Strange things in Japanese companies

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Here’s a quick but fun survey from goo Ranking for your Sunday enjoyment; what did you feel uncomfortable about after starting your very first job after graduation.

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. Only the single people were asked today’s questions.

When I started in a Japanese company because I knew so little of the language and the customs everything felt strange! Perhaps oddest was getting a uniform; not just a jacket, but also official trousers made out of extremely itchy nylon and cut to Japanese shapes. I lasted 5 minutes in them before I consigned them to the back of the wardrobe.
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Getting motivated at work

When your get-up-and-go has got up and gone, what do you do? That’s the question that goo Ranking asked recently. The answers were also ranked for men and women.

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. Only the single people were asked today’s questions.

For me, I find a blog and moan to get all of the negative emotions out of way!
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Things to give up when married

Two silly rankings for the price of one today! This time goo Ranking looked at what people think they’ll have to give up once they marry, for both men and women.

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. Only the single people were asked today’s questions.

For me, I realised that I’d have to give motorbike riding, not that that was much of a hardship in Japan as for three months it’s too cold and for four it’s far too hot to ride, and living around Osaka it’s a long ride before you get to much in the way of interesting terrain. Just about everything else I had to give up was a good thing, from beer to regular delivery pizza.

Number 5 for women is a telling one, as are the two 15s for men…

What will you or did you regret giving up for marriage?
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Getting all nostalgic about the Eighties

This week goo Ranking decided to report on what in vogue items or fashions from the 1980s do people get nostalgic about when they look back on them.

Demographics

Over the 21st and 22nd of February 2008 1,052 people from the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.7% were female, 6.4% in their teens, 15.7% in their twenties, 31.0% in their thirties, 26.6% in their forties, 11.2% in their fifties, and 9.1% 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.

This is a difficult one for me to answer, as I was never really into the fads myself during that time. Music brings back certain memories, so thinking about that it’s probably the silly hair from people like Kajagoogoo, Duran Duran, Adam Ant or the sharp suits of Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet and the rest of the New Romantic boom that would spark not a longing for the actual music or styles, but just to be there again and do things differently or just do the same things all over again.

All photos have been appropriated from random websites via Google Image Search…
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Talking to dead people

Here’s another strange ranking from goo Ranking, this time looking at which historical figure you’d like to talk to in a seance.

Demographics

Over the 21st and 22nd of February 2008 1,052 people from the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.7% were female, 6.4% in their teens, 15.7% in their twenties, 31.0% in their thirties, 26.6% in their forties, 11.2% in their fifties, and 9.1% 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.

Pretending for a minute that seances are nothing more than ways to part fools from their money, I’d choose to talk to Leonardo Da Vinci. He does seem a bit of a strange omission, as is Michelangelo, especially as Galileo makes an appearance.

I also suspect they filtered out answers for founders of religions and sects, which is a bit disappointing, so I’ll ask you instead:

Which religious figure would you like to talk to in a seance?

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Appreciated appreciation societies

This week’s silliness is from goo Ranking as usual, this time looking at what unique appreciation societies people might like to join.

Demographics

Over the 21st and 22nd of February 2008 1,052 people from the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.7% were female, 6.4% in their teens, 15.7% in their twenties, 31.0% in their thirties, 26.6% in their forties, 11.2% in their fifties, and 9.1% 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.

I’m not sure what the exact selection criteria for these societies were; was it a hand-picked list and people chose the most interesting to them, or was it a free answer?

Number 1 is a great choice, and a good excuse to link to Neil Duckett’s pottering about around the Yamanote Line in Tokyo, as I’ve done that a few times myself around areas I thought I was familiar with, but it’s quite fascinating to just wander about taking in the atmosphere. I don’t know if I’d like the actual pottering as a group activity, but having somewhere to swap photos and chat about one’s discoveries would be fun.

I’d probably also want to join a Gaijins Who Don’t Like Hanging Out With Other Gaijins Appreciation Society. No wait…
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Behaving like an old git in Japan

This Sunday’s fun is from goo Ranking as usual, this time looking at moments when you want to say “That’s because you’re an old git!”, and to follow up, what old gits think about the kids today.

Demographics

Over the 21st and 22nd of February 2008 1,052 people from the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.7% were female, 6.4% in their teens, 15.7% in their twenties, 31.0% in their thirties, 26.6% in their forties, 11.2% in their fifties, and 9.1% 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.

I can’t say I suffer from any of the old git activities listed in Q1, at least I hope not, except for the moaning about work, but at least my moaning is justified! For Q2, the one thing that does confuse me is the fashion for trouser crotches around the knees in men. To preserve their modesty, even school trousers seem to come in high waistband size, so it just looks exceedingly silly and I wish they’d all stop it! Next comes sloppy speech, all the “maji yabee!” and “ore saa”. Uggh!
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Friends’ scary home life

Continuing the running a mile series, this fun survey from goo Ranking looks at what stuff in a friend of the opposite sex who lives alone’s room makes you want to run a mile, for both men looking at women’s rooms and women looking at men’s rooms.

Demographics

Bewteen the 22nd and 25th of January 2008 1,126 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.4% of the sample was female, 3.6% in their teens, 15.8% in their twenties, 35.1% in their thirties, 27.3% in their forties, 11.0% in their fifties, and 7.3% 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.

This survey is looking at friends who invite you round to their home for just an innocent visit, but they are also the sort of friend you might consider going out with. I haven’t a clue what sort of woman might have cigars lying around the house, though, but I don’t think I’d hang around to find out… Similarly I don’t know what women were thinking when they rated men with bunny ears so highly; are there really than many guys with them?
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Oh bugger!

As I just had one of them today, I thought I’d publish this silly goo Ranking two days early; the survey looks at the moment when you realise you mucked up or encountered some other disaster of your own making, for both men and women.

Demographics

Over the 21st and 22nd of February 2008 1,052 people from the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.7% were female, 6.4% in their teens, 15.7% in their twenties, 31.0% in their thirties, 26.6% in their forties, 11.2% in their fifties, and 9.1% 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 “oh bugger!” moment was going to work and realising that today is actually a special holiday; we get four a year at work, and as yesterday (Thursday 20th March) was the spring equinox, a Japan public holiday, they decided to declare Friday a special holiday, so I turned up to a locked office! Oh bugger! Oh, and wifey did the women’s number 23 yesterday, remembering to hang out everything except my bath towel, although it was me rather than her who said “Oh bugger!”

By the way, I hope you don’t mind my use of language – I use the rule of thumb that I don’t write anything I wouldn’t want my mother reading, and as “oh bugger!” is just about the only swearword I’ve ever heard her use, if you are offended, please email my mother…

And for your enjoyment:

Or this link to YouTube for those with embedded objects turned off.

What do you think of this survey?

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Feeling over the hill in Japan

Here’s a fun topic for a Sunday evening from the masters of silliness, goo Ranking, looking at the moment after one passed 30 years old when one felt one’s age, for both men and women.

Demographics

Bewteen the 22nd and 25th of January 2008 1,126 members of the goo Research monitor panel completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54.4% of the sample was female, 3.6% in their teens, 15.8% in their twenties, 35.1% in their thirties, 27.3% in their forties, 11.0% in their fifties, and 7.3% aged sixty or older. Presumably those under thirty were excluded from the sample. 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 personally don’t really worry about feeling my age; there’s not really anything that can be done about it, and brooding over it just makes me feel depressed. If I had to pick an answer, I’d probably say it’s not being able to stay out, or more likely, stay on the computer until 4 am then recover easily, although I think that is partially age and partially married life…
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