My favourite hobby – well, it’s not really a hobby, just an excuse to get some fresh air – is doing the garden, although it mostly consists of cutting the grass, watering the plants, and following directions on where to place everything! This survey from MyVoice looked at how the Japanese approached gardening.
Demographics
Over the first five days of August 2008 14,858 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 16% in their twenties, 37% in their thirties, 28% in their forties, and 18% in their fifties.
I wonder if the keenness to grow vegetables is in any way connected with the recent rises in prices of many goods? From our garden we get mint and chives, mainly. We got a Brussels sprout plant but it’s still to sprout. Two years ago we planted oba/shiso and got a huge crop; with 10 leaves costing 80 to 100 yen per pack, and us going through up to 50 per week, 200 yen for a seedling from the garden centre is a wonderful bargain. We’ve got a lot of roses, but although they are lovely in the spring, they really suffer in the summer and we’re just beginning to get some new flowers through, but they’re barely a quarter of the size! Oh, and three weeks ago I had great fun relieving stress by hacking a path through two overgrown bushes. Read the rest of this entry »
You can’t say that I don’t present obscure corners of Japanese opinion (and I’ve got an even more obscure corner for next week!) with this look by MyVoice at dinosaurs.
Demographics
Over the first five days of July 2008 13,867 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, 38% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 16% in their fifties.
When I was a kid I used to have a poster of a T Rex fighting with a triceratops hung on my bedroom wall. When I stayed in Edinburgh there was a shop called Mr Wood’s Fossils that I always wanted to stop at and buy something, but I could never justify the cost!
The physical ailment that seems perhaps not unique to Japan, but at least far more prevelant here is 肩こり, katakori, or stiff shoulders, caused mainly by the tightening and knotting of muscles around the shoulder blades. This recent survey from MyVoice into stiff shoulders and back pain tried to find out more on how people suffer.
Demographics
Over the first five days of June 2008 13,808 members of the MyVoice internet community completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 15% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 17% in their fifties.
Note, stiff shoulders is not aching muscles from, for example, carrying a heavy load all day, but apparently a deep-down tightness in the shoulders. I remeber a couple of years ago at a work health check the doctor did a quick back muscle check on me and was most surprised to report not the slightest hint of stiff shoulders, suggesting I was about the only person he’d seen that week who was problem free.
I did some research on this topic last year and did plan to publish an article, but I never quite got round to it. However, I did discover one very interesting scientific paper that suggests that stiff shoulders is a somatic response to depression. Japanese brought up in the West report very little katakori, but instead displayed more typical Western responses such as headaches. Another study also showed a definite corrolation with stress. Read the rest of this entry »
With yesterday’s G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit survey showing that most people were hoping to see something done about global warming, this survey from MyVoice on the environment explorers these green issues a bit further.
Demographics
Over the first five days of June 2008 13,867 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, 39% in their thirties, 20% in their forties, and 16% in their fifties.
In anticipation of the launch of the iPhone through SoftBank – no, no, please continue reading, this isn’t another iPhone survey, but I must admit it is related – MyVoice decided to conduct a survey into touch panel-equipped mobile devices.
Demographics
Over the first five days of June 2008 13,960 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 1% in their teens, 15% in their twenties, 39% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 16% in their fifties.
In Q1, not surprisingly the Nintendo DS and other touch screen games are out in front, but second is digital camera. Are there that many out there? Similarly the non-iPod touch music player percentage seems a little high to me. I also think a PDA would fall under the “mobile information terminal” classification.
Here’s a short video of the touch-screen cellphone you’re all waiting for…
Although metabo is probably the biggest personal health topic in Japan, this recent survey from MyVoice into health awareness didn’t really touch on it, although it covered other interesting areas.
Demographics
Over the first five days of May 2008 14,369 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, 37% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 17% in their fifties.
With Q7 asking about mobile phone services, there’s a couple of other mobile services I’ve heard about. First is a Singapore trial where bathroom scales communicate with a mobile phone via BlueTooth, which then communicates with a central server to record daily weight changes, etc. Second is an au service in Japan, where by using GPS functionality you can record your own movements and work out speed of running or walking, calories used, etc, etc. Read the rest of this entry »
Over the first five days of May 2008 14,519 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were feamle, 2% in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 38% in their thirtiesm 29% in their forties, and 17% in their fifties.
Weekday breakfast for me is toast and some museli, most often, washed down with a little water in under fifteen minutes on the whole. Weekends are more interesting as I have time to eat more slowly, and have salad, instant soup or freeze-dried miso, and an egg. Having just typed that, I realise this survey would have been more interesting if they’d split weekdays and weekends into separate questions. Read the rest of this entry »
With both mobile phones and still cameras coming with video recording facilities, is there still a market for stand-alone video cameras? This recent survey from MyVoice looked at the usage of video cameras to try to find out. Video cameras covers all stand-alone primarily video-recording devices, including those with tape, memory card or hard disk media.
Demographics
Over the first five days of May 2008 14,326 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, 37% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 17% in their fifties.
My video camera only gets dragged out for foreign holidays, and actually I haven’t copied the tapes to video for the last three years… With the new DiGa, though, there is a digital in from cameras, so perhaps I can get the dubbing done quicker?
With the new AdSense for YouTube features, perhaps I should dust it off and start shooting cat videos? Read the rest of this entry »
A pet hate of mine is that in the UK the idea that you don’t store meats or fish over fresh vegetables is common knowledge, yet despite many television programs on the contents of people’s fridges I’ve never heard a word of warning about this in Japan. To find out what things the Japanese do, MyVoice conducted a survey into how people store food.
Demographics
Over the first five days of May 2008 14,241 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private online questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% were in their teens, 14% in their twenties, 38% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 17% in their fifties.
Cling film reminds me of an awful series of advertisements that would get banned in the UK, as they feature a kid of around ten years old running around with cling film, wrapping things at random, and using static electricity on the film to attract her hair. Read the rest of this entry »
I’ve not been to an arcade myself for ages, nor have I really had the time (or quite frankly, the inclination) to play any games recently. To see what the Japanese are doing, MyVoice took their second look at game usage, although I’m not sure when the first look took place!
Demographics
Over the first five days of May 2008 14,373 members of the MyVoice internet community successfully completed a private on-line questionnaire. 54% of the sample were female, 2% in their teens, 15% in their twenties, 37% in their thirties, 29% in their forties, and 17% in their fifties.
The last two times we were in arcades (or game centres, as they are known in Japan), we spent all our cash on the UFO Catchers with nothing to show. That falls under the category of “prize games” in Q6, and before I next go I’ll be sure to study this video on how to win at them! Read the rest of this entry »
You can’t say that I don’t present obscure corners of Japanese opinion (and I’ve got an even more obscure corner for next week!) with this look by MyVoice at 
The physical ailment that seems perhaps not unique to Japan, but at least far more prevelant here is 肩こり, katakori, or stiff shoulders, caused mainly by the tightening and knotting of muscles around the shoulder blades. This recent survey from MyVoice into 
With yesterday’s 
In anticipation of the launch of the iPhone through SoftBank – no, no, please continue reading, this isn’t another iPhone survey, but I must admit it is related – MyVoice decided to conduct a survey into 
Although 
With the government 
With both mobile phones and still cameras coming with video recording facilities, is there still a market for stand-alone video cameras? This recent survey from MyVoice looked at 
A pet hate of mine is that in the UK the idea that you 
I’ve not been to an arcade myself for ages, nor have I really had the time (or quite frankly, the inclination) to play any games recently. To see what the Japanese are doing, MyVoice took their second look at 
Subscribe to feed