世論 What Japan Thinks

goo Ranking seems to have started an interesting series looking at what typical behaviour one has experienced in food chains, with the first two being looked at being Starbucks and Subway.

Demographics

Over the 6th and 7th of March 2013 over 1,000 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. However, the link to the full demographics is not operating right now… 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 actually prefer Tully’s to Starbucks – Tully’s is usually not quite so packed, and their menu actually looks like a coffee shop menu. There’s probably also an element of me not wanting to be seen in place with so many foreigners…

I haven’t been to Subway for a while, although I will agree with number 15, their fried potato is excellent.
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This ranking survey from goo Ranking used a word I haven’t heard for a while, mottainai, “what a waste”, in a survey entitled what things at work do people think are mottainai?

Demographics

Over the 6th and 7th of February 2013 1,122 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 60.1% of the sample were female, 10.2% in their teens, 16.6% in their twenties, 26.5% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 10.6% 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 place of work tries to avoid most of the wastes below, but one thing I notice in the office but not listed here is a bilingual poster that is in all the toilet cubicles that reads something like “Please close the toilet seat after use. This saves 15 grammes of CO₂ per day.” 15 grammes of CO₂ is a bit difficult to picture, but apparently is about the same as boiling a kettle, according to Google. Talking of saving electricity, and related to number 4, here is a snap from Flickr, although from a train rather than an office:

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japan.internet.com recently reported on the 7th regular survey by goo Research into mobile phone, smartphone upgrades.

Demographics

Over the 25th and 26th of February 2013 1,073 mobile phone-using (including smartphone-using) members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.0% of the sample were male, 1.0% in their teens, 10.6% in their twenties, 24.5% in their thirties, 29.1% in their forties, and 34.8% aged fifty or older.

I’m surprised to see Sharp in second place, as I feel they hardly do any advertising these days, although I suppose avoiding going bust is a more important issue for them to be worrying about. I’m also surprised to see Samsung so low, as conversely they have about the most adverts on television, although I thought this often-shown one for the Galaxy Note would have been the average Japanese person’s nightmare to have their own photo spread around the internet like that.
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japan.internet.com recently reported on a survey by Weather News, entitled the first survey into hayfever.

Demographics

Between the 8th and 12th of March 2013 over 40,000 users of the Weather News web site completed a public survey. No further information was presented, including how many people actually reported having hayfever, although it might be that only hayfever sufferers completed the survey.

My hayfever actually started at the end of December, and I had to go to the doctor. However, it soon went away, then restarted at the start of March, and seems to come and go, but definitely lighter symptoms than last year, and I think we’ve now passed the worse of the cedar pollen.
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japan.internet.com recently reported on the seventh regular survey by goo Research into mobile devices, with the focus this time on tablets.

Demographics

Between the 4th and 9th of March 2013 1,085 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.6% of the sample were male, 13.5% in their teens, 15.8% in their twenties, 21.4% in their thirties, 17.4% in their forties, and 32.0% aged fifty or older.

I really do feel that tablet use is increasing; on my commute there is invariably at least one person using a tablet, and the most common uses appear to be general surfing or reading. Today I say my first person running LINE chatRead the rest of this entry »

japan.internet.com recently reported on a survey by Video Research Ltd. into characters and the child market. More detailed information was also obtained from Video Research’s own press release.

Demographics

Between the 3rd and 9th of December 2012 617 female members of the Video Research monitor group who lived with a child aged between 3 and 12 years old, and who lived within a 30 km radius of Tokyo station.

It’s an interesting set of results, and I wonder how the one in three or so children (in this sample of internet-using parents) who view or download music and video will approach copyright when they grow up? Will media be something to be valued or just another basic human need that they expect to have on tap all the time? How will they consume television? Will they even consume television?
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goo Ranking often looks at what behaviours people hate, but this time for a change they look at what behaviour when going out drinking in mixed company (particularly office parties) by members of the opposite sex would they find unavoidably attractive, for both men looking at women and women looking at men.

Demographics

Over the 6th and 7th of February 2013 1,122 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 60.1% of the sample were female, 10.2% in their teens, 16.6% in their twenties, 26.5% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 10.6% 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.
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Today is White Day, the day when women expect to get a return gift for their Valentine Day present, so goo Ranking took a look at what White Day presents women would be shocked to get in return from their boyfriend.

Demographics

Over the 6th and 7th of February 2013 1,122 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 60.1% of the sample were female, 10.2% in their teens, 16.6% in their twenties, 26.5% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 10.6% 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. This question was for the females only.

Number 8, comedy chocolates, is my succinct translation of the original Japanese, sweets with a gag element to them, which might include amusingly-shaped chocolates. (Mildly NSFW link!)

One of the women in our office got number 14, alcohol; two bottles from all the guys in the office, one from a friend, some takuan (pickled daikon radish), and a case of Ukon no Chikara hangover remedy…
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This is a curious topic for a survey, conducted by goo Research and reported on japan.internet.com, namely home appliance electronic sounds, the beeps and blips that many (most?) white goods make.

Demographics

Between the 25th and 27th of February 2013 1,094 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 53.6% of the sample were male, 13.7% in their teens, 15.7% in their twenties, 21.6% in their thirties, 17.0% in their forties, 14.6% in their fifties, and 17.4% aged sixty or older.

It’s been so long since I’ve been in the UK, but do western kitchen goods beep much? My microwave has a tone when it finishes, then three quick beeps every two minutes afterwards until you open the door. The rice cooker has an ugly beep when it cooks, the washing machine plays a few bars of Mozart on completion, and the bath plays a tune then announces “The bath has been drawn!” once it fills itself.
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The headline reveals a rather obvious conclusion from a survey by Ceres Inc into LINE (an extremely popular chat app) usage, which was reported on by japan.internet.com.

Demographics

Over the 6th and 7th of February 2013 806 LINE users aged 16 or older competed a smartphone-based survey. More detailed demographics are not given, but the sample most likely came from users of the moppy web site.

I’ve never downloaded LINE myself, and in fact had never even used chat even casually until last week, when I got invited into a group chat on Google+ for smartphones. It’s been an ongoing discussion which I’ve been finding rather fun to participate in, and I can now understand the attraction of text chat services! However, due to me being a stingy git, I only take part when my train journey to and from work takes me past a public wi-fi point.

Note that stickers are basically clipart emoticons that you can paste into your chat; the Japanese term is “stamp”.
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