Here’s an interesting topic from MyVoice: since last year was the 29th anniversary of the animation character Kinnikuman, they performed a survey on that very topic of Kinnikuman, which translates as Muscleman.
Demographics
Over the first five days of December 2008 14,858 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 36% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 8% aged fifty or older.
If you’re wondering why the 29th anniversary, the digits 2 and 9 may be read as ni and ku. Additionally, the Kin in his name can also mean Friday, so kin-ni-ku is Friday 29th, which is why that becomes Kinnikuman Day.
If you want more than enough information on Kinnikuman in Japanese, there is the Nikupedia, which as the names suggests is a version of Wikipedia dedicated to Kinnikuman.
For a bit of trivia relevant to English speakers (by the way, the characters were released in the USA in the mid-eighties as M.U.S.C.L.E), the ending theme song for one of the series was sung by Kent Derricott, a Mormon missionary to Japan who became a television personality over here. Here is the video proof:
The winter months are the driest months in Japan, causing many people problems with dry skin and brings a rise in the sales in humidifiers. To see what the average Japanese suffers from and how they cope, MyVoice looked at prevention of dry skin problems.
Demographics
Over the first five days of December 2008 15,073 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 15% in their twenties, 36% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 18% aged fifty or older. Sadly, the answers were not broken down by sex.
I get really bad dry skin in Japan, although to what extent it is from the dry air, from aging, or just from taking more care now I’m married, I couldn’t say. My hands suffer the most, and the creams I use are just my wife’s left-overs!
I also have psoriasis on a couple of spots on my legs, but that doesn’t really count as dry skin. Interesting statistics about it is that it is the most common dematological complaint in most Western countries, but Japanese are 100 times less likely to suffer from it that us whities, although my excellent doctor says the reason is not known; it’s some combination of genetics, lack of sunlight, and being an island race that increases risk factors.
Although this survey does not look at the topic specifically, one of the most popular skin protection methods, from the effects of not just dryness, but also aging, in Japan is collagen drinks, collagen creams and collagen-rich foods. I always felt the effectiveness was overblown, so I was pleased to a story in the Japan Times saying it is indeed a waste of money! (Via Japan Probe).
Another rumour that seems to be doing the rounds is that young people should use cosmetics aimed at those in their fifties or so. Read the rest of this entry »
I wonder how the fear of impending collapse in a number of the car manufacturers will affect their investments into research and development into alternative power sources. However, this survey from MyVoice into electric cars was conducted before the bottom fell out of the manufacturing business, so such worries are not reflected in the results.
Demographics
Over the first five days of November 2008 15,382 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 36% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 19% aged fifty or older.
Although I’m not convinced yet of the overall relative environmental impact of electric vehicles, they go some way to at least displacing pollution. Hybrids like the Toyota Prius are a nice ride once you get used to the gearbox, though, but I can’t see me giving up the train in the forseeable future. Read the rest of this entry »
A subject that pops up every so often is the matter of children and cellphone usage, this time conducted by MyVoice.
Demographics
Over the first five days of November 2008 14,671 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 15% in their twenties, 34% in their thirties, 30% in their forties, and 19% aged fifty or older.
Pictured here is Willcom’s child cellphone from Bandai, the papipo!, with a Tamagochi theme to it. Perhaps it’s just me, but it does look awfully like a toilet seat when folded closed…
In Q3 it’s interesting that in child cellphones, docomo loses out to both au and SoftBank compared to the percentages for adult phone ownership. Read the rest of this entry »
Own brands, or house brands as I think they are known as in the USA, or private brands as they are known in Japan, are the supermarket’s own label items that are sold cheaper than the household brand names. To see what Japan thinks of them, MyVoice performed a survey into own brand products.
Demographics
Over the first five days on November 2008 15,510 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 15% in their twenties, 36% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 18% aged fifty or older.
I try to keep away from own brands in Japan, as I’ve not had very good experiences with them, on the whole. Daiei do fake Kit-Kats, for instance. Their plain ones just don’t have the right chocolate or the crispiness in the wafer, and their flavoured ones are downright nasty!
I think I remember back in the UK there was a web site that listed which own brands were repackaged famous brands; I wonder if such a service exists over here? Read the rest of this entry »
One of the first things one notices, indeed, one cannot avoid getting one’s senses assaulted by them regularly in Japan, is the ubiquitous pachinko parlour. Usage or otherwise of them was the subject matter of this recent survey by MyVoice.
