Data Report on beBiters Part 2

Hello everyone! It’s Eri from the Market Creation Office (MCO)! 
This is an installment of “Data Report on beBiters,” a three-part series in which we will report on the results of the survey that was recently sent out. 
This installment will be about everyone’s hometown and school life!

日本語の記事はこちらから

■School Life

Prior to entering the workforce, what did you study? Let’s start by looking at everyone’s degrees!

This time around, the survey separated everyone into broad categories, and the results showed that about 70% of the respondents came from liberal arts backgrounds. Next time around we’d love to dive in deeper and ask about their specific majors as well.

Now, let’s see what subjects everyone was best at prior to going to college!

As you can see, “language arts” and “English” were the two top subjects, while “mathematics” and “physics” were the two top subjects for science. Looking at everyone’s backgrounds I expected more of a split between everyone's subjects, but I feel that everyone was focused on studies that would be beneficial to them in the future. Personally, I am a bit jealous of those who excelled at music, art, and calligraphy…

Let’s take a look at what everyone did besides study!

When looking at everyone’s answers about extracurricular activities, cultural clubs and sports clubs were split roughly half and half!

For sports, we had swimming／volleyball／track and field／basketball／baseball／soccer／lacrosse／tennis／hiking／dance／archery clubs. The number of people were pretty even, but if I am to be specific, soccer had the highest number of individuals!

The answers for cultural clubs included arts／teas／broadcastings／choirs／orchestras／marching bands／orchestral bands／bands／quiz clubs. Band was the club with the most responses! I knew that beBit had many people who know about non-mainstream music, and now I feel like I know why!

Our student lives of studying and extracurricular activities seemed to have flown by in a blink of an eye. What are your most precious memories during youth?
There are of course days like cultural festivals, athletic festivals, or just regular days, but I have chosen a few (at my own discretion) that made me feel a bit emotional!

・I attended an All-Boys school and the cultural festival was one of the few opportunities we had to engage with girls. Every year we would hold an event like a “public radio recording” to see how many girls we could attract. (All-boys and All-girls schools tend to do this kind of thing!)
・I received chocolate on Valentine’s Day from a senior female basketball player I looked up to! (An adorable situation!)
・I studied abroad in Australia from my second year of high school. Because I didn’t know what a carrot was, I ended up getting lost and deciding to devote myself to studying to survive. (At least it’s a happy ending…?)
・In my first year of high school, my boyfriend and I went to the same cram school together. When we were going home, we would leave cram school separately, meet up at a bench near the first train car at 9th district in Tamachi, board the train together, and go our separate ways at the Midosuji Line ticket gates at Tennoji Station. One day, as soon as we boarded the train he asked me, “Do you want some chocolate?” to which I responded “Yes!” I was so touched when he said “I left two pieces for us” while holding out a red DARS. (Is this a shojo manga? Thank you so much.)
・Running around foul territory as a ball boy at the Koshien. (Memories of the white spheres every time summer comes around)
・We had a nagashi-somen contest using every slope we could find in the school building… And got in major trouble. (Getting in trouble is a part of the fun)
・Riding a single bike together with someone in high school (Probably on private property!)

And then there were some responses such as the following. “From junior high to college, everything is youth.” Indeed, every moment is a precious memory.

Another thing that many of us may have done when we were students is pick up a part time job. Here are some unusual part time jobs experienced by beBit employees!

・A day job hauling flour (Where!?)
・Selling takoyaki at a concession stand in the Ryogoku Kokugikan (Did any sumo wrestlers come by?)
・A bartender at BLUE NOTE (Wow!)
・A Velotaxi driver (A bike taxi?!)
・Driving electric cars and new models at trade shows (Nerve-racking, but fun!)
・Building Nitori furniture for display (You must be very good at DIY!)
・A private detective’s assistant (What kind of cases were you a part of?!)
・Production for movie shoots (I’d love to see!)
・Creating questions for a Japanese History Vocabulary Book app (As a part-time?!)
・A pearl auctioneer (I’m curious)

A good amount of people used to work at TV stations as floor directors, cameraman’s assistants, or as part of the team directing the program. I thought working at a TV station would be rare, but I guess this is not the case at beBit!

Personally, I think part-time work is a good opportunity to see things from a new perspective by going from being on the receiving end of a service to being on the providing end.

■Hometown

Next up, let’s go over where everyone is from! Most are currently in the Kanto area, but we wanted to know where everyone was born!

The largest amount came from the Kanto region, followed by those from the Kansai region. However, there were no respondents from the Kyushu region among those who responded! If we look at prefectures, Tokyo and Osaka were tied for the highest numbers. If we were all speaking casually, there's a good chance there would be a lot of Kansai dialect being spoken! Once we’re able to host parties again, I’d love to plan regional themed parties!

Now that you’ve read this far and had some thoughts about different regions, let me introduce some regional spots and restaurants that locals recommend! Please give them a try when you visit nearby.

