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Definition and Entry Example of Detailed Activity Coding
2001 Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities (Questionnaire B)
| Classification | Definition | Entry example |
|---|---|---|
| Sleep | Asleep. Staying in futon or bed before going to sleep or getting up. | Sleep. Staying in bed after waking up, and still in bed. |
| Personal care (wash and dress) | Activities the respondent does for her/himself. Toilet (WC) activities. Also activities done free of change for the respondent by a member of the family, a relative, or a friend. |
Changing clothes. Shaving. Make-up. Wash hands. Brush teeth. Taking a bath. Drying hair. Hair cutting by Mother. |
| Personal care (personal services) | A paid caring service the person surveyed receives from a third person. Services received at hairdressers, barbers, etc. |
Have hair permed at hairdresser's. Have a hair cut at a barber's. |
| Meals | Having meals. | Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. Late-night snack. Lunch provided at school. |
| Commuting to and from school or work | Travel to/from work. Travel to/from school. Travel to/from cram school. |
Go to work. Come home from school. |
| Main job | (1) Time spent on main job, including: working over-time, work brought home, training during work. Also included are the time spent at the place of work waiting or standing-by for such reasons as lack of supply of work, breakdown of machinery etc., or time spent at the place of work during which no work is done but for which payment is made under a guaranteed employment contract. (2) Unpaid activities at the office before or after working hours. |
(1) Preparations for work. Work. Overtime work. Clearing up after work. (2) Change into work uniform before starting work. |
| Travel as part of or during main job | Travel related to main job. Driver's (taxi, pizza delivery, etc.) job, while moving. | Travel to customer for business purpose. Go to markets for purchasing. |
| Second job | (1) Work on own account when it is secondary job. Extra work which is paid for. (2) Time spent on unpaid activity at workplace before and after work. |
(1) Preparations for work (second job). Work (second job). Overtime (second job). (2) Change into work uniform before starting work (second job). |
| Travel as part of or during second job | Travel related to second job. Driver's (taxi, pizza delivery, etc.) job, while moving. | Go to markets for purchasing (second job). |
| Classes and other activities related to school | (1) Usual study as part of formal education such as primary, junior high, high school or university. Classes and lectures. (2) School related activities not including studying. |
(1) School classes. Exams. School sports day. (2) Home room. Cleaning classrooms. |
| Homework | Prepare and review study at primary, junior high, high school, university, at home or at a library. Reading for exam. | Gathering plants for school. Prepare for school class. Prepare for midterm tests. School homework. |
| Study with a private teacher, in cram school or in preparatory school | Studies during free time. | Study in cram school. Class in a preparatory school. Study in preparatory school. |
| Management of meals | (1) Activities in connection with food preparation. (2) Activities related to clearing up after meals. (3) Activities related to conserving food. |
(1) Cooking. Brewed coffee. Heated up some food. (2) Clear the table. Wash the dishes. Dry the dishes. (3) Make jam for private use. Preserve fruit. |
| Household upkeep | (1) Cleaning and tidying up inside and outside the house. (2) Put things in order. Activities related to possessions of the surveyed person or a household member. (3) Heating. Water. (4) Various kinds of arrangement of tasks at home, in a hotel etc. (5) Daily affairs. |
(1) Vacuuming. Clean the garden. Tidying. Airing of bedclothes. Separating papers, bottles, tins, etc. Took out rubbish, waste. (2) Arranging purchases. Arranging clothes for the morning. Packing school bags. (3) Prepare water. Woodcutting and collecting firewood. Bringing water for laundry. (4) Looking for lost items. Removal. Tending indoor flowers. (5) Closed curtains. Locked the door. |
| Care of clothing | (1) Washing clothes. Activities related to washing. (2) Repairing clothes. |
(1) Loading and unloading washing machine. Sorting laundry. Ironing. Folding and putting things into the wardrobe. (2) Repairing clothes. Putting seasonal clothes to storage. Alteration of clothes. Polishing shoes. |
| Building and repairing | (1) Major changes to the house, including construction of a new building or major extension. Including construction and renovation of dwelling, garage, outhouse, etc. (2) Minor change of the house. Various repairs of the dwelling, garage, outhouse, etc. (3) Making and repairing furniture and household goods. |
(1) Adding insulation to walls. Garage construction work. Put up drain-pipes. Restoration of a kitchen. (2) Re-plastering walls. Repairing roofs. Papering walls. Installation of light fittings. Opened a blocked-up sink. (3) Production of durables. Assembling furniture and equipment. Changed electric bulbs. Cleaned and oiled sewing machine parts. Repairing toys. |
| Vehicle maintenance | All maintenance of vehicles: cars, cycles, etc. done by oneself. | Changed tyres on the car. Repaired the motorcycle. Cleaned up the car. Washing car. |
| Administrative services | Use services of city offices or public facilities. Including use via telephone and the Internet. | Fetched a package at the post office. Have a copy of resident registration issued at the city office. Renew driver license at the police station. Car inspection. |
