Demographics

Over the 4th and 5th of April 2013 1,101 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.6% of the sample were male, 23.3% in their teens, 25.2% in their twenties, 25.5% in their thirties, and 26.1% 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.

Number 3 I get quite a bit, but I put it down to either my bad Japanese or funny accent… To be honest, I’ve probably heard most of the list at one time or another…

Ranking results

Q1: What casual words from female friends hurt? (Sample size=557, male)

Rank		Score
1=	Eh? You were there?	100
1=	Sorry, but just be quiet for a bit	100
3	I don’t know what you’re saying	85.5
4	And yet you seem attractive to women, right?	74.2
5	By the way, you understand the meaning of what was said?	71.0
6=	I see… and the punchline is?	66.1
6=	Your salary’s unexpectedly low!	66.1
6=	You’re diligent indeed.	66.1
9	Even though you’re a guy you do that?	62.9
9=	Don’t they say you’re different?	62.9
11=	You never learn!	59.7
11=	That stuff you talked about, I’d heard it before	59.7
11=	What if you were a bit more masculine?	59.7
14=	It would be better if you knew more about the world	53.2
14=	And you’re not married?	53.2
14=	You look older than your age	53.2
17	You’re cute!	51.6
18	It’s OK, I wasn’t expecting you to achieve that anyway	45.2
19	Talking with you feels like when I’m talking with my girl friends	33.9
20=	Your name and your face don’t match	32.3
20=	When people get to know you well they’ll realise you’re a good person	32.3
20=	You’re cool in your old photos	32.3
23=	Your clothes were all the rage last year, right?	27.4
23=	You can cook?	27.4
25	You fair put the food away	25.8

Q2: What casual words from male friends hurt? (Sample size=544, female)

Rank		Score
1	Sorry, but just be quiet for a bit	100
2	You understand the meaning of what was said?	97.1
3	I don’t know what you’re saying	95.7
4	That stuff you talked about, I’d heard it before	91.4
5	Eh? You were there?	82.9
6	It would be better if you knew more about the world	78.6
7	You never learn!	75.7
8=	It’s OK, I wasn’t expecting you to achieve that anyway	70.0
8=	Don’t they say you’re different?	70.0
10	You can cook?	68.6
11	You’re diligent indeed.	65.7
12	I see… and the punchline is?	61.4
13	And you’re not married?	57.1
14	What if you were a bit more feminine?	55.7
15	And yet you seem attractive to men, right?	54.3
16	Even though you’re a girl you do that?	44.3
17	You look more mature than your age	42.9
18	You fair put the food away	41.4
19	You’re cute in this Print Club photo	40.0
20=	You usually don’t bother being elegent	38.6
20=	You’re cute in your old photos	38.6
22	Talking with you feels like when I’m talking with my guy friends	30.0
23	Your clothes were all the rage last year, right?	27.1
24	When people get to know you well they’ll realise you’re a good person	24,3
25	Your name and your face don’t match	21.4
26	Today’s a no make up day, right!	20.0
27	You’re carrying on like a guy	18.6
28	That’s quite a boyish name	17.1
29	Your salary’s unexpectedly low!	14.3
30	You’re cool!	10.0

First, when asked how much they loved it, 2% said it was to die for, 32% loved it, 43% liked it, 18% had no particular preferences, just 4% didn’t really like it, a rounded 0% hated it, and no-one would die rather than eat it! I’m in the like category.

Next, regarding whether it was better hot or cold, 44% chose hot, 24% had no preference, 6% preferred it cold, 25% liked it hot in winter and cold in summer, and 1% disliked it either way.

Regarding when they liked to eat it, women had more preferences than me in almost every category; just under a half of both sexes chose at lunchtime, 27% anf 34% of women in cold weather, 24% of men and 35% when their didn’t want to spend time or effort eating anything else, and so on down. The two times that men prefered it more than women was any time (24% versus 22%) and after drinking, 7% versus 2%!