Demographics
Over the first five days of November 2008 15,182 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 6% in their thirties, 30% in their forties, and 18% aged fifty or older.
The only good thing about pachinko are the adverts; one doing the rounds right now is for Star Wars pachinko – I’d love to see Danny Choo doing his Stormtrooper act playing one of these! Another enjoyable one is this:
Second only to teeth, smoking is one of my favourite subjects to cover on this blog, so I hope you too enjoy this recent survey from MyVoice on this very subject.
Demographics
Over the first five days of October 2008 14,473 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 14% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 30% in their forties, and 18% aged fifty or older. Note that since the legal smoking age is 20 years old in Japan, no teenagers took part in this survey.
Note that taspo is an identity card that is needed in order to operate most cigarette machines to serve as proof that the person is holding a card issued to someone over 20. Read the rest of this entry »
Having just got my gold status with Flying Blue and enough points banked for business class to Europe and back – that’s a really poor introduction and sounds just like the boasting that it is! Anyway, today’s survey is from MyVoice, looking at usage of airline mileage services.
Demographics
Over the first five days of October 2008 14,650 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 37% in their thirties, 30% in their forties, and 18% aged fifty or older.
I think KLM are a very good airline, but their Flying Blue partner Air France were a bit iffy the one time I flew cattle class with them, but the main drawback with them is that their trans-Pacific partner is NorthWest. They charge $5 for a drink in economy, yet when I got to my destination in Boston last month I could get a pint of fresh draft at a rather posh hotel for just $4.50. They did upgrade me to business class on the way back, however, which was nice.
I’ve twice used saved ANA points; the first was on magnet pillows – the wife bought them! Next was on a pair of his and her watches that have performed rather well, considering. Read the rest of this entry »
Autumn is probably my favourite season in Japan, but sadly that was not one of the questions posed in this survey from MyVoice, their second look at the taste of Autumn.
Demographics
Over the first five days of October 14,652 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 17% aged fifty or older.
My Autumn foods would have to be the horrendously expensive matsutake mushrooms, although given the price of high quality ones I usually end up eating merely the prepacked off-cuts that come in rice topping kits. I do like chestnuts too, usually eaten with pasta or in chestnut flavour Kit-Kats, which have an almost coffee-like flavour and are well worth hunting down. Read the rest of this entry »
With the Olympics over for another four years and the South Africa World Cup still two years away, this is a good time to take a look with MyVoice at sports, their third look at the subject. Incidentally, if you want to find out more about sports in Japan, be sure to check out this month’s Japan Blog Matsuri on sport in Japan!
Demographics
Over the first five days of October 2008 14,560 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 15% in their twenties, 37% in their thirties, 30% in their forties, and 17% aged fifty or older.
I don’t have time to watch sport on the television, especially with wall-to-wall baseball, in which I have zero interest, and even if I had the time, the wife owns the remote control…
I used to be a big Formula 1 fan, having attended Suzuka thrice, but even though last month I came across the start of the Japan Grand Prix live on television, both Hamilton and Coulthard piled up on the first lap and the Fuji circuit was totally unfamiliar to me, so I gave up and did the hoovering instead. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s an interesting topic from MyVoice: since last year was the 29th anniversary of the animation character Kinnikuman, they performed a survey on that very topic of Kinnikuman, which translates as Muscleman.
The winter months are the driest months in Japan, causing many people problems with dry skin and brings a rise in the sales in humidifiers. To see what the average Japanese suffers from and how they cope, MyVoice looked at 
I wonder how the fear of impending collapse in a number of the car manufacturers will affect their investments into research and development into alternative power sources. However, this survey from MyVoice into 
A subject that pops up every so often is the matter of 
Own brands, or house brands as I think they are known as in the USA, or private brands as they are known in Japan, are the supermarket’s own label items that are sold cheaper than the household brand names. To see what Japan thinks of them, MyVoice performed a survey into 
One of the first things one notices, indeed, one cannot avoid getting one’s senses assaulted by them regularly in Japan, is the ubiquitous 
Second only to 
Having just got my gold status with Flying Blue and enough points banked for business class to Europe and back – that’s a really poor introduction and sounds just like the boasting that it is! Anyway, today’s survey is from MyVoice, looking at 
Autumn is probably my favourite season in Japan, but sadly that was not one of the questions posed in this survey from MyVoice, their second look at the 
With the Olympics over for another four years and the South Africa World Cup still two years away, this is a good time to take a look with MyVoice at 
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