| Commercial services | Use commercial services such as dry cleaners and banks etc. Including use via telephone and the Internet. |
Check-into the hotel. Had oil change and greasing of the car in a garage, as paid service. Deposit money at bank. |
| Household management | Planning and arranging, budgeting. Making a shopping list. | Keep a household account book. Planned a journey. Planned weekend program for the family. |
| Help to a family member | Helping and taking care of family members other than babies or small children (except housework, nursing care, nursing). | Cut my husband's hair. Waking up husband. Helped an elementary school 1st grader to get dressed. |
| Other housework | (1) Keeping domestic animals when products are intended only for own use. (2) Housework other than the above. |
(1) Bee-keeping. Feeding domestic animals. |
| Care of a baby and a little child | Taking care of a baby or a little child who is sick or injured. | Nursing a 3-year old child in bed with a cold. |
| Care of a family member excluding a baby and a little child | Physical care of a sick or elderly adult, excluding a baby and a little child. | Help elderly mother to take a bath. Take care of junior high 3rd grader who is injured. |
| Physical care or supervision of a baby and a little child | (1) Physical care of a baby or a little child. (2) Supervision of a baby or a little child indoors or outdoors. |
(1) Feeding young baby. Washing a 2-year old child. Help 4-year old child change clothes. (2) Babysitting for 3-year old sister. Watching a 3-year old child playing in a park. |
| Reading, playing and talking with a baby and a little child | Reading, playing and talking with a baby or a little child. | Reading for a 2-year old child. Play with a kindergarten child. |
| Accompanying a baby and a little child | Accompany a baby or a little child for a medical examination. Waiting at a sports center, musician lesson, etc., if no other activity than waiting is specified. | Wait at the babysitter's. Wait with the child at a hospital. |
| Teaching the child | Guiding a child in doing things. Help a child with its study. Help with homework. Note) "A child" in activity category refers to a child of up to age 18. |
Help an elementary school 5th grader's study. Attend a PTA meeting for junior-high 1st grader. |
| Shopping | (1) Purchasing or renting capital goods, such as a dwelling, a car, furniture, and household appliances or consumer goods such as food and magazines. (2) Also circling round and looking at things at shops, flea markets, etc. (3) Shopping on phone (order or reservation). |
(1) Purchasing gasoline at gas station. Purchasing tickets. Rented a video at a video store. (2) Window shopping. Tried on clothes in a shop. (3) Ordered goods by phone. |
| Travel | Movement between two localities. (Excluding commuting to and from school or work, and travel as part of/during job.) |
Go shopping. Go to hospital to nurse father. Go out for a meal. |
| Reading newspapers or magazines | (1) Reading daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. publications-newspapers, magazines. (2) Look through brochures and advertisements. |
(1) Reading newspapers. Read the morning papers. Read computer journal. (2) Read travel catalogues. Reading of user instructions. |
| Watching TV and listening to the radio | (1) Watching TV. Watch video recorded from TV. (2) Listening to the radio: music, news, commentaries, etc. |
(1) Watched movies on TV. (2) Listening to the radio. |
| Light meals | Eat between meals or have light meals. | Have light meals or eat snacks. |
| Rest from work or schoolwork | Breaks during working hours due to personal reasons. Breaks or lunch breaks at work or school when no other activity is specified. |
Smoking. Break time during work. Lunch break. School recess. |
| Communication with a family member | Communicate with family members other than a baby and a little child. | Chat with one's family. Argued with my big sister. |
| Nap | Dozing off. | Nodding off. |
| Resting-Time out | Doing nothing. Reflecting. Relaxing. Resting. Attempt to change mood by talking to cats or dogs etc. | Killed time. Lay in bed after lunch and rest. Lying in sun. |
| Studies and researches (excluding schoolwork) | Studies and research done in free time. | Study through correspondence course for adults. Learn how to drive. Study by educational TV program. |
| Entertainment and culture | (1) Watching movies in cinema. Waiting for the doors to open. View art at an art museum. Enjoy opera, musical, ballet, dance, or live music concert at a theater. (2) Activities that cannot be categorized otherwise when using libraries. Borrowing books, CD's or videotapes from libraries. (3) Watching sports events at a sports ground etc. (4) Sightseeing. |
(1) Watching movies in cinema. See a play at a theater. Enjoy a concert. View paintings at an art museum. (2) Borrowing a CD from a library. (3) Watch a rugby match. Watch motor sports. (4) See a car shows. Watch a fashion show. Spend time at an amusement park. |
| Arts | (1) Activities connected with creating paintings, photography, sculpture, graphics, potter, etc. at home or in a club. Also visual arts created by the help of a computer. (2) Singing, acting, playing musical instruments alone or in a group. Producing music. Also performing arts created with the help of a computer. (3) Writing novels, personal diary, etc. Literary arts, also when use of computer is mentioned. |
