世論 What Japan Thinks

I am always amazed at quite how high the desire to learn English is in Japan, as despite at least 5 years in school ability levels are pretty atrocious on the whole, and even given Nova’s demise there seems to be no fall-off in the popularity of study. This recent poll conducted by goo Research in conjuction with the Yomiuri Shimbun as part of their 13th Topi-Q Net survey into the matter of English showed youth keen to learn more.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 25th of December 2007 549 young members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sex ratio was reported as 1:1 male to female, but there obviously was one odd person left over. The ages of the respondents ranged between teens to thirties, although the exact split is not reported. 40% of the sample were students in either secondary or tertiary education, 28% were full-time employees, and 12% homemakers, with the other 20% presumably made up of part-timers, NEETs, etc.

In Q1SQ, I thought it interesting that it was chance encounters with foreigners in the street or on holiday that was more of a reason to learn English when compared to other situations such as communicating better with foreign friends or dare I suggest looking for an exotic partner. I’ll also throw Q2 back at my readers.

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Read more on: education,english,goo research,yomiuri shimbun

It may seem strange to an outsider that the buzzword “Work-life balance” has become popular in Japanese industry, but with many Japanese seemingly holding colleagues more dear than their family, industry has realised that for the benefit of their employees’ mental health and well-being, promoting spending less time at work is important. With this in mind, japan.internet.com reported on a survey conducted by JR Tokai Express Research Inc looking at this very topic of work-life balance. Apparently the term was coined in the 1990s in Europe or the USA.

Demographics

Between the 17th and 19th of January 2007 330 people employed in either the public or private sector completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 80.3% of the sample was male, 10.9% in their twenties, 38.2% in their thirties, 34.8% in their forties, 13.9% in their firties, and 2.1% in their sixties.

I personally hold unions mainly responsible for issues regarding work-life balance. A recent survey from the union I have to join (well, technically I need not, but I think I’m not eligible for any overtime or flexible working hours if I did opt out) and pay 6,000 yen a month dues for (and don’t start me on how the union shop prominently sells cancer-in-a-pack to employees, not even stopping sales or turning off the fag machines for No Smoking Day) showed that overall job satisfaction was directly related to overtime hours worked, with the break-even point being 30 to 40 hours per month, if one can really describe having only half the staff dissatisfied as “break-even”. All we get from the union are messages about let’s not overwork, and pie-in-the-sky for Japan ideas like suggestions to plan all your goals at the start of the day and go home once you achieve them, and no later. If they really wanted to fix anything, they’d instruct members to work-to-rule, 40 hours overtime max per month. Oh, and the overtime figures at our office are fake anyway – there’s an extra 15 hours hidden in the counting, and they are calculated on self-reporting, not on ID card check-in and check-out at the main gate. Business trips are also recorded as 8:30 to 17:00 regardless of whether you end up getting the last shinkansen home or not.

Ah yes, we have a survey to do.
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Read more on: jr tokai express research,work

The best way to save money before payday, or any other day of the month, is of course to read Nihon Hacks, but just in case you can’t get enough ideas from there, here is goo Ranking’s look at top ways to economise before payday.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 24th of December 2007 1,094 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private online questionnaire. 45.6% of the sample was male, 8.8% were in their teens, 15.6% in their twenties, 29.1% in their thirties, 26.8% in their forties, 10.7% in their fifties, and 9.0% 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.

For some reason, Google didn’t properly index last November’s story on tightfisted techniques, so hopefully this link will give Google a kick in the right direction! Actually, I don’t think I do any of the below – if I run out of cash I just use my credit card more…
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Read more on: goo ranking,money,Silly

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My main role in housework is hoovering up the rubbish (and anyone complaining about my British English will be summarily banned ) every Sunday morning, so this recent survey conducted by DIMSDRIVE Research into vacuum cleaners is right up my street.

Demographics

Between the 5th and 13th of December 2007 8,803 members of the DIMSDRIVE Monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 59.7% of the sample was female, 0.5% in their teens, 15.7% in their twenties, 37.4% in their thirties, 28.6% in their forties, 13.1% in their fifties, and 4.7% aged sixty or older. 48.9% had children (up to what age is not specified) at home, 12.8% lived by themselves, 23.3% with one other person, 24.8% with two others, 25.1% with three others, and 14.0% with four or more others. Pet ownership is interesting enough to merit a separate table!

I change the paper bag whenever the warning light comes on; our machine has a voice feature that gives a verbal alert too once the bag is seriously full. One of the reasons we chose the exact model was the accessory set which includes a brush for doing on top of beds, but my favourite feature is a button on the head that I can depress with my foot to undock it, leaving me with a smaller head for getting down the side of the fridge or round behind furniture. It also has a dust sensor, but I feel it doesn’t work properly – perhaps it is too easy for dust to build up on the sensor?

And Hello Kitty sucks!

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[part 1] [part 2]

My main role in housework is hoovering up the rubbish (and anyone complaining about my British English will be summarily banned ) every Sunday morning, so this recent survey conducted by DIMSDRIVE Research into vacuum cleaners is right up my street.

