least likely to find at a bakery?
A. curry-filled sweet roll
B. croissant
C. whole wheat bread
D. a hot dog
2) Determine which one of the following behaviors would be considered odd in a school staff room
A. a teacher brushing his teeth
B. the principal cleaning the windows
C. a teacher sleeping at his desk
D. snacking on pretzels, cookies, etc.
3) Which of these things are you least likely to find on a pizza?
A. mayonnaise
B. rice
C. corn
D. sea creatures
4) Which of the following is not a current fashion trend for young women?
A. stuffed-animal cell phone covers
B. basic black
C. Louis Vuitton bags
D. knee-high scrunch socks
5) Which of the following behaviors is taboo on a train?
A. sleeping
B. pushing
C. doing your makeup
D. talking on a cell phone
6) Which of the following is the hardest thing to get in Tokyo at eleven-thirty on a weeknight?
A. a train home
B. cash
C. a digital camera
D. concert tickets
7) It’s eight o’clock on a Saturday night. What are these people waiting in line for?
A. sumo wrestling tickets
B. an exclusive karaoke club
C. Tokyo’s best sushi
D. an electronics store
8) Which of the following is not the name of a Japanese pop group?
A. S.M.A.P.! (Sports Music Activate People)
B. Do As Infinity
C. Kick The Can Crew
D. Mr. Children
Answers:
1) C. Oh how I wish there was something besides white bread in this country. The curry rolls are dangerous, because they look innocuous enough from the outside. Croissants are ubiquitous, as many Japanese cake shops and bakeries are modeled after patisseries. One of the stranger staples of most bakeries is a hot dog baked into a roll and slathered in mayonnaise.
2) D. Eating in the staff room, unless it is food brought as a souvenir from someone’s trip, is strictly taboo. No snacking on your personal supply of pretzels. If I’m running late and didn’t have time to eat breakfast at home, I have to sneak into the kitchen or locker room to quickly scarf something down in secret. Most teachers brush their teeth after lunch, and many do it at the staff room sink rather than in the bathroom. True story: At my first school, I thought that the principal in a suit and tie and the guy cleaning the windows in a uni-suit were two different people who looked alike. Then I realized that the principal changed into a gas-station attendant uniform and did odd jobs around the school during his free time. At another school I saw the principal installing bulletin boards with a cordless drill. Male teachers regularly sleep at their desks, but I don’t think it would be acceptable for a female teacher to do this.
3) B. As of yet, rice has not made its way onto pizza. However, corn is the most common vegetable on pizzas, and mayonnaise the most popular sauce. Squid, crab, shrimp, and octopus are all on the average pizza menu.
4) B. Minimalism is not the hallmark of Japanese fashion. Cell phone accessories abound, and it seems like nearly every woman in Tokyo has a Louis Vuitton bag or wallet, real or fake. High school girls wear white leg-warm like loose socks (luusu sokusu) which are supposed to make their legs look skinny. They apply a gluestick to their legs to keep the socks from falling down.
5) D. On the whole, Japanese people have great cell phone manners. Though nearly everyone is glued to their phones, most people send only text messages on trains and talking on your phone on a train or bus is considered to be very rude. Ninety percent of riders are sleeping at any given time, and most awake magically when the train pulls into their stop. There’s a special kind of push used on packed commuter trains which is considered perfectly acceptable. When approaching a car which is seemingly jammed full, turn your back to the train, grab the top of the door frame for leverage and shove yourself. Make-up: from lipstick to false eyelashes, it’s all good.
6) B. Trains stop at midnight. You could find an electronics store to buy a digital camera until around the same time. Concert tickets are available from computer systems in 24-hour convenience stores. But trying to find cash after 9 PM and you’re out of luck. ATMs “close” at night. You know, because the ATMs need to rest, too.
7) D. This was during the opening week of a new Bic Camera superstore in Shinjuku. Every morning when the store opened at 8:30, a limited number of electronics were sold at reduced prices. Every night during that week, hundreds of people lined up to spend the night outside the store in a specially roped-off area. Notice the inside/outside distinction being made -- socks only on the cardboard, shoes are left on the sidewalk.
8) Trick question: They’re all real bands.