Now, an interesting question; there are two main variants of broth that udon is served with; Kanto dashi from the Tokyo region, and Kansai dashi from the Osaka area. Kansai dashi is an almost clear broth subtly flavoured with kombu seaweed, Kanto dashi is basically 90% soy sauce, or at least that’s how it tastes to me! The results of this question were split by the regions of Japan; 25% to 30% of those in East Japan prefered Kanto dashi, versus under 5% in the West. Tokai, which is the Nagoya area was in no-man’s land, with about 18% siding with Kanto. About 35% in East Japan liked both styles equally, whilst under 10% in the West did. Kyushu, however, had about 18% sitting on the fence. Interestingly, even in Kanto itself more prefered Kansai dashi (about 33%), and a few percent more in other eastern and northern areas were also so inclined. In Kansai, over 90% supported the home team, and about 80% in parts further west.

When asked what flavouring accents they liked, sliced green onions was tops with 90%, chili-based spices was second at about 66%, then bonita fish flakes at 28% or so. Yuzu, citrus peel, was just under 20% despite being my favourite.

Ahh, I’ve got all hungry now!

Demographics

Over the 25th and 26th of March 2013 520 smartphone users completed an internet-based survey. The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, and 20:20:20:20:20 people in the age bands teens, twenties, thirties, forties and fifties.

As I am not on an unlimited packet deal, I mostly just game on my smartphone, with the occasional SNS access when I am in a station with Wi-Fi!

Research results

Q1: Which of the following do you do with your smartphone? (Sample size=520, multiple answer)

	All	Male	Female
News search, viewing (to SQs)	73.0%	81.9%	63.1%
Map-based destination, shop search	54,2%	55.8%	52.7%
Game	51.5%	50.8%	51.5%
Communication with friends on SNS	44.6%	38.1%	51.2%
Taking, editing photos	40.0%	31.2%	48.8%
Listening to music	38.8%	41.2%	36.5%
Schedule management	34.8%	36.5%	33.1%
Blog reading, writing	31.2%	26.5%	35.8%
Recipie search	28.7%	12.3%	45.0%
Entering competitions, gathering points at promotional, point sites	28.1%	27.3%	28.8%

Q1SQ1: What genres of news do you read, search? (Sample size=380, multiple answer)

	All	Male	Female
Celebrities, entertainment	71.3%	63.4%	81.4%
Society, crime	70.8%	71.8%	69.5%
Politics	66.1%	75.1%	54.5%
Sports	57.4%	62.4%	50.9%
Financial, economics	50.3%	62.0%	35.3%

Q1SQ2: What news sites, applications do you read, search? (Sample size=380, multiple answer)

Yahoo! News	83.2%
Google News	31.1%
2-channel Highlight News	17.1%
NAVER Highlights	12.1%
Nikkei Newspaper electronic version	9.2%
mixi News	6.8%
Asahi Newspaper Digital	6.3%
Yomiuri Online	6.1%
livedoor News	5.5%
MSN Financial News	5.5%
LINE News	5.0%

By age group and sex, predictable trends were seen; NAVER was used by over a third of teenage girls, 2 channel by a third of men in their twenties, mixi by nearly a quarter of twenties females, and the Nikkei (Japan’s Financial Times) by just over a quarter of men in their fifties.

Demographics

Between the 9th and 15th of April 2013 7,089 members of the DIMSDRIVE monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 58.4% of the sample were male, 0.4% in their teens, 4.4% in their twenties, 18.6% in their thirties, 30.6% in their forties, 25.7% in their fifties, and 20.3% aged sixty or older.

My wife uses a lot of them every day! When we hang our quilts out to air, we use one which is supposed to prevent pollen sticking to the covers, so I suppose that’s OK, but just about every fabric surface in the house also gets sprayed with various potions that don’t seem to do much except make the floor a little sticky! It also seems a cop-out on the housework; shall I do some detailed cleaning, or shall I just squirt something over everything that doesn’t move?

Research results

Q1: What household smells are you concerned about? (Sample size=7,089, multiple answer)

Toilet smells	36.1%
Drain smells	31.5%
Rubbish smells	31.1%
Sweat, body odour	27.8%
Fried food and other post-cooking smells	27.3%
Washing, clothes smells (including drying smells)	22.2%
Shoe smells	21.7%
Tobacco smells	19.1%
Mold, etc smells	18.3%
Pet smells	12.6%
Vehicle smells	9.8%
Other	1.0%
Not concerned about any household smells	21.0%

Q2: Do you currently use a commercial deodoriser (excluding body use items) at home? (Sample size=7,089)

