世論 What Japan Thinks

Today’s sideways look at Japanese society is courtesy of goo Ranking as usual, where they investigated what, outside of directly work-related issues, new starts in the office would ask their seniors, for both men and women.

Demographics

Between the 18th and 2nd of February 2009 1,076 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private online questionnaire. 51.1% of the sample were male, 7.2% in their teens, 15.8% in their twenties, 29.4% in their thirties, 25.2% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 11.3% 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 use of “senior” is one of these difficult words to translate from Japanese. The usual translation of 先輩, sempai, is just “senior”, but in this one small word there are elements of respect and a big brother-little brother relationship. “Mentor” would be too formal and narrow a role, and it’s a much more long-term relationship than “the guy who showed me around when I started.”
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It’s my turn at the controls, and after an entertaining Fast Times in Japan hosted by freedomvw/THEGHOST. As a few people perhaps had trouble thinking about what to write, let’s try the opposite in April:

Slow Times in Japan

How do you kick back and relax? A favourite hiking spot, a quiet bar, bonsai? For those of you not in Japan, choose something Japan-related. Submit stories through the widget below or email me directly.

Just to spread the link love, here’s the entries from March again:

Billy at Tune In Tokyo offers up a interesting tale of being mistaken for trying to smuggle a little pot into the land of the raising sun.

Shane at The Nihon Sun shares a slightly painful experience of trying to talk a Japanese taxi driver into stopping at the right place.

Loco at Loco In Yokohama reveals an experience on the train involving some dirty pervert and a school girl.

McAlpine from the Soul of Japan shares with us all his love of being a bully to just about anyone. Even if they did nothing to him at all.

Nick over at the long countdown offers up a collection of off beat experiences he has had over the years in Japan.

John Turningpin at Mad Tokyo shares the oddity of a night out on the bar scene.

Kanmuri from Turning Iwatean had the pleasure of being asked Does this ramen have human flesh in it?

Due to the lack of vegetarian options I never actually eaten an instant ramen cup noodle here in Japan, but according to this recent survey from MyVoice into cup noodles (their second time, the first having been in December 2006) I’m very much in the minority as usual.

Demographics

Over the first five days of March 2009 15,584 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 37% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 19% aged fifty or older.

I live just two stops up the tracks from the Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum, but despite that I am still to visit! One fun feature is that you can make your own original cup which they present to you sealed in an over-large air-filled pillow, so every time I see one on the train I am reminded of my failure to travel just 10 minutes to see the place!
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Although I was at a loss to explain why a previous survey was young women only, it is quite obvious why this survey from iBridge Research Plus, reported on by japan.internet.com, on online shopping payment methods focused on the fairer sex.

Demographics

On the 16th of March 2009 300 female members of the iBridge research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 21.3% of the sample were in their twenties, 41.7% in their thirties, 25.7% in their forties, 9.0% in their fifties, and 2.3% in their sixties.

One of the more popular payment methods in the west is surely PayPal, so from my point of view the omission is glaring. Yahoo! Wallet is available in the USA also, and it seems to be mostly a proxy for your own credit card, so your credit card information is held only by Yahoo!, not the merchants and shops that support Yahoo! Wallet, so it should be more secure.
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The title of this post is me being rather creative (read “outright lying”) regarding the results of Q2, but regardless, this survey conducted by Marsh Inc and reported on by japan.internet.com into internet scariness finds the average Japanese web user quite the tim’rous beastie.

Demographics

Between the 18th and 23rd of March 2009 300 members of the Marsh monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.0% of the sample were female, 20.0% in their twenties, 20.0% in their thirties, 20.0% in their forties, 20.0% in their fifties, and 20.0% aged sixty or older.

If you don’t know what goatse.cx is, think yourself lucky, and do NOT, I repeat NOT, just look it up to see what I am on about! You have been warned.

I personally don’t find the internet scary at all; irritating in places, but not scary.

For reference, in December of 2007 a similar survey was conducted.

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Why this survey focused only on the young woman demographic is a bit of mystery to me, but that’s what iBridge Research Plus did in this survey reported on by japan.internet.com into web email.

Demographics

On the 9th of March 2009 300 female members of the iBridge research monitor group completed an internet-based questionnaire. 21.3% of the sample were in their twenties, 46.3% in their thirties, and 32.3% in their forties.