(1) Painted china. Video-filmed children. Did a drawing in the garden. (2) Choir practicing in church. Played music on the keyboard. Singing karaoke. (3) Wrote a book. |
| Hobbies (collecting and computing) | (1) Hobbies such as collecting. (2) Programming, fixing and repairing computers. Activities using computers that cannot be classified in any other category. (3) Other hobbies. |
(1) Collect stamps and coins. (2) Installing a computer game. Surfed on the Internet. Reading information by means of a computer. (3) Built a model. Put pictures into a photo album. Saw comics. |
| Games | (1) Parlour games. Crosswords, solo games such as patience. Playing with dolls, toys, etc. alone. (2) Games specified as gambling. |
(1) Practiced card tricks. Board games. Billiards. Video games. Go. Japanese chess. Mah-jongg. (2) Pinball machines. Horse racing. Bicycle races. |
| Reading books | Read novels and biographies as a hobby. | Consult encyclopedia. Reading a romance. |
| Watching video and listening to recordings | (1) Watching video. Including watching a movie on a rented video. (2) Listening to CD's, cassette tapes, and records. |
(1) Watched a DVD film. Watched a home video. (2) Record music onto a tape. Listen to music CD. |
| Drive for pleasure | Drive a car as a pastime. Driving, when not in connection with any special activity. Including the passenger when riding as a pastime. |
Drive for pleasure. |
| Other hobbies and amusements | Hobbies and amusements not categorized above. | Making sweets. Sew curtains. Handicraft. Planting vegetables. Gardening. Feeding pets. Walk a dog. Pick grapes at an orchard for recreation. |
| Aerobic sports | Physical exercise such as walking, jogging, or riding a bicycle etc. Physical exercise such as gymnastics, aerobic, yoga, etc. Exercise in fitness center or at home using equipment. |
Strolled in town. Took a walk in nature. Radio gymnastic exercises. Stretching. Archery. Bodybuilding. Treading an exercise bike. |
| Ball games | Sports that use a ball. | Rugby. Volley ball. Tennis. Golf. Baseball. Activities at a soccer club. |
| Water sports | Water sports. | Windsurfing. Swimming in the pool. Water polo. |
| Other sports | Sports related activities. Sports not listed above. | Sprat-nets into the lake. Judo. Chose a horse. |
| Volunteer activities | (1) Activities as a volunteer free of charge or for a minor fee. Activities for an organizations, not directly for an individual. (2) Work directed to people via an organizations and associations, volunteer activities. (3) Direct help to another household. |
(1) Environmental care and animal protection. Preparing activities for events. Attend a neighborhood association committee meeting. (2) Donating of blood. Care of elderly and disabled via an organization. (3) Assist elderly person who lives next-door during a meal. Play with a next-door neighbour's child. |
| Social activities | Attending meetings free of charge or for a minor fee. Attending meetings and other organizational activities when not in a position of trust. Concerns all kind of meetings etc. arranged by social, political, informal clubs and groups. |
Vote in election. Witness in a court. Attend a women's meeting. Attend a political activity. |
| Association by meeting someone | Socialising when other activities are not mentioned. Within friends, neighbours, etc. Private occasions at or outside home. A party. |
Conversation with a neighbour. Attended a dinner party or farewell party. Make courtesy visits. Visit someone sick. Attend a party celebrating a graduation. |
| Ceremonial occasions | Ceremonial occasions for coming of age, marriage, funeral and ancestor worship. | Attend a wedding. Attend a wedding reception. Attend a Buddhist memorial service. Dinner after Buddhist sermon. |
| Telephone conversation | Telephone conversations with friends etc. | Talk to a friend on the phone. |
| Communication by computing and correspondence | (1) Reading, writing and sending E-mail messages. Chatting on the Internet. (2) Writing and reading personal letters, faxes, etc. |
(1) Exchanging mail. (2) Write a letter. |
| Medical examination | Medical services received from doctors, dentists, and masseurs. | Doctor visited me at home. Waiting in the doctor's waiting-room. |
| Medical treatment | (1) Staying in futon or bed due to illness, advanced age, or physical disability. (2) Personal care for health reasons for her/himself. Receiving health care from family member or friend. |
(1) Resting due to illness. Staying in futon as one's leg is broken. (2) Wound treatment. Monitoring blood pressure. Preparing and taking medicines. |
| Activities connected with job seeking | Unpaid activities related to finding a job. | Apply for a job. Look for work through an employment agency. Examination for employment. |
| Activities related to Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities | Activities related to Survey on Time Use and Leisure Activities. | Completing the questionnaire. Contacted the enumerator. Helped a child complete the questionnaire. |
| Worship or sutra-chanting | Activities related to religion such as attending a service at a shrine or reading a sutra aloud in the morning, or reading the Bible with family. | Pray at a shrine. Read a sutra aloud at home. Attending Sunday school. Visited the family cemetery. Religious rituals in the morning. |
| Other | Other activities. |
Note) The oldest age that can be considered as "a baby and a little child" in the activity categories is 6 years old (i.e. until starting a school).
