Street Corner Counters

[TheFritz]

Hello everyone. First post here. I lived in Yokohama for several years until '95, and was wondering if anyone can tell me whether one still sees individuals (kids in early 20s usually) on street corners (in folding chairs usually) counting or tabulating (probably traffic, but pedestrian, or vehicular? - and for what purpose?). I could never figure out what they were doing. Any help is appreciated... Thanks.

[ojara]

Hi , the purpose of counting, many aim.

Japanese land plice is very expensive, many shop especially convinience store or Gas station need research before start,
they have the minimum number a minits per passed person or car.

I don't know your corner, I found Ginza , Shibuya many times.

olso some company calculation periodically the number of the car, and sell it for by data Book.



I hope you can sleep well.

[Taro Toporific]

.. the purpose of counting, many claim.

Yep, the Street Corner Counters are doing foot-traffic surveys which are required for the business plans of new shops and by landlords who looking to increase their retail-outlet rents. Those folks are one of the many useless types of make-work people that grace Japan. See quirkyjapan page's Useless People for more fun....

USELESS PEOPLE
Japan is filled with workers who do almost nothing. You probably haven't needed a crossing guard to help you across the street since you were five years old, but you can find crossing guards on quiet streets far away from schools and playgrounds here. Operating an ATM should be the simplest thing in the world, but almost every bank has a "lobby lady" to help you with your transaction and in case you find the task of pushing an elevator button too overwhelming, there are elevator girls in a lot of the big department store...more...

[omae mona]

In my neighborhood, they manage to put 2 or 3 of those guys sitting together (sometimes at a table), each with those little click-counter gadgets. My theory is that one is specifically assigned to counting f*cked gaijin, but I'm not sure what the 3rd guy does.

But we have a neighborhood job that beats the people counters. They pay young guys to wear a suit, in 30-degree-plus weather, sitting on a folding chair. Their job: to hold up a big sign with an arrow pointing to a manshon with available units for sale, 1-2 km away. There are usually 2 or 3 of these guys around near the station, pointing arrows in different directions. They are remarkably good at sleeping without dropping the sign, and/or looking extraordinarily depressed.

P.S. I'm gonna start posting again now that Taro is back