世論 What Japan Thinks

Here’s a fun survey from goo Ranking, looking at the top forty tell-tale signs that your employer may not be operating on the right side of the law or otherwise an undesirable place to work.

Demographics

From the 3rd to the 6th of August 2012 1,038 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 61.7% of the sample were female, 10.2% in their teens, 15.5% in their twenties, 27.2% in their thirties, 26.4% in their forties, 10.8% in their fifties, and 9.9% 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.

Looking at the list, even my employer of the finest repute scores relatively high on this list. Regarding number 5, however, it is actually the case that employees do not punch their own cards (well, fill in an intranet form) despite the company’s best efforts to get people to report their hours correctly!

However, a friend of my wife works at the Japan Post (Post Office), and she says there is, for instance, a rather significant New Year postcard sales requirement, and the latest one now is boil-in-the-bag Post Office canteen curry. She basically has to sell (or buy herself) two cases (48 bags) or she can expect a bad review come next year.
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To promote a new supplement that the cosmetics and beauty company they have released, Fancl conducted a survey, reported on by japan.internet.com, into anti-ageing awareness and practise.

Demographics

At some point during the period from the 9th to 20th of August 2012 Fancl conducted a survey through their new Purging Power Raising Committee web site. The respondents were 1,000 women between the ages of 20 and 59, and although the age breakdown is not reported, the figures in the results below suggest there were exactly 25.0% in each of the age groups of twenties, thirties, forties and fifties.

Just to give them a plug since they gave me a survey, the Purging Power Raising support product they are selling is apparently “Daizu (Soy Bean) Saponin B”, which it apparently suggests (in sufficiently-vague wording to avoid regulatory problems) helps flush out whatever it is that might build up and might cause one to appear older than if said whatever was flushed out.
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Here’s a sweet survey from goo Ranking, looking at the flames of teenage passion that one has forgotten as an adult.

Demographics

From the 6th to the 9th of July 2012 1,016 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 60.0% of the sample were female, 9.9% in their teens, 12.7% in their twenties, 29.0% in their thirties, 27.0% in their forties, 11.0% in their fifties, and 10.3% 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.

Looking at the answers, a common theme in many of them appears to be undeclared or unrequited love, which is not an unusual occurance in Japanese schools, as far as I am aware. I was totally unaware of anything when I was in school, so I cannot give a comparison with the Scottish situation! Note, I’ve translated everything in the present tense as I think the answers read better with a sense of immediacy.
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With the iPhone 5 out today, this survey from the female-targeted marketing research firm Her Story, reported on by japan.internet.com, into smartphones makes me curious to find out how many Madagala girls picked one up.

Demographics

According to the report published by Her Story on the 20th of September 2012, between the 9th and 14th of September 2012 500 mobile phone-owning women belonging to the Her Story monitor group aged between 20 and 49 completed an internet-based survey.

Madagala comes from the Japanese word mada, meaning still, and the portmandeau word Gala-kei, from Galapagos and keitai, which is the generic term for feature phones for the Japanese market, so Madagala girls are women who are still using feature phones. This appears to be a term Her Story invented for this survey, so in the same vein I have come up with Sudesuma girls which as you might guess means (well, I claim it means) women who have already moved up to smartphones.
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goo Research recently conducted a survey into smartphones, the results of which were reported on by japan.internet.com.

Demographics

Between the 4th and 6th of September 2012 1,088 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.7% of the sample were male, 16.5% in their teens, 18.0% in their twenties, 21.7% in their thirties, 16.3% in their forties, 15.6% in their fifties, and 11.9% aged sixty or older.

You’ll notice that the top five features in Q2 are all areas where the iPhone would score highly. On the other hand, the choice of answers does not seem to contain any specific feature-related replies, such as NFC smartcard, TV or radio reception, etc.

One of my colleagues who currently uses a feature phone on docomo (I think it is) was going to take a day off to queue for the iPhone 5, but it now appears that they have ordered it online instead!
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japan.internet.com recently reported on a survey by goo Research into mobile video use, the fifth time this regular survey has been conducted.

