Surprising facts about Kanto versus Kansai

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The two biggest urban areas of Japan are Tokyo and Osaka, and the areas around them are respectively known as Kanto and Kansai. The two have many differences in habits that even the Japanese themselves find surprising, that being the subject of this recent survey from goo Ranking.

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.

Here’s evidence from flickr of number 1 – left is Osaka, right is Tokyo.

Benchless in OsakaDownhill Escalator

I only knew four of them – the slices per loaf is completely new and quite surprising to me, for instance. I’m not sure why noodle broth was a surprise, as I thought that was pretty common knowledge. However, the first (and last, I hope) time tasting Kanto-style was surprising – there seemed to be about a week’s worth of salt in the pitch-black soup versus the clear and mild Kansai flavour.
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Job-hunting urban legends in Japan

When goo Ranking looked at urban legends related to job-hunting, there were a lot of answers that seemed quite out of place to me. Note that this survey was concerned with the milk round (what is the US term for this?), university students job-hunting activities.

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.

I only have vague memories of the milk round for me; one notable was visiting and getting rejected by the company that eventually ended up being my ticket to Japan.
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Yearned-for romantic scenes in the Japanese office

Here’s some fun from goo Ranking, looking at what office romance situations people long to find themselves in, for both men and women.

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.

This is the most romantic office photo I could find on flickr, from Gregg O’Connell:

Mullet Boy Goes for the Kiss!

No-one mentioned a quickie in the office stationery cupboard, the archetype of relationships in the British office at least. I remember when I started working first I always kept one out for any comings and goings from the stationery cupboard – I was so young and naive then; now I’m older but not really much the wiser.
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Game series worth a full 3D remake

goo Ranking this week looked at a survey entitled which game series would people like to play on a big screen 3D television, which implies that the game series chosen get remade for 3D.

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.

Not placing anywhere on the list is the Doom series – I’d be interested in seeing a 3D remake of at least Doom 1, preferably with the original sprite-based 3D. The source code is out there, so I’m sure some enterprising soul will remake it (if they haven’t already) for a 3D-supporting device.

And just in case you are wondering what “Loveplus” is, perhaps this will explain:


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How to steal a Japanese girl away

Today’s bit of fun from goo Ranking is a look at what one might do if someone they fancied already had a boyfriend or girlfriend, for both men trying to steal women and women trying to steal men.

Demographics

Over the 23rd and 24th of August 2010 1,127 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.3% of the sample were female, 11.7% in their teens, 16.5% in their twenties, 29.0% in their thirties, 23.2% in their forties, 10.9% in their fifties, and 8.7% 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 can speak from experience that for guys to do 1 or 2, and especially both 1 and 2, is the quickest way to convince her you’re gay, or at least completely and utterly herbivorous! Towards the bottom of both lists are techinques that seem pretty much guaranteed to start a fist fight or a cat fight, and as for the second last for men, I think some people have been watching far too many Hollywood romances! Finally, I’m most surprised to see that spreading rumours comes dead last in the women’s list.
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How to spot a dried-up woman in Japan

An interesting recent ranking survey from goo Ranking looked at the phenomenon of himono-onna, or woman who while young has abandoned love, to quote the dictionary.

Demographics

Over the 23rd and 24th of August 2010 1,127 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.3% of the sample were female, 11.7% in their teens, 16.5% in their twenties, 29.0% in their thirties, 23.2% in their forties, 10.9% in their fifties, and 8.7% 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.

Hotaru no Hikaru, a dried-up woman

The picture above is from a recent television drama, Hotaru no Hikari, where the lead character is the said dried-up woman type. The Japanese text says “A dried-up woman is someone who eats straight out of the pan.”
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Spotting a Japanese masochist

A recent survey from goo Ranking looked at a word from English (a letter, actually) that has lost something in translation. The letter is M (for masochist), but as you will see from this survey of what aspects of someone’s character makes people think they might be M, for both women and men, it could just as easily be M for meek. Note that S, which appears in the answers below, is for sadist.

Demographics

Over the 23rd and 24th of August 2010 1,127 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.3% of the sample were female, 11.7% in their teens, 16.5% in their twenties, 29.0% in their thirties, 23.2% in their forties, 10.9% in their fifties, and 8.7% 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.

Another popular survey translation of mine on fetishes also illustrates the loss in translation.
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When young Japanese girls look like old women

Here’s a little bit of fun from goo Ranking, looking at what actions by young girls bring out their old woman character.

Demographics

Over the 23rd and 24th of August 2010 1,127 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.3% of the sample were female, 11.7% in their teens, 16.5% in their twenties, 29.0% in their thirties, 23.2% in their forties, 10.9% in their fifties, and 8.7% 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.

Hopefully they do the male equivalent soon, which of course I will translate as soon as I see it.
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PC recycling law still mostly unknown

Do you know about the PC Recycle Law? graph of japanese statisticsIn this recent survey from goo Research, reported on by japan.internet.com, into the PC Recycle Law, the vast majority who knew it well reckoned it worked to at least some degree.

Demographics

On the 6th of September 2010 1,084 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 52.6% of the sample were male, 16.0% in their teens, 17.5% in their twenties, 21.2% in their thirties, 16.5% in their forties, 16.3% in their fifties, and 12.5% aged sixty or older.

I never got any explanation about the law, nor did I see anything in the manual, when I bought my computer nor my LCD monitor, which should also be covered.

I know somone who was too stingy to pay the 4,000 yen or so to throw out an ancient LCD monitor, so instead he dismantled it and chucked it out (in the correct recycle bins, I he must add) bit by bit.
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Top twenty pricey perceptions of Japanese goods

Here’s an interesting survey from goo Ranking, looking at what people think that compared to overseas is far too expensive in Japan.

Demographics

Over the 23rd and 24th of August 2010 1,127 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.3% of the sample were female, 11.7% in their teens, 16.5% in their twenties, 29.0% in their thirties, 23.2% in their forties, 10.9% in their fifties, and 8.7% 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.

With the recent appreciation in the yen, prices have got a bit closer, but looking at the list, number 1 is fair enough for city property, although land in the countryside is often ridiculously cheap. Homes are perhaps comparable in price, but certainly not comparable in terms of floor space or build quality! Pizzas are stupidly expensive, but I’m not really sure about US university fees, although compared to many places in Europe they are, as further education costs are heavily regulated or even non-existent. An hour on Japanese motorways costs about the same as a week-long or more carte for German, Swiss or Austrian motorways, but petrol is similar in price to Europe. Movies are expensive, although the concessions are cheaper and more importantly there’s no-one talking on phones, shining laser pointers or otherwise disrupting movies in Japan. My monthly minutes (30 minutes) for my mobile is about the same price as a plan with 500 minutes or more in the UK, and it costs me close to 100 yen to load just the specially-designed Japanese mobile-friendly home page on Twitter! Foreign brands are heavily marked-up, but personal tax (income and sales tax) in Japan is low, although the national insurance component has been slowly creeping up as of late.

The others I disagree with are tropical fruits – all fruits are expensive, and alcohol. The average pint in the pub or carry-out can of mainstream beer is more expensive that the west, but there’s always the all-you-can-drink option, and in supermarkets the own-brands of firewater – chu-hai fruity alcopops, gut-rot whisky and the two litre sake bottles – have a pretty good price/performance ratio.

Oh, and everyone seems to have forgotton rice, which is kept expensive by the government to keep small farmers farming.
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