Silly

White Day gifts that make you run a mile

Today is White Day in Japan, a second chance for chocolate makers to sell overpriced gifts; Valentine’s Day in Japan is for women to give gifts to men, so White Day is the day men are expected to return the favour. Thus this survey from goo Ranking looking at what gifts from men would make women run a mile. Furthermore, just to keep the balance, I’ll also present what items their girlfriends pulling from their bag would make men run a mile in the opposite direction.

My White Day gift was a bit of a disaster this year – I had a brush with the ‘flu over the weekend, and today it was pouring down, so I was in no mood for going shopping, so it was just a quick choice of a couple of cakes from a shop on the way home.

Here’s some nice chocolates to celebrate what’s left of the day!

swiss chocolate adapted to japanese habits (27 of 124)
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Hotel Gorilla Dreams and 29 other strangely-named hotels

goo Ranking recently performed a survey looking at what love hotel names people find strange. Love hotels can be found all over Japan, and as the name suggests, they are for use by dating couples wanting a place away from their parents, couples wanting a night out, or indeed for illicit relationships; I should try to dig up figures on the sorts of uses they get put to.

Demographics

The survey was conducted between the 4th and 8th of October 2013 where 1,074 people completed a private web-based questionnaire. 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’ve stayed here:

Chapel Christmas (love hotel), Osaka, Japan

The video below is of room 310 at the Feigning Ignorance Beaver Legend, although there is a distinct lack of feigning or otherwise ignorant beavers on display…

Googling the Japanese names should bring up more information about the places, should a name take your fancy. Note that all the translations are mine so may differ from their real English name, if they have one.
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Scary Sadako

One of Japan’s most recognisable horror icons is Sadako, a long black-haired (covering her face, usually) woman in a white dress that climbs out of your television to deliver a curse. With a new film coming out soon, goo Ranking decided to ask what other kinds of Sadako they would hate to meet.

Demographics

Between the 7th and 9th of July 2013 1,096 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.5% of the sample were female, 24.4% in their teens, 25.2% in their twenties, 24.8% in their thirties, and 25.6% in their forties; there was no-one older than 49 in this 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 found Baseball Sadako pretty disturbing:


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By Ken Y-N, ago

What women think of men on the science track

One way students get classified in Japanese schools and then in their later life is whether they are on a science track or an arts track, so goo Ranking decided to find out what Japanese women think are the slightly lop-sidedness of science-y guys. Hopefully they’ll also do the women and the arts track soon!

Demographics

Between the 17th and 18th of January 2012 1,048 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 61.6% of the sample were female, 12.3% in their teens, 15.6% in their twenties, 27.9% in their thirties, 25.8% in their forties, 9.5% in their fifties, and 8.9% in their sixties. 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 was for the women only.

I can identify with most of the list, I suppose, and those I don’t identify personally with, I know someone in the same line of business who does! The only one that stands out as a bit odd is number 7, they tell logical jokes. Perhaps in Japan it has a different meaning, or perhaps it is as a contrast to slapstick?
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Painful memories of unrequited love

goo Ranking recently looked at painful experiences people had when confessing their love to another.

Demographics

Over the 25th and 26th of November 2011 1,074 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.4% of the sample were female, 11.6% in their teens, 14.7% in their twenties, 26.9% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 10.7% 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.

Note I’ve used “they”, “them”, and “their” rather than “he/she”, “him/her” and “his/her” to make the text more readable, I hope.
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Drunken Japanese FAILs

Woohoo, another FAIL ranking! This time it’s a good one for not just the festive season, but also for tomorrow’s Coming of Age Day, which usually includes getting blootered with your old school mates after (or indeed, before) the ceremony. So, the subject is failures people have had when drunk, conducted by goo Ranking as usual.

Demographics

Over the 25th and 26th of November 2011 1,074 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.4% of the sample were female, 11.6% in their teens, 14.7% in their twenties, 26.9% in their thirties, 25.0% in their forties, 11.1% in their fifties, and 10.7% 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. Further note that the 125 people in their teens would not have been asked this question since they are below the drinking age of 20.

It’s a bit of a cliche, so I’ll skip a photo of number one, and instead find a different kind of crashed-out drunk:

cat_0014

I’ve never had the falling asleep in the train one, although when I first came to Japan in the evenings seemingly random trains decided not to stop at my stop, so it was all too common for me and other foreigner colleagues to end up quite a bit further down the line than we intended…

Looking at the list, I’ve only done four, honest!
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Surprising Japanese parent mad skillz

I think that’s the term young folk would use for this survey from goo Ranking that looked at what people would be surprised to see their parents using like it was second nature.

Demographics

Over the 22nd and 23rd of July 2011 1,114 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 65.4% of the sample were female, 12.3% in their teens, 16.5% in their twenties, 28.6% in their thirties, 24.8% in their forties, 10.1% in their fifties, and 7.7% 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.

Here’s a couple of old folk giving it laldy on Dance Dance Revolution:

Via Japan Probe.
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Curious motorway service station foods

With Golden Week upon us, and with it also being the last holiday for toll road discounts, there will be a lot of people out and about in their cars, and many will be stopping at a service station to eat, where they might have their last chance for a while to try out curious local foods at motorway service stations. I’m on holiday, so you’ll have to make do with silliness for the time being!

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 26th of March 2011 1,070 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-base questionnaire. 53.4% of the sample were female, 10.2% in their teens, 13.1% in their twenties, 24.7% in their thirties, 23.7% in their forties, 13.3% in their fifties, and 15.0% 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.

All the foods link to images or videos of the food.

Can’t say there’s anything there I’ll be rushing out to eat, and number 18 looks a bit suspicious…
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Feeling awkward on the train

goo Ranking recently took a look at what makes people feel uncomfortable on a train.

Demographics

Between the 23rd and 26th of March 2011 1,070 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-base questionnaire. 53.4% of the sample were female, 10.2% in their teens, 13.1% in their twenties, 24.7% in their thirties, 23.7% in their forties, 13.3% in their fifties, and 15.0% 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’d bet that most of my readers would feel irritated or frustrated rather than uncomfortable by someone stealing their seat, but I suppose feeling awkward is a very Japanese reaction. The two number sixes are similar, I think. Personally, I’ve been embarrassed by number two (especially if it includes drooling, snoring and sleeping on someone’s shoulder), number three, and number nine.
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By Ken Y-N, ago