The Increased Use of KYŪSU by Young People During the Coronavirus Epidemic: Their Intentions and Life Styles

Created on 2nd September 2021

Conference: The Asian Undergraduate Research Symposium (AURS2021)
Title: The Increased Use of KYŪSU by Young People During the Coronavirus Epidemic: Their Intentions and Life Styles
Stream: Language, Literature and Linguistics
Presentation Type: Virtual Poster Presentation
Authors:
Akari Kitamura, Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Ryanghyun Kim, Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Yuka Iwai, Ritsumeikan University, Japan
Ryota Imai, Ritsumeikan University, Japan

Abstract:

KYŪSU(急須) is a traditional Japanese teapot. It plays an important role to add some flavor to the tea, depending on the material used. Recently, the use of KYŪSU by young people is declining, which is recognized as one of the problems in the tea industry. It is interesting, however, a survey by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (2021) shows that the number of KYŪSU users aged 18 to 29 has increased by 25.9 percent during the COVID-19 disaster. The survey shows that the increased ration of the KYŪSU users was highly related to the increased hours spent at home due to the COVID-19. However, it remains unclear what types of young people those users are. It is also unclear what perceptions led them to use the KYŪSU. We became interested in exploring reasons and intentions why the young people start to use KYŪSU. The purpose of our research is to specify the lifestyle of the young KYŪSU users and clarify their intentions of using KYŪSU. The method used in this research is an in-depth interview to obtain qualitative data. The participants are between 18 to 29 in their age, who recently started using KYŪSU. Specifying the lifestyle of the KYŪSU users can help understand the problem of declining use of the KYŪSU among young people.