Yes (to SQ1)	62.0%
No (to SQ9)	34.3%
Don’t know	3.7%

Q2SQ1: What kinds of deodorisers do you use? (Sample size=4,399, multiple answer)

Toilet use	72.2%
Room use	65.7%
Clothes, fabric use	44.3%
Refrigerator use	23.6
Rubbish, drain use	14.5%
Pet use	8.3%
Bath use	2.9%
Other	1.4%
Don’t know	0.7%

Q2SQ2: What style of deodoriser delivery mechanisms do you use? (Sample size=4,399, multiple answer)

Mist spray	68.2%
Counter-top	40.5%
Hanging (in closet, etc)	14.7%
Spray can	10.2%
Other	0.4%
Don’t know	2.8%

Q2SQ3: How often do you use these sprays? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users)

Every day	15.5%
Five or six times a week	7.0%
Three or four times a week	17.6%
Once or twice a week	31.9%
Twice or thrice a month	14.5%
Once a month	4.4%
Less than once a month	6.1%
Don’t know	3.0%

Q2SQ4: What scents are the sprays you are currently using? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users, multiple answer)

Unscented	28.9%
Floral (other than lavender, rose)	19.5%
Greenery, forest	17.7%
Green tea	17.0%
Citrus	12.9%
Soap	12.7%
Rose	12.2%
Lavender	10.2%
Herb	6.2%
Mint	6.2%
Non-citrus fruit	3.2%
Tropical	2.6%
Other	1.2%
Don’t know	5.6%

Q2SQ5: What kinds of items do you use these sprays on? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users, multiple answer)

Clothes (other than suits, just dried clothes)	48.8%
Suits, uniforms	43.9%
Carpets, rugs	43.3%
Bed, pillows	41.8%
Curtains	40.7%
Sofa, cushions	40.0%
Bags, shoes, hats, etc	20.9%
Just dried clothes	15.9%
Vehicles	13.1%
Kotatsu (hot table)	12.3%
Pet items	5.4%
Baby items	0.8%
Other	1.2%
Don’t know	0.3%

Q2SQ6: Where do you buy these sprays? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users, multiple answer)

Drug store	77.2%
Supermarket	33.0%
Home centre	24.9%
Discount store	15.5%
100 yen shop	3.7%
Mail-order	1.5%
Convenience store	0.9%
Other	0.3%
Don’t remember	0.2%
Don’t buy them myself	1.9%

Q2SQ7: What brand do you use the most? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users)

Febreeze (P&G)	57.5%
Resesh (Kao)	28.5%
Flair Fragrance Clothes Refresh Mist (Kao)	4.8%
Look Kirei no Mist Bedding Use (Lion)	1.1%
Style Care Clothes Mist (Kao)	1.0%
Unscented Air and Cloth Deodorant Mist (Kobayashi Seiyaku)	0.9%
Room Deodorant Power Scented Shower (Este)	0.8%
Clothes Style Guard (Lion)	0.5%
Fansu (Daiichi Sekken)	0.1%
Clothes Kirei Kirei (Lion)	0.1%
Naturease (Kobayashi Seiyaku)	0.1%
Air Deodorant Ion Mist (Okamoto Sangyou)	0.1%
Habinasu Deodorant Mist (Vision)	0.1%
Aller-jet (Fumikilla)	0.0%
Etiquette and Travel Clothes Deodorant Spray (Koji Honpo)	0.0%
Gatsby Wear Deodorant Spray (Mandom)	0.0%
Other	1.8%
Don’t know	2.5%

Q2SQ8: What are the important points regarding clothes and fabric deodorant sprays? (Sample size=1,714, clothes, fabric use mist spray users, multiple answer)

Strong deodoring power	55.7%
Kind of scent	53.2%
Price	45.6%
Has refill packs	28.8%
Has anti-bacterial effect	26.4%
No, little effect on people	22.1%
Doesn’t discolour items easily	21.5%
Easy to use, easy to grip	20.3%
Active ingredients like green tea extract, silver ions, etc	20.0%
Unscented	19.2%
Strong, weak scent	18.8%
Capacity of spray	18.4%
Long-lasting scent	16.0%
Maker, brand	15.6%
Fineness of mist	13.5%
Quick-drying	9.2%
Number of sprays per bottle	7.9%
Bottle design	4.8%
Can use as hayfever countermeasure	4.4%
Bottle shape	4.3%
Other	0.1%
Nothing in particular	1.3%

This final question was for those who do not use deodorants.

