世論 What Japan Thinks

MyVoice surveyed thier community at the start of May to find out what their plans were for the upcoming 2006 FIFA World Cup™. They got 14,800 replies to their private internet questionnaire, with 54% of the respondents female. 4% were in their teens, 22% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 23% in their forties, and 12% in their fifties.

I’d like to watch a number of the World Cup matches, but sadly wifey controls the remote! I’ll probably have to make do with the highlights on news programs, which will no doubt be 95% covering the Japanese team, then 5% for the rest of the matches. I’ve got little confidence in Zico as the manager; despite him winning the silverware at the Asian Cup, I just don’t warm to him.

The press seems to have already written off the qualifying round as a mere formality despite Croatia being rather strong, and of course there’s Brazil there too.
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With the rainy season soon approaching (or already approached, if you live in Okinawa), the fifth of Japan’s unique four seasons, MyVoice surveyed their community to find out what they thought regarding umbrellas. At the start of May they got 14,823 replies to their web-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, 4% were in their teens, 21% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 24% in their forties, and 12% aged fifty or older.

I own, or at least frequently use perhaps four brollies; my most commonly used is one from Huis Ten Bosch, followed by an extremely tatty fold-up tartan effort I keep in the office for emergencies. My favourite is a Tarepanda one, and I have a slightly posh fold-up brollie with a street scene of Berlin on it.
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MyVoice surveyed their monitor community at the start of April this year to find out what they thought about detox. 15,145 members responded to the internet-based questionnaire; 46% of them were male, and 4% were in their teens, 22% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 24% in their forties, and 11% in their fifties.

The Japanese do seem to love their fad diets and other general health quackery. Germanium sticky pads do seem rather popular these days, replacing the rotating magnet as the most useless product heavily promoted on TV, although these neckbands of titanium are still heavily touted, and I saw an ad at the weekend suggesting that germanium ones are going to be big. I expect the Japan World Cup team to be sporting some of these wastes of cash in Germany next month.
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My Voice recently performed a survey to see that the members of their internet community thought about airlines and their image. They interviewed 15,121 people via a private internet-based questionnaire. The group was 46% male, with 3% teenagers, 22% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 24% in their forties, and 12% in their fifties.

Perhaps slightly suprisingly the local carriers come out on top, despite both ANA and JAL reporting high-profile problems with some of their fleet. I like Lufthansa myself, and Northwest’s food is awful and the staff scary soccer moms!
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Continuing my recent alcohol theme, and to get all seasonal, this time MyVoice looked at what people thought about 梅酒, umeshu, or Plum Wine. 15,579 members of their MyVoice Community, 54% female, completed their internet-based questionnaire at the start of March. In the sample there were 23% in their twenties, 40% in their thirties, 25% in their forties, and 12% in their fifties.

For me, umeshu is just too sweet and has an artificial flavour, even in those brands that are 100% natural ingredients. Although the adverts for it are almost exclusively female-oriented, I am surprised that less than a quarter identified it as a feminine drink. Almost two in five chose it as a health drink, which is not really surprising as a lot of people hear a snippet of health news (or even quackery) and take it to heart; for instance, one famous actor recently admitted to drinking over two bottles of red wine a day, and another model quaffed about 18 cups of coffee, both convinced that since both these substances in moderation have certain benefits, one cannot take too much of them.
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MyVoice surveyed the members of its MyVoice community at the start of March to find out what they thought regarding bath time. 15,895 people responded to the internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample was female, with 4% in their teens, 23% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 23% in their forties, and 12% aged fifty or over.

Modern Japanese bathrooms are very automated these days – the standard for most new developments is to have a tap-free automaticaly filling bath, with temperature maintenance and fitted air conditioner. My dwelling, for instance, has one push to start the tub going, then it will maintain the temperature until we are ready to enter. The bathroom itself has a four-way air conditioner – heat, cool, dehumidify, and heat plus dehumidifying for drying clothes.

Note also that many homes have the bathroom as a separate room from the toilet or wash hand basin, so there is no need for a shower curtain as the whole room is waterproof.
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MyVoice carried out another of their quirky surveys at the start of March, asking 15,608 members of their MyVoice internet community about their blissful alcohol moments. 46% of the respondents to their internet questionnaire were male, with 24% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 25% in their forties, and 12% in their fifties.

The average Japanese person’s moment of alcoholic bliss is a standard beer whilst eating a meal with the spouse in the living room.

My all too rare, sadly, moments of bliss with alcohol are a cool evening sitting with wifey outside a European bar or cafe sipping a cool continental lager or weissbier.

Oh, and this is my 200th post – if I had some beer in the house I’d raise a glass in celebration!
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MyVoice carried out a survey at the start of February to find out about the image of various mobile phone companies. This is the fifth time they have carried out this survey, but the first time I have translated one! They interviewed 16,172 members of their MyVoice community by means of an internet questionnaire. 46% of the sample was male, 3% teenagers, 24% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 24% in their forties, and 11% in their fifties.

vodafone really has a terrible reputation in Japan, certianly amongst the English speaking community, mainly based around their reception coverage, as they apparently measure reception at the city office of each district in Japan, and if they get a signal there they claim to have coverage for the whole district, or so I have heard.

Note that this survey was taken before the recent news about Vodafone pulling out of the Japanese market (probably) broke.
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MyVoice carried out a survey of its community at the start of this month to see what they thought about self-service (counter service only) coffee shops. 16,311 people, 46% male, completed their internet questionnaire. 3% were teenagers, 24% in their twenties, 37% in their thirties, 24% in their forties, and 12% fifty years old or over.

