世論 What Japan Thinks

goo Ranking sneaked in just before the end of Christmas day with this survey into ways to get into the Christmas spirit for under 500 yen, or 3.50 euros, 4.80 US dollars, 2.93 UK pounds, or even 0.0072 bitcoins if that’s the way you like to count your money!

Demographics

The survey was conducted between the 4th and 8th of October 2013 where 1,074 people completed a private web-based questionnaire. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

Viewing Christmas illuminations is good, but getting Google+ to AutoAwesome them is even better:

I like being in Japan in that I can avoid the Christmas spirit on the whole, although most stores start looping Christmas numbers from the end of November.

Regardless, I’d like to wish all my readers a Merry Christmas (or other appropriate non-denominational equivalent) and in your own particular ways have a fun Xmas/New Year/Holiday Season. I still have one more day of work to go before my holidays.
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Macromill Research recently published the results of their survey into Christmas 2012.

Demographics

Over the 13th and 14th of November 2012 500 members of the Macromill monitor group who lived in Tokyo or the three surrounding prefectures of Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was split exactly 50:50 male and female, and exactly 25% in their twenties, 25% in their thirties, 25% in their forties, and 25% in their fifties.

It’s very interesting to note for men that the iPad mini is the only item named by brand. One reason might be that it is just about the only tablet advertised on television, with regular prime-time spots almost every day. The Japanese manufacturers seem to have given up, but just yesterday I saw my first advert for Amazon’s Fire HD.
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Today, Christmas Eve, is the big day in Japan, where families gather around the hearth kotatsu to enjoy a KFC party bucket, and young couples go on dates. But, goo Ranking wondered, what do people without dates do, more particularly what do people do so as not to let on they are single this Christmas. I suppose a more appropriate title would be “How to pretend you have a date on Christmas Eve”, though.

Demographics

Between the 18th and 20th of October 2011 1,092 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.3% of the sample were male, 11.2% in their teens, 16.2% in their twenties, 25.7% in their thirties, 25.8% in their forties, 11.5% in their fifties, and 9.5% 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.

It’s a pretty sad bunch of answers, so instead have a Rainbow Christmas:

By the way, my night tonight is with yesterday’s reheated mushroom chowder and rice, with some RL Waffles for dessert.
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Christmas is coming, and goo Research were first to get in on the act with their look at Christmas.

Demographics

Between the 20th and 25th of October 2011, 503 members of the goo Research monitor group residing within Tokyo city or the three surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Saitama or Kanagawa completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.9% of the sample were female, 33.8% in their twenties, 33.2% in their thirties, and 33.0% in their forties.

I hate all the Christmas present nonsense myself. I send my parents our company’s calendar every year, which is always a nice and easy purchase to make, then I agonise over what to get the wife, and it usually ends up as some cuddly toys.

Note that Christmas in Japan usually means Christmas Eve, and indeed that is how it should be read in the questions below.
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Although it’s not my holidays until next Wednesday, many of my readers seem to have already gone on holiday, so I’ll be cutting down my posting frequency, working on other projects (there’s two Facebook things I must do) and posting more goo Ranking nonsense for the next two weeks.

A recent survey from Macromill Research becomes my first look at Christmas 2010.

Demographics

Between the 25th and 27th of November 2010 500 members of the Macromill monitor group resident within Tokyo or the surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Saitama and Kanagawa completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, 24.8% were in their twenties, 25.2% in their thirties, 25.2% in their forties, and 24.8% in their fifties.

My Christmas Eve will be spent at home, and Christmas Day is with the parents-in-law, which sounds more interesting than it actually will be. It’s not any Christmas event, but just that we bought them a terrestrial digital-ready television last month and the first available delivery date turned out to be December 25th, so we need to go along to make sure we get all the paperwork to claim back our eco points.
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In Japan, it is the Christmas tradition that if you have a family you eat Kentucky Fried Chicken, if you have a partner you spend the night at a posh hotel, but for singles, what? goo Ranking decided it would be trying to find a partner, so this recent survey looked at what unattached people would do to try to find someone by Christmas.

Demographics

Over the 21st and 22nd of September 2010 1,072 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 68.2% of the sample were female, 10.4% in their teens, 18.0% in their twenties, 29.8% in their thirties, 26.2% in their forties, 8.7% in their fifties, and 7.0% 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.

If none of the below work for you, try this article for some hints:

This set of surveys from goo Ranking looks at what people want from their partners for Christmas, men from their girlfriends and women from their boyfriends, and what people don’t want from their partners for Christmas, men from their girlfriends and women from their boyfriends.

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 26th of October 2009 1,162 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 62.9% of the sample were female, 10.5% in their teens, 20.7% in their twenties, 30.8% in their thirties, 21.9% in their forties, 9.0% in their fifties, and 7.0% aged sixty or older.

I’ll stick with the number one choice, whatever. Judging by the huge preference amongst men for whatever, perhaps there is a sense that if they ask their partner for anything she will expect rather more in return, so by not specifying anything hopefully her expections for what she will receive will be lowered. That’s how I think, at least!
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Christmas is coming, so let’s see what the Japanese are planning on doing with this survey from Macromill Inc looking at Christmas.

Demographics

Over the 2nd and 3rd of December 2008 516 members of the Macromill Monitor group resident in Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was 50:50 male and female, and 25.0% were in their twenties, 25.0% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, and 25.0% in their fifties.

Wham! fits in well with a recent post over at Rocking in Hakata as Deas mentions that a Japanese cover of Last Christmas has been released. Indeed, I just heard the song for the first time tonight, and sadly but not surprisingly the English grates, sufficient to make me want to hear the original.

Note that in this survey Christmas is actually Christmas Eve. All the carry-on happens on that night, and come Christmas Day (just another day in the office) everything is tidied up for another year and replaced by the New Year decorations.
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The stereotypical Christmas feast in Japan is a bucket of fried chicken from Colonel Claus with a strawberry sponge for afters, but what is the real situation? In particular, Christmas Eve is a holiday this year due to the Emporer’s birthday falling on a Sunday, so the day off has been moved forward a day to the 24th of December, and it is Christmas Eve that gets celebrated rather than Christmas Day. To find out what people’s plans were, Macromill Inc reported on a survey it conducted into Christmas 2007.

Demographics

Over the 5th and 6th of December 2007 516 members of Macromill’s online monitor group resident within either Tokyo or the three surrounding prefectures of Chiba, Saitama or Kanagawa successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The group was split exactly 50:50 male and female, and 24.8% were in thier twenties, 25.2% in their thirties, 25.3% in their forties, and 24.8% in their fifties.

Note that when asked how people plan to spend Christmas, as noted above this refers to Christmas Eve, by chance a public holiday this year, not Christmas Day, a normal workday this and every other year.

The other Japanese Christmas tradition is for couples to go on a date, often ending up with an overnight stay at a hotel, usually a posh one.
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