Q2SQ9: Why do you not use deodorants? (Sample size=2,431, those who don’t use deodorant, multiple answer)

Not necessary to use	21.1%
Expensive	17.7%
Don’t like the smell	17.4%
Deodorant effect is (seems) poor	15.5%
No products I might want to buy	10.5%
Not good for humans, pets	9.7%
Difficult to use	4.2%
Discolours items	3.2%
Use something other than commercial products	2.1%
Might leave a smell of gas, etc	1.8%
Not sold in the shops I frequent	0.5%
Other	2.6%
No particular reason	31.4%

The top choice was white with 69.7%, 26.2% for long, and just 4.2% for thinning. Sadly I fall into the last category only. 46.7% of teenage girls selected long hair, dropping to 34.6% for those in their twenties, and from thirty upwards it was in the twenties range. However, even amongst teenage girls, white hair was the top preference. This photo might be one reason thinning hair is not popular…

Demographics

Between the 17th and 19th of April 2013 1,079 momembers of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private mobile phone and smartphone-based questionnaire. 57.7% of the sample were female, 3.2% in their teens, 20.3% in their twenties, 37.1% in their thirties, 26.5% in their forties, and 12.9% aged fifty or older.

I watch mobile video occasionally, mostly streaming cat videos from YouTube…

Research results

Q1: How often do you watch video on your mobile phone, smartphone? (Sample size=1,079)

Often (to SQ1)	14.5%
Occasionally (to SQ1)	44.4%
Just once or twice (to SQ1)	27.1%
Never	12.0%
Cannot watch video on mobile phone	2.0%

Q1SQ: What kinds of video do you watch video on your mobile phone, smartphone? (Sample size=927, multiple answer)

Mobile phone streaming	63.3%
Playback of video shot on own phone	33.4%
Mobile phone download	33.0%
Playback of video emailed by friend	11.7%
Video transferred from PC	8.3%
Other	3.3%

Since the first time the survey was conducted in September 2011, the percentage of video watchers has increased steadily. Looking at individual trends, the streaming percentage has remained roughly constant, but the other major categories, playback of own video, of downloaded video, and of emailed video have all been on a downward trend.

When asked if they thought their pet cats were Maneki Neko, 82.%% said yes, 4.1% no, and 13.4% couldn’t say. When asked what exactly people thought their cats brought in, 76.9% said healing power, 71.5% happy times, 56.7% laughs, 28.5% family (eh?), 23.8% careful cleaning (perhaps they thought they copied with the hoover their cat’s careful grooming?) 14.2% health, 11.8% sound sleep, 11.7% good luck, 11.3% work, 9.4% friends, 8.2% hobbies, and 7.4% financial good fortune.

Demographics

Over the 25th and 26th of April 2013 242 young women aged between 20 and 39 completed an internet survey, but how they were selected is not described.

Being far too rational, I have zero belief in any of this nonsense, and not even when I was a teenager did I indulge, although admittedly it was probably because I wasn’t really interested in all that sort of thing while I was at school.

Anyway, enough about me, on with the survey!

Research results

Q1: Do you believe in love charms? (Sample size=242)

Very much so	3.7%
To some extent	49.2%
Not at all	47.1%

Q2: Have you ever tried a love charm to bring a romance to fruition? (Sample size=242)

Yes (to SQs)	53.3%
No	46.7%

Q2SQ1: When have you tried a love charm? (Sample size=129, multiple answer)

When I had a crush on someone	90.7%
When I wanted to rekindle the romance	9.3%
Before declaring my love	8.5%
When we broke up	7.8%
When I got weary of the relationship, married life	3.9%
Other	3.9%

Q2SQ2: Was your love charm effective? (Sample size=129)

Very much so	3.1%
To some degree	20.2%
Just a little	21.7%
Not at all	55.0%

When asked what kind of result they had, some of the answers were that a one-way crush since primary school became mutual in middle school, soon after casting the charm he declared his love and after praying at a shrine famous for bringing romance found a guy and married him.

