The Great Deep Kyoto Trivia Quiz

Update 2010/05/05: Quiz now closed for entries!

Right! Here, as we head into Golden Week, is a COMPETITION (!) for you to puzzle over, with an actual PRIZE (!!) for you to win. I asked ten of Deep Kyoto’s friends and contributors to give me their trickiest Kyoto-related trivia questions and here’s what they came up with. The first person to send me all ten correct answers will win a copy of the handy pocket guide Time Out Shortlist Kyoto (read review here). Be warned though, some of the questions are trickier than they seem, and perhaps Felicity’s is the trickiest of all! Please email your answers to Michael Lambe at luain37@yahoo.co.jp. Please DO NOT answer in the comments!

1. John Dougill is from the UK. He is professor of British Studies at Kyoto’s Ryukoku University and the author of Kyoto: A Cultural History (read review here). John says,

A pregnant woman was burnt at the stake in Kyoto in 1619 for being a Christian. A small plaque marks the site.Where is it?

2. Ted Taylor is from the U.S.A.  He is a yoga teacher and the writer of the blog Notes from the ‘Nog. He has also published online the only English guide to the Kansai section of the Tōkai Shizen Hodō. Ted asks,

Who meditated and was enlightened on that big stone inside Manreidō? (万霊堂)

3. Stewart Wachs is from the U.S.A. He is a professor of British and American Studies at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, a photographer, a writer and an associate editor of Kyoto Journal. His question:

Which temple is located at the foot of Mount Zenki?

4. Mewby is originally from Nara prefecture in Japan. She is a motorcycle enthusiast and Deep Kyoto‘s resident princess. Mewby says,

The “Ikedaya Incident” is the name given to a famous victory of the pro-shogunate Shinsengumi over the anti-shogunate Shishi on July 8th 1864. The battle occurred at the Ikeda Inn. What is the business of the “Ikedaya” that now stands at this site?

5. Bridget Scott is from the U.K. She is a shiatsu therapist, English teacher and dancer. Bridget asks,

What is the endangered, protected species that can be found in the Kamo river and can grow to over a metre in length?

6. Roger Walch is from Switzerland. He is a film-maker, photographer, jazz pianist, interpreter, and guide. You can read about his movie Children of Water here. Roger asks,

Where is the only gay movie-theatre in Kyoto located?

7. Sean Roe was born in the UK but raised in South Africa. He lists his occupations as “artist, musician, curator, concert promoter, record collector/seller and English teacher”! Sean asks,

When architect Yamada Mamoru was designing Kyoto Tower, what was his inspiration?

8. Nicholas Coldicott is from the U.K. He is a writer, editor and the author of Time Out Shortlist Kyoto (read review here). Nick’s question:

What’s the name of the designer capsule hotel by Fumie Shibata that opened late last year on Teramachi?

9. Mitsu Salmon is from the U.S. She is a teacher, dancer, performer and organizer of International Love Cabaret. Mitsu asks:

What is the name of the bar in Kyoto that sells absinthe and is lit only by candles?

10. Felicity Greenland is from the U.K. She is a teacher, musician and singer of traditional British and Irish music. Felicity asks,

Which well known Kyoto figure reached global audiences fronting the Beatles in the late 60s?

Many thanks to all the contributors!