Japan Data Archive

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How do the Japanese spend their leisure time?

The 2003 Leisure White Paper provides data on what Japanese do in their leisure time and the frequency over a year:

Using personal conputer    75.3 times
Listening to music    69.9 times
Stretchins exercises    55.5 times
Muscular training    51.6 times
Study    51.2 times

This is followed by playing an instrument, dancing, video games, jogging, gardening. aerobics, and other pastimes.
Although this doesn't take age groups or sex into account, it does indicate typical ways that the households in Japan spend their time.
Listening to music was the number one pastime for many years, but the information age has put the PC on top.
From the perspective of spending, overseas travel ranks No.1 reaching about 300,000 yen, although frequency is low.
Goif, horse and bicycle betting come in next, followed by expenditures for night clubs, cabarets, pachinko, and other suchamusements.
However, generally speaking, Japan seems to be in a period of inexpensive and simple pastimes.