There was a poll recently done by the Japanese search engine Goo about things that guys in Japan did that made them think they were “the man”.

As always these polls provide us with a completely unscientific, most probably skewed, but generally entertaining view of Japanese society through the eyes of, well… people who give and take online polls.

Here’s the top ten:

1. Treated a woman to something
2. Carried something heavy for a woman
3. Did something cool playing sports when a girl was watching
4. Treated one of my juniors to something
5. Sang a ballad at karaoke
6. Tried staring off into the distance
7. Show off some recently learned trivia
8. Undid the second button of my shirt
9. Let my bangs flow horizontally across my forehead
10. Loosened my necktie and let it hang loose

Asahi News reported today that the American hamburger chain, Wendy’s, is set to make a return to the Japanese market.

Wendy’s unceremoniously exited Japan near the end of last year.

A representative at Wendy’s Asian headquarters was quoted as saying that they could not ignore the second largest fast food market in the world, and were looking to reopen shop in the country.

When Wendy’s first entered the Japanese market in the 1980s, it contracted with supermarket giant Daiei. It later contracted with the beef bowl  chain Sukiya. That contract ended last year and Wendy’s shut down all 71 of its restaurants in Japan. Wendy’s is currently seeking contracts with large and small restaurant management companies, as well as franchises.

I guess the important thing to keep in mind is that this poll was completed on the internet by a company called COBS. COBS is a data collection agency with members who answer polls and post reviews in return for points. This also explains the number one answer… Here are the result of the poll in reverse order:

5. 6.2% of respondents (124 votes) kiss for the first time on the fifth date.
4. 10.2% (212 votes) kiss on the second date.
3. 16% (320 votes) kiss on the third date.

2. 19% (votes) kiss on the first date.

… and the surprise (?) answer…

… the #1 vote getting option…

1. 39.5% (790 votes) answered… “I have never been on a date.”

Thanks to all who participated in the study, now get out into the real world and get yourselves some dates! Almost a fifth of you stand a chance of getting a kiss on the first date, especially if you date each other!

This is a translation of a poll done in which women in their 20s were asked about the moments they felt glad to have been born Japanese.

Here’s the list:

1. Being moved by the deliciousness of rice and miso soup. / Eating Japanese food.
2. Regularly bathing in hot water. / Taking hot baths and entering hot springs.
3. Being able to live in safety everyday.
4. Being able to experience all four seasons.
5. When going abroad and seeing other cultures.
6. Experiencing Japan’s wonderful traditions and history.
7. Seeing Japanese workmanship or expertise recognized worldwide.
8. When thinking how wonderful the culture of duty and humanity is. / When meeting kind people.
9. Being able to read, write, and do math. / The fine educational system.
10. Watching Japanese people succeed. / When a Japanese athlete gets a gold medal.

If you have ever been in Japan or interacted with people from Japan at any length, you may have noticed some of the naivete about other countries and cultures.  Number 4 is pretty high on the list, but something that many people think is uniquely Japanese. It is true that there are festivals and traditions associated with each season in Japan that can make a year fun, but you can also stump people who say this by pointing out that Australia, Korea, China, France, and plenty of other countries have four distinct seasons.

Number 3 is true if you think of direct crime, but there is more to safety than keeping just your wallet in your pocket.

I think number 2 is a great example of something that we can argue is a great thing about life in Japan. A hot bath on a cold day, going to a hot spring with a bunch of friends, a big family bath, and if you every get the chance to visit an outdoor hot spring in the winter, please don’t hesitate to take that chance.

Another thing I like about this list, as a non-Japanese long time resident of Japan, is that none of the items on the list are exclusively the property Japanese citizens. Visitors and non-citizens can appreciate the seasons, a nice hot spring, and a good bowl of rice as well as citizens can.

If you live in Kansai and need your books… like… tomorrow, you are now in luck. Amazon Japan has opened a new warehouse in Sakai, Osaka which offers 1 day shipping in the Kansai region as well.

Amazon has plans to eventually be able to offer next day shipping to every city in Japan.

The Japanese website “Kon Katsu News“, or Married Life News has posted an article about an easy and free way to tell if your boyfriend is marriage material.

