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Things Japanese - An Alternative "Japanese" Proficiency Test

I'm pretty sure that almost all foreigners who have been in Japan for a while will have heard the "Nihongo o-jyozu desune" (you speak good Japanese) set-phrase (perhaps way too many times). Whilst there are those who really do mean what they say (that your Japanese really is good), to me, the majority of it can be regarded as nothing more than diplomatic set-phrases (the underlying message is that your Japanese is not good enough yet).

However, for those who have had "Anata wa Nihonjin yori Nihonjin desu ne" (You are more Japanese than Japanese people) spoken to them should feel a little bit more proud. Be it sumo, fishing, geography, idioms or rare kanji, you might know things Japanese that the ordinary Japanese person do not.

With the Japanese Language Proficiency Test just looming over the horizon, I would like to share with you an alternative proficiency test - the Japanese person proficiency test. To start off with, here are a few interesting examples to test those Nihonjin wits inside you:

What is the proper way to pay your respects in a jinja (Shinto shrine)?

  1. Bow once, clap once, bow once
  2. Bow once, clap twice, bow once
  3. Bow twice, clap once, bow twice
  4. Bow twice, clap twice, bow once

What do you call someone who does the work of many people?

  1. Ni-men Yon-hi (two-faced four-armed)
  2. Yo-men Ni-hi (four-faced two-armed)
  3. Roku-men Ha-ppi (six-faced eight-armed)
  4. Hachi-men Ro-ppi (eight-faced six-armed)

Which of the following is considered rude when using chopsticks in a Japanese meal?

  1. When you have tried one dish, you move straight onto the next dish.
  2. Tried all of the dishes served to you.
  3. Lay your chopsticks across your rice bowl.
  4. Fold up the paper packaging for your chopsticks and use it as a chopstick stand.

When road signs say "100km to Tokyo", which part of Tokyo are they referring to?

  1. Tokyo Station
  2. The Imperial Palace
  3. The Diet Building
  4. Nihombashi

Divided into five sections (Japanese language, customs, culture & arts, history and geography), this test consists of 200 questions on quite literally, any and all things Japanese, or should I say all things Japanese that any Japanese below than 30 will have little or no chance of knowing, let alone foreigners like me.

The authors claim that Japanese people are losing interest and knowledge of the traditions, customs and language of their own country, thus they have decided to publish a test to set apart those worthy of the name Nihonjin and those who are not. Whether you see this "test" as a good method for reminding the Japanese people how wonderful and culturally and historically rich their country is; or nothing more than another futile cry by those sentementalists to restore Japan to its former days", the things learnt from this test is useful not only to Japanese people, but to us foreigners as well. It certainly is not a good idea to call someone two-faced four-armed when you really wanted to call them eight-faced and six-armed whilst displaying the wrong manners on the dinner table.

Answers to the examples in descending order: 4, 4, 1, 4.

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