I can’t say I want to go to a maid cafe, if the video below is anything to go by! Today is a double dose of silly survey Sunday, with this very short and sweet (just like the maids…) survey on maid cafes.
Demographics
Between the 25th and 27th of June 2008 441 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed an internet-based questionnaire. 55.1% of the sample were male, 14.7% in their twenties, 48.8% in their thirties, 25.9% in their forties, and 10.7% of other ages.
By Ken Y-N ( July 13, 2008 at 12:14)
· Filed under Polls, Silly
As a foreigner there’s a lot of things in Japan that aren’t quite right, but this survey from goo Ranking looked at what the Japanese felt just weren’t right.
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 pleased that there are no mentions of foreigners in this survey, but I covered surprising foreigner behaviour a couple of weeks back.
Number 2 is perhaps a little hard to explain to non-Japanese speakers; there’s a lot of “family restaurant Japanese”, young people working part-time in restaurants (or supermarkets, etc) who haven’t quite learnt the correct polite way of asking for things, with “I’ve taken it from 10,000 yen” being one example when you hand over a 10,000 yen note to pay your bill. It’s probably similar to getting annoyed at the “10 items or less” sign in British supermarkets!
I can relate to number 12, especially when I see fake Hello Kitty or other characters on cheap knock-off goods. Number 15’s translation doesn’t feel quite right, but I do feel uncomfortable when wifey is talking to friends and refers to me as shujin, master. Last week in the train I saw a guy with a manicure, nail gloss and a few gems stuck onto a nail, but pretty grubby worker’s hands and rough clothes. Kiddy beer is not quite right either!
By Ken Y-N ( July 6, 2008 at 19:51)
· Filed under Polls, Rankings, Silly
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! Read the rest of this entry »
By Ken Y-N ( June 29, 2008 at 22:18)
· Filed under Polls, Rankings, Silly
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… Read the rest of this entry »
By Ken Y-N ( June 22, 2008 at 23:12)
· Filed under Polls, Rankings, Silly
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.
By Ken Y-N ( June 15, 2008 at 14:34)
· Filed under Mobile, Polls, Silly
This is a genuine survey that is not really quite silly enough for a Sunday, but since it’s a Sunday I can have more fun playing with the results, as can be seen in the graph above, generated from the results of a recent survey conducted by iShare into using mobiles in the loo.
Demographics
Between the 30th of May and the 2nd of June 2008 743 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a members-only internet-based questionnaire. 56.1% of the sample were male, 25.8% in their twenties, 35.0% in their thirties, and 39.2% in their forties. All of them were pre-screened as users of personal mobile phones.
I occassionally write email in the toilet cubicles at work, and judging from the rattlings of mobile phone straps, so do quite a few of my colleagues. I’ve never quite gone as far as sneaking off explicitly to email, though. I’ve once seen someone at a urinal talking on the telephone, which I thought was just a bit much.
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. Read the rest of this entry »
By Ken Y-N ( May 25, 2008 at 23:14)
· Filed under Polls, Rankings, Silly
This Sunday’s sillyness is in two parts, both about food. Second, goo Ranking asked its panel to pick the food they’d like to thank the first human who ate it. I don’t know if that makes sense at first glance, but basically which food that appears disgusting to look at but is actually rather nice once you acquire the taste. Be sure to read the first part on strange but scary foods one might risk eating.
Demographics
Over the 21st and 22nd of March 2008 1,036 people from the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.7% were male, 7.0% in their teens, 14.7% in their twenties, 30.1% in their thirties, 27.0% in their forties, 10.9% in their fifties, and 10.2% aged sixty or over. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.
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.
Someone once brought the Ghengis Khan caramels back to the office, and the general reaction was absolute disgust! From the list sweet green tea and adzuki spaghetti is about the only one I’d risk!
By Ken Y-N ( May 11, 2008 at 23:06)
· Filed under Polls, Rankings, Silly
As well as being suitably silly for your Sunday entertainment, this recent survey from goo Ranking into Japan’s cutest corporate mascot is also an excuse to introduce a new blog, Japanese mascots, which does just what it says on the tin.
Demographics
Over the 21st and 22nd of March 2008 1,036 people from the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.7% were male, 7.0% in their teens, 14.7% in their twenties, 30.1% in their thirties, 27.0% in their forties, 10.9% in their fifties, and 10.2% aged sixty or over. 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 favourite character is Liyon-chan, but he doesn’t make the list as he’s a Kansai-only character, I think, or perhaps he was wrongly-counted as the Lion Lion-chan? From the list, it would have to be Pinky then Koala no March kun.
Note that characters from companies like Sanrio, Disney, and San-X who are sold as characters in their own right were excluded from this survey.
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