Of course to a Japanese eyes everything seems pretty normal, but as a foreigner, I find many things strange and hard to understand. Sometimes when visiting a country to be forewarned is the best way to go. So to help you avoid baffling situations and social gaffs I have included my hitlist of strange things to watch out for. Where possible I have encluded graphics to make things a little easier. Sometimes just a verbal discription leaves the mind bewildered and the reader wondering if his leg isn't just been pulled for the fun of it.
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OK I know this is a bad choice of words, but a person has to start somewhere, and what better place to begin than at the bottom or should I say from the very seat of our basic needs... In Japan you will find a wide variety of facilities ranging from your basic hole in the ground to the grandaddy of loos which you may view to the left. As long as you know what to watch out for and how to prepare yourself you can avoid (or successfully use) the pittfalls of basic daily life. Remember one thing though, when in Rome.... is usually a good rule to apply when travelling in foreign parts, but when it comes to ablutions in Japan, I highly suggest you learn the options and/or find your own style in which you may most comfortably do as the 'Romans' do. |
AT THE AIRPORT
I presume you are availing yourself of the more modern forms of travel and are entering the country by air. (If you have by any chance won the lotto and are travelling on the QEII, then I suggest you either use the loo on the boat or hire a toilet guide....this area is not within my experience.) All International Airports seem to have a franchised WC system, but in Japan I suggest you look for the door marked 'Western Toilet'. This does not denote the destination or global positioning of the toilet in question, but dictates whether you will have to sit or squat. Maybe you might like to open the door of a stall not marked in this fashion, just to familiarize yourself with one of the elements you will be up against during your trip. If your jet-lag is not too bad, you might like to try it out for comfort, but beware, if you are wearing suede shoes, your aim might not be at it's best the first few times round.
HOTELS/MOTELS/INNS
What to expect depends on the rating of your hotel. Most hotels in the fairly decent to the luxurious range should be no problem whatsoever. Everything will appear quite normal and familiar in the plumbing department. Problems tend to be encountered when one opts for the 'shoestring' and/or 'ethnic' accomodation. What you will find behind the bathroom door will vary greatly. Business Hotels tend to have 'unit baths' where the whole room doubles as a shower. The only thing to remember is to dry the seat off after taking a shower so as to avoid any surprizes later. Also it might be a good idea to keep the loo paper outside the bathroom and take it in with you when needed.
Motel (or Love Hotel) toilet facilities fall in with the 'fairly decent' range, but other plumbing details will be addressed in detail in another section.
Inns, now are another matter entirely. Expect 'at the end of the corridoor' communal facilities. Definitely expect to squat. Don't always expect toilet paper. Also steel yourself to listen to the noises from the adjoining cubicle. Japanese people are rather vocal in the loo. They tend to 'AAAAH' and 'YOISHYO' (latter means kinda 'here we go') and generally punctuate their ablutions with a wide range of sound effects.
PUBLIC PLACES
At malls and urban areas expect mostly squat-type toilets, but keep an eye out for the 'Western Toilet' sign and/or a stall door that appears different from the others. Sometimes if a door opens outward instead of inward like the rest, it may be because there is a 'Western Toilet' lurking behind it.
Venturing out into the country to visit temples and shrines needs a little preparation. Although it is always best to have contingency plans as far as paper goes... in this case it is a must. That is the only sure thing in this area; you will need paper. As far as the facilities themselves go, what you will encounter is anyone's guess. There are several rules of thumb however.
1) From a distance:
Get a good look at the building itself. (If there is only one entrance, prepare yourself for a co-ed experience. Ladies must pass the urinals to approach the stalls, so keep eyes averted, unless you prefer to check out the local talent. Don't expect the men to modestly hide themselves from your view.)
Next get downwind from the structure. (If there is a loud smell the prepare for the 'hole in the ground' type toilet. Above ground everything seems like a normal squat facility, but is just window dressing over a large open holding tank. A definite no-no for the squeamish and even the brave of heart who care to actually use this kind of toilet should avoid looking directly down into the void below. Any reading glasses/contact lenses/false teeth/earrings/chewing gum/passports/wallets that accidentally fall into the void should be considered irretrievable.)
2)Closer up:
Usually the signs demarking the men's and women's facilities are universal, but sometimes in Japan they choose to use obscure Japanese characters. If the writing is colour-coded things are easy... red for ladies and blue or black for men. If not then peek through the door and check out the interior. Usually the tiling and the sink area will be either pink or blue or urinals will be very much apparent. Sometimes the presence of urinals is no way to judge as there are some in many women's toilets for the use of their off-spring. If there is still some doubt in your mind, just venture in boldly and use whichever you fancy. The Japanese will not think it strange for a large Western man to be using the ladies' room (or visa/versa) as most Japanese believe all foreigners to be crazy anyway.
3)CLOSE UP:
When you find yourself actually inside the stall there are a few things to watch out for. Of course you lock the door and have your personal stash of paper at hand. But wait, don't just drop your pants and go. First take a good look at the walls. If there are any holes at various strategic levels, make sure they are blocked up with tissue paper. This will discourage the voyeur in the adjoining stall. Next, watch where you are standing. Sometimes the Japanese are not such good marksmen (or perhaps a foreigner used the toilet before you). Then gather up coats, skirts and very long pigtails and tuck them up safely. Only then may you proceed. When you are finished... do not use your hand to depress the flush lever. Most Japanese just use their foot... so in this case 'When in Rome' certainly applies.
HOMESTAY:
Now you might be an exchange student or just find yourself in a private home for some obscure reason or other. At home in Japan, all things not being equal, one will again encounter a wide variety of facilities. Most have been covered in the above sections. There are two exceptions.
One is, in very rural areas one might encounter the 'Chemical Toilet' which operates very much like your basic camper toilet, so things should be quite simple. (For those of you unfamiliar with campers, please call your local Winnebago dealer and get him to explain the subtleties to you....by this stage I am definitely getting a little pooped.)
The other is the 'Washerette Toilet'. First take a look at the picture at the top of this article (No, not the cartoon, the photo). This is your basic Washerette. But remember, they can get more complicated than this. This one comes without a remote-controller, but has all the basic functions one would expect (if you knew what to expect that is...hehehe). OK, so don't panic. Remember that , apart from having a heated seat, these toilets can be used in very much the same way as normal ones. So if you are in a hurry and/or anxious then just ignore all the little buttons on the side-console. To flush, look for a contemporary flush lever on the side of the tank (you know where you usually find it). Under no circumstances try to push any of the controls while peering down into the bowl. These are for the sole use of sedentary users. Now on the other hand, if you have a lot of time on your hands, or if you are bored with the company you are keeping, by all means, drop your pants, sit down and get comfortable. Now is the time to try out all those Trekkie type controls. But whatever happens... remain sitting. You don't want to put yourself in a position where you have to start paying for new wallpaper in your host's loo. Most of the controls have pretty understandable symbols. The brown button with the symbol that looks like a whale spout... when pushed will spray your bum with lukewarm water. The spray settings are various... from a soft mist, through rhythm turbo, to power turbo. Of course all of these allow the added option of left/right or front/back swing. The pink button (with or without the universal ladies mark) is naturally for the ladies. This delivers a bidet spray which, you guessed comes with the same options as the bum spray. The yello button with the airflow symbol will blow-dry your nether regions with a gently oscillating, warm blast of air. The blue button with the black square works on the same basic principal as the one on your VCR...it stops whatever action is going on. You may spend 10 to 15 minutes amusing yourself in this fashion. Anymore than that would be considered anti-social even in Japan.
OTHER PLUMBING, LOOSE SOCKS, ANIME, SALARYMEN.