【Hokkaido】
・Seico Mart／Biei／Furano／Asahiyama Zoo／Mt. Daisetsu／Mt. Yotei／Jigokudani (Hell Valley) in Noboribetsu／Niseko／Kiroro／Sapporo Teine／Sapporo Kokusai Ski Resort／Sapporo Mt. Moiwa Ski Resort／
・Revolving sushi／Ramen／Soup curry／Grilled Lamb

【Tohoku】
・Chusonji Konjikido／Hasshoku Center
・Sasa-Kamaboko／Morioka cold noodles／Wanko Soba ／Jaja noodles／Kamome no Tamago

【Kanto】
・Ayameya／Rinshi no Mori Park／Spadium Japon／Roadside Station Utsunomiya Romantic Village／ Cherry blossoms at Meguro River・Sotobori Park
・Jiro Hibarigaoka Store／The "Udonsuki" at Torijaya／YUJIAJIKI／Matterhorn

【Chubu】
・Toriden
・Rice／Alcohol／Fish／Shinshu Wine／Soba／Sansai／Mushrooms／Fruits／Vegetables

【Kansai】
・ARIO Otori／Kitano Ijinkan-gai／Shisendo／Gozasoro
・Kobe Beef／Tako Patier

【Chugoku】
・Street cars／Oyster Restaurants on boats／Onomichi／Mazda Zoom-Zooｍ Stadium／Miyajima (Itsukushima)／Peace Memorial Park／Genbaku Dome／Nagarekawa（Nightlife）
・Okonomiyaki／Oysters／Eel bowls／Dipping Noodles (Tsukemen)／Onomichi Ramen／Momiji Manju／Lemosco 

【Shikoku】
・Shimanami Seaside Road／Dogo Onsen／Towel Museum／Tounaru／Shodoshima／Hirome／Kazura Bridge in Iya
・Tai Rice／Imotaki／Tangerines／Shrimp Tempura

■Daily Studies

We’ve delved deep into everyone’s past, so let’s take a look at their “current” as well! Recently, reskilling has become a buzzword, and refocusing on “studying” has become more common than it was before. Let’s take a look at whether beBit employees are taking time to educate themselves!

It looks like exactly half of the respondents are studying something, while 13% are looking to begin studying soon. In Japan, it is said that roughly half of the population stop studying once they join the workforce. Compared, it looks like beBit employees study just a bit more than average!

Now, let’s take a look at what everyone is studying.

Many people responded that they were studying “UX Research” and “Algorithms/Statistics.” I’m glad to see “UX Research” was included! Other topics included music related studies such as “Music history” and “Drumming” and food related such as “Cooking” and “Dietary Advisor.” I’ve gone ahead and listed a few of the unique answers we received!

・Metaphilosophy: Because I wanted to try saying crazy things about philosophy
・Philosophy of Language: Because I wanted to refute the idea that “I am the only one who can access my pain and grief.”
・Advertising Ethics: Because I wasn’t aware of what contents marketing does
・Writing: I have seen people who do well through text communication, and not too well, and I wanted to make sure I can convey sincerity through writing.
・Theory of gift: Because I read about it in 『チョンキンマンションのボスは知っている』(Roughly translated to “The Boss at Chungking Mansion”)
・Making Soap: It looked fun as I can make my own arrangements
・How to write scripts: Because I enjoy movies
・Themed Entertainment Design: An extension from what I learned in college. Because it’s what I want to do in the future.

Some answers definitely made me feel like I should “do what I love”! For those who are looking to learn something new but don’t know what exactly you want to learn, try searching for what you enjoy doing and taking a look at the responses above to discover your new journey!

Now the following is a bit off topic, but let’s see what kind of licenses everyone has!

・Bookkeeping Grade 1／Small Vessels License Grade 1／Japanese Language Teacher／Intellectual Property Management (So smart…)
・Feng Shui Certification／Fortunetelling Certification／Aroma Therapy Certification／Diving Certification／Sauna・Spa Health Advising License (Sounds very fulfilling!)
・Black belt in judo (I will never challenge them to a fight…)
・Licensed Elephant Handler (Where do you even get this license??)
・That certification you get when you climb the Tokyo Tower stairs (According to my research, there are roughly 600 steps)

It was interesting to see the responses vary from the typical studies to some of the more unique topics. I’m torn whether I want to try climbing the Tokyo tower by stairs or not… For those not afraid of heights, please, give it a try!

■UX

Now, as a company that supports DX through UX as a basis, beBit is a group of UX professionals. I would like to conclude this article by introducing some “good UX” that beBit employees have found in addition to some recommended books to study UX!

First up is going to be the “good UX.” From famous stores and services to some services we use daily, there were a variety of responses!

【Locations】
・Ginza Ukai-tei
・A Bar called The Bellwood in Udagawacho
・Disney Cruise
・When I had a wedding at Andaz Tokyo
・When various staff members gave me handwritten birthday messages at Chinzanso Hotel
・The Lake Ashinoko Segway Tour. After training, you are able to explore freely. You will fall in love with Segway and the land you ride through. It is a fantastically designed tour that will naturally allow you to improve your Segway riding skills.
・The restrooms at train stations! The locks that rotate the metal fittings can hold up to 1 kg of items when locked. I can place small items down after entering the stall, and won’t forget them because I need to remove them to unlock the door.
・The UX of receiving a QR code with “today’s set list” after a live concert. I experience it at Sakura Fujiwara’s “Yagai Ongakukai” in 2018.

【Applications】
・The Times Car Rental application is refined from reservation to rental.
・Yamada Denki’s app allowed me to make household electronics repair requests very smoothly.
・I can’t stop looking at Google Discover’s recommended articles feature.
・A music app called Koala Sampler
・An AI chat app called SELF
・A money transfer app from America called “Venmo.” Prior to PayPay and LINEPay in Japan, I still remember using it for the first time. How convenient it was, not having to split bills with cash!
・Nike is both fantastic in digital and real.

Next, here are some books for learning UX, recommended by beBit employees!・
・Competing Against Luck
・The Design of Everyday Things
・「ついやってしまう」体験のつくりかた ”Experience Design Mistakes You May Make”
・ユーザビリティエンジニアリング “Usability Engineering”
・アフターデジタル “After Digital”
・アフターデジタル2 “After Digital 2”
・UXグロースモデル “UX Growth Model”

There are some light reads that are about 200 pages, so if you have time, please give them a try! There were some books I haven’t read yet either, so I’ll try to make sure I don’t leave them piled up as well.

That’s all for Part 2 of Data Report on beBiters. Please look forward to our final installment as well!