世論 What Japan Thinks

Today’s dose of sillyness is as usual from goo Ranking, looking at the ideal situation for a first kiss, for both men and women. Note that the sample for this group is in their teens and twenties only.

Demographics

Between the 11th and 15th of July 2008 1,064 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 55.9% of the sample were female, 10.3% in their teens and 89.7% in their twenties. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

My first kiss in Japan was in a location not featuring in the ranking, down a dark alley behind some vending machines. Romantic, eh?
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This Sunday it’s another look at gender differences, with goo Ranking reporting on what wives wish their husbands would do for them once in a while, and the reverse, what husbands wish their wives would do for them once in a while.

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 25th of June 2008 1,014 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.1% of the sample were male, 6.5% in their teens, 14.5% in their twenties, 31.0% in their thirties, 28.1% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 8.8% 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 me, I already do 1 (well, I bake), 2, 3, 6, 7, 9 (more precisely, I help with the hanging out), 10, she says I don’t do 11 enough, the second 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, she won’t trust me to do 24, 25, both 26s, 28 and 30 more than once in a while. I’d only want her to do 28, but not for a selfish reason. She doesn’t do ironing, but I’ve noticed in Japan ironing is not that popular an activity with anyone.
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This is a fun wee survey for your Sunday entertainment from goo Ranking, this time looking at what people think there might just be too much of these days.

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 25th of June 2008 1,014 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.1% of the sample were male, 6.5% in their teens, 14.5% in their twenties, 31.0% in their thirties, 28.1% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 8.8% 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’d have to go with idiot celebrities myself, with number 4, quiz programmes packed with usually the same idiot celebrities. Pictured above are six professional idiots from the Hexagon quiz show, a show which has spawned almost as many groups as Morning Musume has.

Most of the idiots ham up their stupidness, and the quiz shows are sometimes (usually?) fixed so they can be even more entertainingly thick.
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The title is a hint to the question goo Ranking recently asked the goo Research monitor group, which completed famous serialised manga do you not actually know the conclusion of.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 23th of May 2008 1,072 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. Exactly 50% of the sample were male, 5.7% in their teens, 12.9% in their twenties, 31.8% in their thirties, 27.5% in their forties, 11.3% in their fifties, and 10.8% 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.

Not being much of a manga reader myself, and certainly not of the weekly phone directory-sized comics, I cannot really comment on this. However, no doubt some of my readers might inform me of the conclusions, so if you don’t want to get endings spoilt, please stop reading now!
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Japanese feel that flush of success when they can empty their minds and bowels of concern, it seems! This recent survey from goo Ranking perhaps revealed more about constipation than thought processes when they looked at where good ideas come from; we westerners can be proud that the replacement of squat toilets with sit-down lavvies has contributed so much to the Japanese creative process.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 23th of May 2008 1,072 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. Exactly 50% of the sample were male, 5.7% in their teens, 12.9% in their twenties, 31.8% in their thirties, 27.5% in their forties, 11.3% in their fifties, and 10.8% 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.

My good ideas requiring inventive thinking most often come at bathtime; indeed my last two patents both formed in the tub. The loo is out of the question for me as I’m usually in and out rather swiftly, but the train is probably second-best as I’m quite often in either work or homework mode.

In Europe or Asia may seem like strange answers at first glance, but thinking about it it perhaps reflects seeing something novel; I know last year when I went back to the UK I got a number of ideas about what might be profitable ways to make money on the internet.

The photo above shows Rodin made out of toilet paper rolls, and was taken at the Yokohama Triennale of Contemporary Art by akame on flickr.
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Your second dose of silly Sunday surveys for today! This time looking at what trivial things people end up quarreling with their other half over, for both men and women.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 23th of May 2008 1,072 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. Exactly 50% of the sample were male, 5.7% in their teens, 12.9% in their twenties, 31.8% in their thirties, 27.5% in their forties, 11.3% in their fifties, and 10.8% 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 too laid-back to start arguments (or too scared to try…), but from the woman’s perspective number one is probably the worst one for setting the wife off, and I know better than to get involved in arguments about number ten!
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Here’s a look with goo Ranking at what the top reasons the Japanese think is great about Japan and their fellow Japanese.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 23th of May 2008 1,072 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. Exactly 50% of the sample were male, 5.7% in their teens, 12.9% in their twenties, 31.8% in their thirties, 27.5% in their forties, 11.3% in their fifties, and 10.8% 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’ve previously presented another survey on why the Japanese like being Japanese, and this one too will no doubt induce groans and eye-rolling within my readership!

Surprisingly but thankfully, most of the feedback from Japanese reading the survey seems to have been pretty negative.
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This Sunday’s silly survey is as usual a ranking survey from goo Ranking, looking at where or when people don’t want to meet people from the office at the weekends, split as usual into male and female responses.

Demographics

Between the 21st and 23th of May 2008 1,072 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. Exactly 50% of the sample were male, 5.7% in their teens, 12.9% in their twenties, 31.8% in their thirties, 27.5% in their forties, 11.3% in their fifties, and 10.8% 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.

Living in the big city and considerable far away from the office, I don’t think I’ve ever bumped into a cow-orker at the weekends, fortunately!

One presumes that as usual more dodgy activities, such as when exiting a love hotel are excluded…
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Any foreigner who has lived in Japan, or even just visited for a few days, cannot fail to have heard “You’re good with chopsticks” from their hosts. This survey from goo Ranking into what foreigner in Japan activity surprises the Japanese (in a good way) looked at what other things people were impressed with. Chopsticks did figure in the rankings!

Demographics

Between the 21st and 23th of May 2008 1,072 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. Exactly 50% of the sample were male, 5.7% in their teens, 12.9% in their twenties, 31.8% in their thirties, 27.5% in their forties, 11.3% in their fifties, and 10.8% 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’d love to see number eight myself, so if any of my readers have suitable photos, please post them and I’ll feature them on the site!

Number eleven is a Japanese habit of sticking a hand out in front to break through a crowd, often seen as someone tries to pass down a train for instance. However, some foreigners have found that a bicycle bell works just as well.

I don’t understand number sixteen! Is this a popular image from manga comics?
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No, that’s not the titles of the last two videos I rented, but instead they are the subjects of perhaps the dodgiest survey I’ve seen for a long while from goo Ranking into what actions by female staff set male hearts aflutter, and vice versa, what actions by male staff set female hearts aflutter.

Demographics

Between the 22nd and 24th of April 2008 1,048 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 51.7% of the sample was female, 7.1% in their teens, 14.7% in their twenties, 29.0% in their thirties, 27.4% in their forties, 11.6% in their fifties, and 10.2% 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 presume that the more obviously perverted fetishes were eliminated from the initial answers, but still, some of them are bordering on the obsessive! Indeed, for the top female answer, the original results talked about Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct! As for me, I’ll be honest but boring and say that I never saw women around the office that way.
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