世論 What Japan Thinks

As the year draws to a close, goo Ranking decided to look at what gives Japanese that feeling that the year is coming to an end.

Demographics

Over the 21st and 22nd of November 2007 1,101 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.7% of the sample was female, 6.2% in their teens, 15.4% in their twenties, 30.2% in their thirties, 27.1% in their forties, 11.0% in their fifties, and 10.3% aged sixty or older.

For me, it has to be ordering the New Year postcards. What gives you that end of year sense?

Ranking results

Q: At what events or times do you most feel the year drawing to a close? (Sample size=1,101)

Rank	Event	Score
1	ゆく年くる年, yuku toshi kuru toshi, a traditional television program that sees the old year out	100
2	Red and White Song Contest (Kohaku) is broadcast, a four hour live broadcast on New Year’s Eve where two teams of male and female singers compete	83.3
3	News programs broadcast the top news stories of the year	53.2
4	Competitor list for the Red and White Song Contest (Kohaku) is released	53.2
5	Buy New Years cards	47.9
6	End of year jumbo lottery	46.8
7	Calendar page turns to December	45.9
8	Christmas songs play throughout stores	37.6
9	Bounenkai, end of year drinking parties	36.3
10	Japan Record Awards are broadcast; on the 30th of December this year	35.5
11	Illuminations in the street increase	31.2
12	Home, work big clean-up	30.5
13	Osechi (traditional New Year food) goes on sale	28.0
14	年末調整, nenmatsu chousei, end of year tax adjustment	22.7
15	Buy next year’s diary, calendar	22.6
16	“Akashi Sanma Santa”, popular Christmas Eve television show	21.8
17	End of year sales	20.9
18	Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony concert; not sure personally why this suggests the end of year in Japan!	20.3
19	Arima Memorial; end of year horse race	19.2
20	Oseibo; traditional end of year gift giving and receiving	17.9
21	Reserve a Christmas cake	15.4
22	New words, in vogue words awards	15.2
23	End of year historical 12 hour drama	14.8
24	Hastumoude (first temple visit of the year) signs and leaflets	13.9
25	K-1 Grand Prix (K-1 fighting competition)	13.0
26	M-1 Grand Prix (comedians competition)	12.6
27	Winter Bonus	10.0
28	Reports from the airport of people heading overseas	8.5
29	Reports from Hawaii of entertainers’ holiday	7.5
30	Getting winter coat out	5.8