世論 What Japan Thinks

According to the survey results James presented, End-of-Year and Mid-Year gifts are the hardest to comprehend, followed by restraint and modesty, then sitting seiza, a sort-of kneeling position.

Head over to Japan Probe for the full results!

With the annual new recruit intake for Japanese businesses about to start on April 1st (or April 2nd this year), goo Ranking published a timely survey on what sort of behaviour people would like to warn new recruits about. As usual, the only information regarding the carrying out of the survey is that the fieldwork was done between the 22nd and 24th of February. The scores reported are the relative votes for each option, with the top vote getter at 100 points.

As for me, I think I manage about sixteen or seventeen! How do you do?

Regarding our team’s newest recruit from last year, the only thing personally I’d like to warn him about (apart from to stop constantly sniffing every hour of every day of every week!) is that although our office is casual dress, his trousers are just a bit too saggy and his shirt-tail hangs out around his bum.
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Following on from Sunday’s survey on people’s hopes and ambitions for ten years hence, this time goo Ranking looked at what expectations people had for society at large in ten years time. As usual, no demographics, bar the fact that the survey was conducted between the 22nd and 24th of February.

This set of results has the cure for cancer that I was disappointed not to see in the previous survey, but I suppose it could be classed more as a discovery than as an invention? I note, however, that resolution of North Korean issues, be it kidnapping or just general problems stemming from having a loony at the helm, does not feature in the list. I wonder if people expect it to be resolved much quicker than the 10 years asked about here?
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As my entry for the upcoming Japan Blog Matsuri, this time being hosted by Bill at Rising Sun of Nihon, may I present the latest research from goo Ranking on one of the strange and uniquely Japanese (well, I’ve never heard of such a thing back home at least!) custom of enumerating famous locations, etc, as the Three Great Things. The research for this was conducted between the 18th and 20th of January, but no further demographic information is available. All the sights will be linked to relevant images or web pages, so feel free to click through to see what the fuss is about. However, some of the text may be Japanese if I can’t find a suitable English web page. Note there is also a WikiTravel article on a few of Japan’s Three Greats. Also note that the order they appear doesn’t imply a 1, 2, 3 rank.
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Just today goo Rankings published a new survey, this time looking at what people would be happy about if it were invented within the next 10 years.As usual for goo Rankings, there is no demographic information, just that the fieldwork was conducted between the 22nd and 24th of February this year. In addition, on a similar theme they also asked what people would like to do within the next ten years.

In Q1, I’m very surprised the perhaps more mundane cure for cancer didn’t feature, although I’m not disappointed to see the clichéd flying car making an appearance at number 6. Also, I guess Asimov doesn’t count as a humanoid robot as perhaps people want to see an autonomous android-like device. I’m not really sure what number 10 is, however: perhaps it means you can walk on the ceiling too?

In Q2, the second place mastering one’s hobby does seem rather odd to me.
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Following on from the recent survey on what presents other than chocolates men plan to buy, this time goo Ranking looks at what sweet item the women would like for White Day. The situation for men buying these sweets is co-workers purchasing them in return for the giri, obligatory, chocolates they got from their female colleagues on Valentine’s Day. So, without any further ado, let’s look at the list.
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Just in case you’re still wondering what to buy for White Day on the 14th of March this year, goo Rankings were good enough to publish a list of the top 20 things Japanese men want to give their women, excluding (or alongside) chocolates.

The fieldwork was conducted between the 18th and 20th of January this year. No further demographics are available. Note that this is what men want to buy, not necessarily what women want to receive!
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Just as a bit of fun, here’s a pair of silly surveys from goo Ranking, one from women and one from men on what’s the biggest turn-offs when being invited back for coffee. The fieldwork was conducted over three days in the middle of January, but no further demographic information is available.

Note that due to differences in social mores, and of course the ready availability of alternatives, visiting one’s girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s flat comes much later in a relationship than compared to the West, I believe.

Number 14 for women, not putting eggs in the fridge, seems rather out of place! It’s also interesting to see how what women look for in a man’s home differs from what men look for in a woman’s place.
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With today being official Day of the Cat – 22nd of the 2nd month, pronounced, with a suitable cat accent, にゃん・にゃん・にゃん, nyan, nyan, nyan, the Japanese for “Meow, meow, meow”, let’s look at a recent goo Ranking into cats’ cute actions. The survey was conducted between the 18th and 20th of January.

I’m disappointed that purring comes in a miserable 8th, and sleeping in laps is nowhere.
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goo Rankings published another one of their silly yet slightly unsettling polls recently, when they looked at what things are impossible to do now that they are an adult. The original Japanese version is phrased to have a suggestion of regret, I feel. The survey was conducted between the 18th and 20th of December last year.

I can’t really imagine the thought processes that are required to make hopping in the bath with their parents the second most notable thing that adults cannot do.
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