世論 What Japan Thinks

Here’s a ranking survey from goo Ranking, as usual, that I never quite got round to translating when it was published last month, looking at the top thirty curious product ideas in Japan.

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 25th of March 2009 1,043 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private online questionnaire. 52.2% of the sample were male, 7.8% in their teens, 17.1% in their twenties, 28.2% in their thirties, 24.8% in their forties, 11.4% in their fifties, and 10.7% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

Bras for men is not an original idea, as this video demonstrates:

Ranking results

Q: What ideas have you been surprised to see being productised? (Sample size=1,043)

Rank		Score
1	Bras for men	100
2	Wigs for pets	44.4
3	Curry, stew, other fod-flavoured bath salts	43.0
4	Pen that can directly import handwriting into a computer	40.6
5	Water-washable keyboard	39.9
6	Straw with water filter	36.4
7	Portable bum-washing toilet	33.6
8	Alarm clock that requires you to solve a puzzle to turn it off	32.9
9	Rounded keyboard	26.1
10	Banana case	22.5
11	Spoon with weight display	19.2
12	Watch-shaped video camera	18.5
13	Wheelchair for pets	17.7
14	Bubble-wrap sleeping bag	16.5
15	Alibi sound generating key chain	13.2
16	Slippers that make robot noises as you walk	13.0
17	Laser-guided scissors	12.8
18=	Stockings that massage foot pressure points	12.2
18=	Glowing wool	12.2
20	Bookmark with built-in timer	10.8
21=	Pillow that can be used as emergency blanket	10.6
21=	Thermometer spoon	10.6
23	Mouse, keyboard with built-in cooling fan	9.9
24	Calendar with bubble-wrap bubble for each day	9.7
25	Chopping board with built-in tray	9.5
26	Pillow with built-in alarm clock	8.8
27	Camera that makes animal noises when you take a photo	8.6
28	Playing cards with jokes on them	8.2
29	Wristwatch with a display like railway signboard	7.1
30	Mop slippers	6.8