Japan is apparently the only country in the world (sorry, I can’t find a definite statement of the statistics) where the Coca-Cola Company make more money (or sell more by volume, or something) with a drink other than their signature fizzy brown bevarage, namely their line of Georgia canned coffee, which are, on the whole, either over-sugary, over-milky (a friend got kidney stones from drinking six or eight cans a day and hardly any other liquids, bar beer) or over-bitter for my taste.

Also note that in Japan there is little tradition of carrying out a cup of coffee from a shop. Even around Starbucks, almost no-one will drink their coffee anywhere bar the shop; I personally can only recall one time seeing a Japanese person carrying a coffee cup onto a train, for instance.

Finally, most coffee shops are still smoking. Starbucks is non-smoking throughout (except for seating outside, if available), but other chains often have perhaps only have a quarter or less reserved for non-smokers, and little effective segregation. However, note the last question, about why people like their particular favourite chain – only 9.5% choose smoking segregation (all non-smoking was not an option) as a plus, at most just a fifth of the Starbucks fans, versus 9% who choose that smoking is allowed, which is again just about a fifth of those with a favourite other than Starbucks.

I seem to have written far too much about Starbucks already! I’m much more a tea and table service man myself.
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Recently MyVoice performed a timely survey on aspects of hay fever, interviewing 16,259 people, 54% female, by means of a survey of their internet monitor group. In the sample there were 3% teenagers, 23% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 24% in their forties, and 12% in their fifties.

The largest cause of hay fever in Japan is cedar trees, but luckily I am mostly resistant to that, although back in the UK I used to have pretty serious problems with rapeseed (canola) pollen.

In question six there appears 甜茶, tencha, which is apparently some kind of rose-based Chinese herbal tea that I had never heard of, yet over one in five Japanese sufferers drink to alleviate their symptoms.

Another quite popular curative, 凍頂烏龍茶, touchou oolong tea (which has a different Chinese pronounciation, but I can’t find a reference to it) is served hot at one of my favourite restaurants, and it really is a very relaxing digestive after a big meal, but I know nothing about any presumed rhinitis-related benefits!

Q1: Do you suffer from hay fever? (Sample size=16,259)

Yes, serious hay fever	12.0%
Yes, mild hay fever	26.5%
Used to have it but not now	8.5%
Never had hay fever	43.0%
Don’t know what hay fever is	10.1%

Q2: When did you first become aware of having hay fever? (Sample size=either 6,259 or 7,641 approximately, hay fever sufferers)

This year	0.4%
Last year	8.2%
Two or three years ago	17.5%
Four or five years ago	17.2%
Six to ten years ago	17.0%
Over ten years ago	32.1%
Can’t remember	7.0%
No answer	0.7%

Note that since this survey took place at the start of February, before the pollen season properly starts, the number of new sufferers for this year would naturally be very low. However, the 8.2% breaking out last year is a bit of a worrying figure.

Q3: Where or what do you consult for information regarding hay fever? (Sample size=either 6,259 or 7,641 approximately, hay fever sufferers, multiple answer)

Television programs	78.2%
Internet	42.9%
Newspaper column	34.5%
Doctor or pharmacy	33.7%
Word-of-mouth from friends	30.9%
Magazine column	16.4%
Radio program	5.2%
Specialist books	3.1%
Other	2.9%
No answer	1.1%

Q4: What hay fever symptoms are you afflicted by? (Sample size=either 6,259 or 7,641 approximately, hay fever sufferers, multiple answer)

Runny nose	83.3%
Itchy eyes	80.4%
Sneezing	66.9%
Stuffed nose	54.2%
Wooly head	34.3%
Bloodshot eyes	30.1%
Sore throat	19.4%
Sore eyes	16.6%
Headache	14.8%
Itchy all over	10.7%
Coughing	10.4%
Other	2.9%
No answer	1.4%

Q5: What measures do you take to avoid or reduce hay fever symptoms? (Sample size=either 6,259 or 7,641 approximately, hay fever sufferers, multiple answer)

Over-the-counter eyewash, eyedrops	42.0%
Mask	39.7%
Prescription medicine	36.4%
Sweets or gum	31.5%
Over-the-counter internal medicines	28.9%
Over-the-counter nasal sprays or drops	24.8%
Anti-hay fever food and drink	20.5%
Air filter	19.8%
Over-the-counter gargle solution	10.9%
Glasses or goggles	8.5%
Lotion-impregnated tissues	7.7%
Aromatherapy	3.2%
Clothes drier	3.0%
Other over-the-counter medicine	1.9%
Laser treatment	0.7%
Other	3.1%
Don’t use anything in particular	9.8%
No answer	1.3%

Q6: What food or drink do you take to avoid or reduce hay fever symptoms? (Sample size=either 6,259 or 7,641 approximately, hay fever sufferers, multiple answer)

Yogurt or other lactic acid drinks	27.3%
Tencha	22.7%
Sweets or gum	17.4%
Natto	10.3%
Herb tea	7.7%
Shiso leaves, seeds or juice	7.7%
Green vegetables	5.5%
凍頂烏龍茶 Touchou oolong tea	5.1%
Other teas not specifically mentioned	4.8%
Anti-hay fever cool drinks	4.7%
Moromi or apple vinegar, etc	4.2%
Aojiru	3.0%
Guava tea	3.0%
Blue fish	2.4%
Benifuuki tea	1.0%
Tomato skins	1.0%
Other	2.5%
Nothing in particular	41.2%
No answer	2.1%