Demographics

Between the 3rd and 6th of September 2012 1,015 mobile phone-using or smartphone-using members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private mobile internet-based questionnaire. 60.3% of the sample were female, 3.4% in their teens, 22.5% in their twenties, 36.3% in their thirties, 26.1% in their forties, and 11.7% aged fifty or older.

Being on a non-unlimited plan, I don’t watch any video on my mobile phone, and anyway I have a portable audio and video device on which I watch video. I’m currently making my way through The Goodies at a one episode per day pace, downloaded to my PC then converted to MPEG4 for consumption on the mobile device.
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Continuing the accommodation theme, this survey from goo Ranking looks at nuggets of wisdom for avoiding a failure when choosing rented accommodation.

Demographics

From the 6th to the 9th of July 2012 1,016 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 60.0% of the sample were female, 9.9% in their teens, 12.7% in their twenties, 29.0% in their thirties, 27.0% in their forties, 11.0% in their fifties, and 10.3% 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.

The first time I rented in Japan I was accompanied by people from the office who I assume dealt with all the tricky bits. About the only thing I should have confirmed was how to use the air conditioning, and the maxiumum load on the electrics. The second was a serious fail as turning on the microwave and the television simultaneously, for instance, was enough to trip the breaker. Looking at my parents-in-law’s place, they have a major problem that although the flat was remodelled before they moved in and the main window replaced by a nice new one, the window frame is not airtight and in winter a cold breeze blows though their flat.
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goo Ranking recently took a look at the reasons people want to quit living alone and move into shared accomodation.

Demographics

From the 6th to the 9th of July 2012 1,016 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 60.0% of the sample were female, 9.9% in their teens, 12.7% in their twenties, 29.0% in their thirties, 27.0% in their forties, 11.0% in their fifties, and 10.3% 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.

I just have to get this off my chest, but I quite dislike the US English terms for this, room share and room-mates, as I always imagine a much more intimate relationship than the UK English term, flat-mate, although I’m sure that term would confuse many a US English speaker! Sadly the Japanese term is also the US English “Room Share” imported as-is into the language.

I shared for four years in university (two in dorms, two in a flat) and then two years after graduation, but I was quite glad to move out into my own flat after that!
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japan.internet.com recently reported on a survey conducted by goo Research on a topic close to the heart of many of my readers, I suspect, that of English study.

Demographics

Between the 28th of August and 3rd of September 2012 1,083 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.0% of the sample were male, 16.7% in their teens, 18.3% in their twenties, 21.2% in their thirties, 16.1% in their forties, 15.8% in their fifties, and 11.9% aged sixty or older.

It does seem surprising to me that people seemed most keen on using their smartphone to improve their speaking skill, but it does suggest that the various Skype-based English lessons should ensure they support smartphone clients, and given the popularity that LINE has in Japan, supporting its new voice call feature too would seem like an easy way to expand one’s business.
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goo Ranking recently conducted a survey into when people think “we don’t really have to have our own wedding ceremony or reception!”

Demographics

From the 6th to the 9th of July 2012 1,016 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 60.0% of the sample were female, 9.9% in their teens, 12.7% in their twenties, 29.0% in their thirties, 27.0% in their forties, 11.0% in their fifties, and 10.3% 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. I’m not sure if unmarried people were excluded or just had to imagine how it might be for them.

I found this photo on Flick, and there’s something quite appropriate about it all just being a non-descript blur.

Japanese weddings are on the whole hopelessly formulaic, almost production line-like with a standard set of cliched events running through them; the entrance, friends doing an “amusing” skit, the bride dress change, the candle lighting, etc, etc, all running on a strict timetable – none of this open bar, dancing until dawn and amusing vandalisation of the new couple’s car, let alone people passing out drunk, the embarassing uncle trying to get off with the bridesmaid, or even a fist fight or two.

Just to toot my own horn, however, a number of our friends said our wedding was one of the best they’d been to, which I put down mostly to us actually smiling. If you ever look at Japanese wedding photos, especially the formal ones, it is not the done thing for the groom to look happy.
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