Occasionally I like to read the latest online rankings (surveys) that many of the search engine websites like goo.jp or yahoo.co.jp produce. While it’s good practice for my Japanese to read the original versions, there’s also an English version of some of these rankings posted on whatjapanthinks.

Today’s survey was about fantasy romance scenes in the office. I found the answers quite amusing and a little sad. While both men and women said that “working overtime into the night together” was one of their top fantasies - which says something in and of itself about Japanese working culture - men ranked “groping” in inconspicuous places like the elevator and kitchen as much higher than women (although the results are still surprising). Again, I think this speaks to the demographic of the patriarchal office environment in Japan. Or maybe it just speaks to the fact that men prioritize things differently than women when it comes to fantasy romance.

Of course these surveys are just for fun and they can’t be taken too seriously (especialy considering that the surveys consist of a very limited sample size). But it does provide an interesting insight into another quirky facet of Japanese culture.