The method?

Search all of the drives on his computer for the following types of files:
.jpg, .bmp, .wmv, .mpg, .avi, and .rm…

I’m not sure if this is supposed to determine whether he still holds a flame for his ex-girlfriend (old photos), has adult movies and pictures on his drive, has pictures of something even worse… or maybe checking if he’s smart enough to password protect or store externally anything that might irrationally make his marriage-blog-advice-following girlfriend jealous.

I post this here not because I think it’s good advice, but because of how surprisingly common it is in Japan for couples to go through each other’s pockets, bags, cell phones, computers, and who knows what else.

It also makes me wonder if other countries’ mobile phones have the same amount of secret and password protected features. Cell phones in Japan have special ways to hide information about contacts, recent phone calls, and photos.

If you’ve been to Japan, you’ve seen the ubiquitous 100 yen shops like Daiso, Can Do, and others. As with any “dollar shop” type place, there are deals and busts.

Here are the results of a recent Excite News Poll in which the website Escala Cafe asked women in their 20s were asked what the top ten things to get at a 100 yen shop were. Almost as interesting as the answers is how the categories were grouped… batteries and pocket tissues?

Here’s the list:

1.  Pens, tape, and other small office goods.
2.  Tongs, kitchen sponges, and other kitchen goods.
3.  Batteries, pocket tissues, and other small necessities.
4.  Glue for fake eyelashes and similar beauty necessities.
5.  Snacks and food seasonings (such as salt, soy sauce, vinegar)
6.  Soap and shampoo holders for the bath
7.  Picture frames, knickknacks, and cute things.
8 (tied).  Cards, puzzles, and other toys.
8 (tied). Pet toys, collars, and other pet goods.
10. Mobile phone rechargers, flashlights, and other small electric goods.

I would like to see a corresponding list for men… or even a list of what non-Japanese people buy in 100 yen shops. The funny thing is I disagree with number 1. If you go into a good stationary store you can get very good pens and pencils for 100 yen so it’s not really a discount.

If you are new to Japan though, be careful because some of the bigger 100 yen shops like Daiso now sell items priced higher so if it looks a little too good to be true, check the price.

On the other hand, 300 yen is not a bad price to pay for a cell phone recharger and FM transmitter that plugs into your car’s cigarrette lighter.

This is one of a series of videos by the comedy group “Ramens”. It endeavors to poke fun at a lot of the “how to eat sushi”, “sushi etiquette”, and Japanese culture videos that abound.

Some of it’s a bit too true, and some of it is just crazy. I like the part about the geta.

This video was made years ago, but is still both awesome and appropriate:

Another Excite news poll has come out this time giving us a look at the moments in a first date when Japanese women realize they could never date the guy they are with. This could be helpful if you are new to dating in Japan, or just interested in the differences and similarities between dating in Japan and other countries.

10.  He orders without asking your opinion.

9. He already has plans for after the date.

8. He won’t converse about topics you introduce.

7. His doesn’t allow outdoor shoes in his car.

6. He won’t do anything that wasn’t a part of his original date plan.

5. He only talks about himself.

4. He won’t go to anywhere he doesn’t have a coupon for.

3. He spends too much time talking with his friends on his mobile phone.

2. He sends texts while talking to you.

1. He divides up the costs to the nearest 1 yen.

I think this is a pretty general list for first dates around the world. The most uniquely Japanese one is probably number 7. There are a lot of people in Japan who want you to take off your shoes before you get in the car. That’s not to say there aren’t a lot of people with cars full of old McDonald’s wrappers, coffee cans, and trash, but also don’t be too surprised the first time someone hands you a baggie to put your shoes in before you get in the car.

Also, number 1 surprised me a little bit, but mostly because I expected the biggest deal-breaker to be not paying for the whole thing. I get the feeling sometimes that very few women actually want to split the bill, and even if they offer to pay their half, paying the whole thing is always a plus.

This design was only released on the Japanese language Google homepage but a lot of thought was put into it. The young 20 year old coming of age ceremony participant in a traditional kimono is prominently featured, but there is also the subtle adjustment of the Os in google to look like the number 20!