With some of the services described below, the email address comes as part of a package – au one Mail is an external mailbox for mobile phones, and to create a livedoor blog you need to create a livedoor email address, a process I have done myself, but both the blog and mailbox lie unused.
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This survey from MyVoice into rice cookers is their second look at the topic, the first having been conducted two years ago and translated by me then.

Demographics

Over the first five days of February 2009 15,419 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 37% in their thirties, 30% in their forties, and 18% aged fifty or older.

Two years ago I mentioned that the survey omitted to discuss just using a pan or a traditional pot counted as a rice cooker, so I was pleased to see that this time in Q1 they asked not just about electric cookers, but also about other methods of cooking rice. I’m far too modest, and I know I’d be lying anyway, to claim that it was all thanks to this blog that they amended their question!

Oh, and I have a Squidoo page about Japanese rice cookers that occasionally makes me a few cents.
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The subject matter for this ranking survey from goo Ranking suggests there may be either poignant romantic thoughts or scary stalker-like activities; you’ll probably not be disappointed to hear that both extremes feature in this survey on actions taken when recalling lingering affections for an ex, for both men recalling women and women recalling men.

Demographics

Between the 18th and 2nd of February 2009 1,076 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private online questionnaire. 51.1% of the sample were male, 7.2% in their teens, 15.8% in their twenties, 29.4% in their thirties, 25.2% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 11.3% 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.

Such is the progress of techology that answer two for both male and female was re-reading email rather than pouring over old love letters! Pretending to be drunk and phoning her up is always a good tactic, though!
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[part 1] [part 2] [part 3]

Although Observing Japan beat me to the punch by already presented extracts from this survey, I will, as is my wont, present the full results of a look by the Cabinet Office Japan at the SDF and defense.

Demographics

Between the 15th and 25th of January 2009 1,781 randomly selected members of the public aged 20 or older completed a face-to-face survey. Initially, 3,000 people were selected, but 40.6%, or 1,219 people, did not take part due to having moved, not being in, refusing, etc. Of those who took part, 52.0% were female, 8.5% in their twenties, 13.9% in their thirties, 16.0% in their forties, 20.6% in their fifties, 23.0% in their sixties, and 18.0% aged seventy or older. 27.5% lived near a military facility, 69.5% did not, and 3.1% didn’t know. However, the definition of “near” was not given.

The SDF, or Self-Defense Force, is the Japanese not-really-a-military-honest force that defends these shores and occasionally forays further afield, such as spending a couple of years hiding in their barracks in Iraq.

In part three of this survey I liked Q11; Better Red Than Dead is not a popular option at all! In Q15, over seven in ten fear a war involving Japan, which to me seems most unlikely. The only circumstance I can see involving Japan is North Korea attacking South Korea, and the only circumstance I can see for that is Kim Jong-il deciding to go out in a blaze of glory, although I hope that his recent stroke has debilitated him enough so he is unable to do anything quite as silly as that.
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[part 1] [part 2] [part 3]

Although Observing Japan beat me to the punch by already presented extracts from this survey, I will, as is my wont, present the full results of a look by the Cabinet Office Japan at the SDF and defense.

Demographics

Between the 15th and 25th of January 2009 1,781 randomly selected members of the public aged 20 or older completed a face-to-face survey. Initially, 3,000 people were selected, but 40.6%, or 1,219 people, did not take part due to having moved, not being in, refusing, etc. Of those who took part, 52.0% were female, 8.5% in their twenties, 13.9% in their thirties, 16.0% in their forties, 20.6% in their fifties, 23.0% in their sixties, and 18.0% aged seventy or older. 27.5% lived near a military facility, 69.5% did not, and 3.1% didn’t know. However, the definition of “near” was not given.

The SDF, or Self-Defense Force, is the Japanese not-really-a-military-honest force that defends these shores and occasionally forays further afield, such as spending a couple of years hiding in their barracks in Iraq.

Part two of this survey is surprising to me in that a majority of people favour the overseas dispatch of Japanese forces. I would like to have seen a question on why people approve of the anti-piracy mission in Q8; is it to increase Japan’s standing in the UN, that a few boats don’t pose a real threat to a destroyer or two, or what?
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