Demographics

Between the 5th and 13th of December 2007 8,803 members of the DIMSDRIVE Monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 59.7% of the sample was female, 0.5% in their teens, 15.7% in their twenties, 37.4% in their thirties, 28.6% in their forties, 13.1% in their fifties, and 4.7% aged sixty or older. 48.9% had children (up to what age is not specified) at home, 12.8% lived by themselves, 23.3% with one other person, 24.8% with two others, 25.1% with three others, and 14.0% with four or more others. Pet ownership is interesting enough to merit a separate table!

I’ve read a lot about cyclones and Dysons in particular, and they are rated highly by their owners, but I have this overriding suspicion that the users are like Mac owners, smug about their premium purchase, so they are trying to justify to themselves as much as to everyone else the extra expense.

I got the impression when I was in the UK that upright cleaners were the more popular type, but as this is not What Britain Thinks, I cannot find any statistics to confirm or deny this suspicion; here in Japan the default is the canister type, as this survey reveals.
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Read more on: dimsdrive research

I’d be lost without car navigation, as it were, and the devices they put in as standard in all Toyota rent-a-cars are pretty darned good, although I occassionally get one with a slightly out of date map that misses out a new bypass or two. To find out what the average Japanese person thinks, MyVoice performed its third survey on car navigation usage.

Demographics

Over the first five days of December 2007 14,643 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, 2% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 28% in their forties, and 15% in their fifties.

When I hired a car last year in Austria it came with a Hertz NeverLost device, but I couldn’t for the life of me get it to work, and having only a German instruction manual didn’t help in the slightest. It seemed to be little more than a GPS to me, with no route planning functionality whatsoever, and if I’d actually paid to rent the device I’d have asked for my money back after having been spoilt by the Japanese devices. I managed eventually to find my way thanks to a Google Maps printout, though.
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Read more on: car navigation,myvoice

Although the 福袋, Fukubukuro – New Year Lucky Bag sale – season is almost over, surveys on this matter are still a little behind the times; such as this one reported on by japan.internet.com and conducted by goo Research into fukubukuro.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 25th of December 2007 1,186 members of goo Research’s online monitor panel successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 52.7% of the sample was male, 16.4% in their teens, 18.2% in their twenties, 21.2% in their thirties, 16.0% in their forties, 15.9% in their fifties, and 12.2% aged sixty or older.

If you want to try a Fukubukuro for yourself, there are still (I hope!) a few Hello Kitty phone strap bags left. Get them now or regret it forever.

Although I did say earlier that I planned to buy a Mister Donut Fukubukuro, the first day I wanted to buy we ended up eating in Mister Donut instead, and the second day the shop we went to had finished their sales for the year when we arrived. To top it all, my Misdo point card also expired so we missed out on a Pon De Lion cuddly toy.

Finally, Shari, I am still looking out for a survey on Fukubukuro satisfaction levels!
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Read more on: fukubukuro,goo research

Chocolate; I couldn’t live without it. Although last year I looked at a number of chocolate-related surveys, and with Valentine’s Day coming up soon I’ll no doubt look again next month, I hope that like me, you just can’t get enough of chocolate even in survey form, as in this report from MyVoice on chocolate image.

Demographics

Over the first five days of December 2007 14,628 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, 2% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 40% in their thirties, 27% in their forties, and 15% in their fifties.

In Q6, I’ve heard various bits of quackery associated with chocolate, but never that it protects against tooth decay or hayfever!

What’s your favourite Japanese chocolate-based snack? I’m a Pocky person, although I don’t eat it as much as I’d like.

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Read more on: chocolate,myvoice

Chavs are a UK phenomenon; youths of ill-repute, often football hooligans, who were (and might still be) wont to dress in designer brands, with Burberry, and in particular Burberry baseball caps, being the item of choice. A recent survey conducted by MyVoice into high-class brands found that Burberry was also the most owned high-class brand in Japan.

Demographics

Over the first five days of December 2007 14,452 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, 2% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 28% in their forties, and 15% in their fifties.

I don’t think I own any posh brand items and I think they are all a rip-off anyway! I do snigger, however, whenever I see Dunhill branded items, in particular fragrances, as for me they are forever associated with cigarettes. However, given Japanese male’s love affair with smoking, I suppose that’s a plus in Japan.

The photographed Chav-mobile is from Starphuk on flickr.
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Read more on: brand,myvoice

The stereotypical Christmas feast in Japan is a bucket of fried chicken from Colonel Claus with a strawberry sponge for afters, but what is the real situation? In particular, Christmas Eve is a holiday this year due to the Emporer’s birthday falling on a Sunday, so the day off has been moved forward a day to the 24th of December, and it is Christmas Eve that gets celebrated rather than Christmas Day. To find out what people’s plans were, Macromill Inc reported on a survey it conducted into Christmas 2007.

Demographics

Over the 5th and 6th of December 2007 516 members of Macromill’s online monitor group resident within either Tokyo or the three surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Saitama or Kanagawa successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The group was split exactly 50:50 male and female, and 24.8% were in thier twenties, 25.2% in their thirties, 25.3% in their forties, and 24.8% in their fifties.

Note that when asked how people plan to spend Christmas, as noted above this refers to Christmas Eve, by chance a public holiday this year, not Christmas Day, a normal workday this and every other year.

The other Japanese Christmas tradition is for couples to go on a date, often ending up with an overnight stay at a hotel, usually a posh one.
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