[JAPAN] Japanese University Makes a Test More Interesting by Using Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

For people who love traveling, Geography can be a pretty exciting subject, to others however, not so much. So how can one make the subject of Geography more exciting for some people, especially university students taking up the subject. Tokyo’s Kokushikan University had one very special twist in their Geography exam, and it involves one certain anime series which is known for intense fighting, memetic villains, and fabulous poses, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.

To be specific, the exam featured the third part of Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, which is called Stardust Crusaders, which follows the adventures of Jotaro Kujo, the third Jojo. Here is the description of the question from the exam:

Hirohiko Araki‘s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure (1987 – 2004, Weekly Shonen Jump) is an expansive manga about the over 200-year fight between the heroes, the Joestar family, and their archnemesis, Dio, and his descendants. Part 3 of the series, Stardust Crusaders, is set on the route between Japan and Egypt, and incidents unfold at stops along the way. It takes the form of a so-called road movie, and from a geographical perspective, the varying cultures and customs of Asia and North Africa depicted are quite interesting. Figure 1 shows the Joestar group’s journey from Japan to Egypt (the story takes place in 1987). Answer questions 1 – 10 using the figure.

However, the exam did not ask students about plot points from the manga, but actual Geography questions using the boys from Jojo. Here are some examples:

1. The Joestar group takes a 20:30 flight from Narita Airport to Cairo, but on the way the plane crashes and makes an emergency landing in Hong Kong. Choose the most appropriate passage about Hong Kong’s food culture.
1) Beijing food (like Peking duck)
2) Shanghai food (like xiaolongbao or Shanghai crab)
3) Sichuanese food (like dandanmian or mapo doufu)
4) Cantonese food (like yum cha)

2. The group heads by sea from Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City, but meets with disaster again. Choose the islands in this region which China has recently been disputing with its neighbors.
1) Odasawara Islands
2) Okinotori Islands
3) Senkaku Islands
4) Nansa [Spratly] Islands

9. Upon arriving in Egypt, the party crosses the desert and arrives in front of the Abu Simbel temple on the Nile. Abu Simbel is a ruin of Egypt’s New Kingdom discovered in the early 19th century, but in the 1960s it was put in danger of submersion by the construction of a giant dam. It was moved by UNESCO, which was the impetus for the creation of World Heritage Sites. Choose the name of this dam, which was completed in 1970.
1) Aswan High Dam
2) Three Gorges Dam
3) Akosombo Dam
4) Itaipu Dam

10. The group follows the Nile, passes through Luxor, and finally arrives in Cairo, where they finally fight with their archnemesis Dio. Over 50 days, how many countries do you think this group passed through, including Japan and Egypt? Choose the best answer. Do not include countries whose territorial waters were only passed through.
1) 5 countries
2) 10 countries
3) 15 countries
4) 20 countries

It has been noted that the exam’s questions had mixed reactions in social media, with some people saying that using Jojo was quite fun, while others found the test questions nonsensical as they have nothing to do with Hirohiko Araki’s beloved manga series.

Source: ANN