How’s your KY? ‘How Japanese Are You?’
Nihon Unisys has launched their “Let the computer read the air” project/game on Facebook.
What’s “Reading Air” you ask?
It’s “KY”— Japanese for kuuki yomenai (
), literally “cannot read the air,” is someone who is totally clueless, cannot read between the lines or understand social hints. “Reading air” is the most important* part of being Japanese.
How Japanese Are You?
June 20, 2012 | TOKYO (Nikkei News)–Nihon Unisys Ltd. on Wednesday will begin offering a quiz on Facebook that will ask users 20 questions to determine their level of “Japaneseness.”
Users will answer such questions as, who is your favorite “idol” and what food do you eat often in the summer? Each reply is to be no more than 20 characters.
Based on a highest possible score of 1,000 points, the service will measure the user’s Japaneseness. It is designed to award higher marks for answers that are given more frequently. Scores and answers can then be shared with friends on the social networking site…
…Through the quizzes, Nihon Unisys will collect data on what Japanese consider to be common knowledge about their culture and social conventions. The results will be used in an artificial-intelligence project ...more...
*Like all most things Japanese, “Reading air” aka ‘Groupthink’ is also the worst part of being in Japan. Having the same opinion of everyone else, making consensus decisions, there is only one correct answer or way to do things, have caused the collapse of Japanese style of management and higher education. Since Japan’s economic Bubble burst in early 1990s, the Lost Decades† have continued unabated because of the consensus mindset—the lack of new ideas and approaches.
Nihon Unisys opened their ‘How Japanese Are You?’ site on the 20th at: https://apps.facebook.com/nihonjin_kentei/
Play the game at: apps.facebook.com/nihonjin_kentei ..
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Visit the informational site at…
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June 21st, 2012 at 12:05 pm
The insane need to “read the air” in Japan is just code for, “don’t rock the boat”, “follow status quo,” “know your place in society,” and “don’t be selfish/wagamama.”
June 21st, 2012 at 1:59 pm
Dang I really wish that I was born a pure and superior Japanese person. They can read minds you know. They are also so great at mathematics too. Dang.
July 8th, 2012 at 5:35 pm
I didn’t realize how far some sickos would go to have “fun’ with Japan’s Great Earthquake of 3-11. But I knew the was trolling right off. How? Because how could anyone exist that was that joyfull and golly gee and about people dying, and then assuming they were all atheists in another country? I mean, nothing made any sense and was too unlikely. That said, I have to admit, I was laughing several times at the whole thing. But at the same time I do feel bad for people in Japan. It’s hard to explain how I can feel bad for people in Japan, but at the same time laugh at this, but that’s how it is. Does just ONE 13 year old girl even matter? I don’t think so.