Q2SQ3: What kind of love charms have you used? (Sample size=129, multiple answer)

Wrote the name of the guy I fancied	47.3%
Bought a temple lucky charm	37.2%
Made a misanga	31.0%
Searched for a four-leaf clover	29.7%
Made a wish upon a shooting star	27.1%
Did flower fortune-telling	22.5%
Wrote the initials of the guy I fancied	20.9%
Drew a love-love umbrella	20.9%
Recited a love spell	20.2%
Trod on the shadow of the guy I fancied	15.5%

Q3: What kinds of love charms would you like to try? (Sample size=242, multiple answer)

Attach something to my body (ring on left pinky finger, misanga, etc)	30.6%
Go to a Power Spot	24.8%
Wish upon a shooting star	10.7%
Search for a four-leaf clover	9.1%
Buy a temple lucky charm	8.3%
Make a wish to the moon	7.0%
Make a misanga	6.2%
Recite a love spell	5.0%
Say the name of the guy I fancy	4.5%
Carry an item that matches something the guy I fancy has	4.5%
Wake up early	4.5%

Demographics

Over the 6th and 7th of March 2013 1,083 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 56.7% of the sample were female, 11.6% in their teens, 15.0% in their twenties, 24.9% in their thirties, 24.7% in their forties, 12.7% in their fifties, and 11.1% 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.

Not suprisingly to me, least unwelcome were people who did the cleaning – in my book, that would guarantee being invited back!

Ranking result

Q: What arbitrary actions by friends makes you think “I’ll not be inviting them around again…”? (Sample size=1,083)

Rank		Score
1	Not thinking of the neighbours by making a racket as they leave	100
2	Opening my refrigerator	86.1
3	Opening my closets	85.5
4	Reading my postal mail	73.5
5	Peeking into my bedroom	70.3
6	Checking my computer’s bookmarks, history	66.6
7	Looking up my network password and connecting their own notebook, smartphone to my wifi	58.4
8	Messing up my kitchen	57.7
9	Inviting other people round	57.4
10	Switching on my computer	48.6
11	Peeking into my bathroom	47.0
12	Taking books out of my bookcase, and returning them to a different place	46.7
13	Changing my computer’s wallpaper	41.6
14	Bringing an overnight bag with them	40.1
15	Pulling out my futon and sleeping	36.9
16	Opening bookcases with doors and checking out my library	35.3
17	Scoffing my sweets	31.9
18	Using my fixed-line phone	25.9
19	Playing an instrument	24.6
20	Constantly playing computer games	23.7
21=	Recharging their phone, other electrical items	21.8
21=	Fiddling with my air conditioner settings	21.8
23	Bringing CDs with them and playing their preferred music	18.0
24	Feeding my pets	17.4
25	Cleaning my room	16.1

Demographics

Over the 4th and 5th of April 2013 1,101 members of the goo Research online monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 50.6% of the sample were male, 23.3% in their teens, 25.2% in their twenties, 25.5% in their thirties, and 26.1% 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.

Above is a Mothers Day gift catalogue from a convenience store in Japan, themed around Rilakkuma.

My mother doesn’t believe in Mother’s Day, thinking it just a cynical excuse by card and chocolate makers to sell us more stuff.

Ranking result

Q: At that times do you think “Thanks Mum!”? (Sample size=1,101)

Rank		Score
1	When I came home late at night and she has a hot meal ready for me	100
2	When she looked after me when I’m sick	96.1
3	When I lived alone and realised how hard cooking for oneself was	95.7
4	When I visit the family home and she makes my favourite dishes	94.8
5	When she sent me food parcels when I lived alone	80.7
6	When I become a parent myself	71.8
7	When I realised she secretly saved money for me	65.6
8	When I got married	65.2
9	When she gets in touch just to casually ask how I am	63.6
10	When I lived alone and realised how hard cleaning was	63.3
11	When she comforted me when I was down	58.4
12	When she baby-sitted for my own children	56.4
13	When she denied herself something to buy things for me	50.5
14	When she was the only one to support me when everyone else was opposed	46.2
15	When she silently listened to all my moaning	42.0
16	When she stayed up waiting for me to come back late at night	39.3
17	When I was coming of age	35.1
18	When I heard a song containing words to a mother	25.9
19	When others praised my deportment, manners	24.6
20	When she never caught a cold all year	23.3