世論 What Japan Thinks

UPDATE: I have been informed by some of my readers that bukkake may in fact have a second meaning in addition to being a style of topping for noodles. I am currently researching Google to try to confirm this matter; I may be some time.

Last month MyVoice published the results of a survey they conducted amongst their internet monitor group to find out their views on udon. 12,182 people successfully completed an internet-based questionnaire conducted over five days at the start of October. 54% of the sample was female, 2% in their teens, 20% in their twenties, 41% in their thirties, 24% in their forties, and 13% in their fifties.

Udon, thick wheat-based noodles, is one of the two main home-grown noodles in Japan, with soba, a thin noodle made from buckwheat, being the second. Personally, I dislike udon, and even more dislike eating out as my Western manners-sensitive ears find the loud slurping noises from fellow diners extremely off-putting and irritating.

I’ve also heard of none of the regional dishes mentioned in Q1.

Q1: Please select all of the following regional udon dishes that you know. (Sample size=12,182, multiple answer)

日本語	English	Score
讃岐うどん	Sanuki udon	89.0%
きしめん	Kishimen	77.4%
稲庭うどん	Inaniwa udon	62.3%
ほうとう	Houtou	60.0%
伊勢うどん	Ise udon	23.6%
水沢うどん	Mizusawa udon	17.0%
氷見うどん	Himi udon	10.6%
五島うどん	Gotou udon	8.6%
鳴門うどん	Narimon udon	7.9%
吉田のうどん	Yoshida no udon	6.7%
おきりこみ	Okirikomi	6.6%
	None of the above	3.4%

Q2: About how often do you eat udon? (Sample size=12,182)

Twice a week or more	6.3%
Once a week	21.5%
Twice or thrice a month	37.1%
Once a month	23.4%
Few times a year	10.7%
Never	0.9%

Q3: Where do you often eat udon? (Sample size=those who eat udon)

Make at home	68.9%
Buy ready-made from store, and eat at home, work, school, etc	3.2%
At railway station, etc, udon stand	3.8%
At restaurant, dining hall, udon shop	22.2%
Other	1.2%
No answer	0.6%

Q4: Which of the following ways of eating udon do you like? (Sample size=those who eat udon, multiple answer)

Hot broth added along with other toppings	65.3%
In a stew	46.7%
Boiled in a pot with other ingredients	38.4%
Chilled in water	32.3%
Fried	29.0%
Cold broth added along with other toppings	25.5%
Boiled in a pot by themselves	20.6%
Bukkake – toppings and sauce sploshed over the noodles	19.8%
Other	2.1%
No answer	0.2%

Q5: Which of the following do you like with your udon? (Sample size=those who eat udon, multiple answer)

Tempura, batter fried fish and vegetables	57.1%
Kitsune, fried tofu sheet	51.8%
Curry	48.1%
Kayaku, assorted toppings	34.0%
Tanuki, deep-fried batter	33.6%
Boiled meat	33.4%
Tsukimi, poached egg	33.3%
Miso	30.1%
Mochi, rice starch	21.3%
Oroshi, grated radish	19.7%
Tororo, grated sticky mountain yam (potato)	19.2%
Salad	13.8%
Ankake, egg broth	9.8%
Natto, fermented soy beans	6.8%
Other	4.2%
No answer	0.2%