It's the little things

Japan both is and is not a western country. It is western in the sense that people wear jeans, there is indoor plumbing and electricity, and a lot of people have cars. However when Japan opened up to western ideas at the end of the 19th century, the Japanese picked and chose what they wanted to adopt, and how they would do it. So now the visitor to Japan can be very comfortable with most things, but every so often something will pop up that will make you say "Hmmmm, that's too odd." or just "WTF". I'll try to share some of these with you as I find them. One example would be the aforementioned indoor plumbing. There are squat toilets in Japan. They aren't latrines, as they flush and are made of porcelain. And the body position used is supposed to be healthier than sitting. BUT, they are still not the thrones we Americans are used to. I am not used to having to get my clothes out of the way. My school has squat toilets in the bathrooms, and I've seen them on Shinkansen (Bullet) trains.

At the same time, the Japanese have what are called washlets. It's a fancy electronic toilet seat for the sort of toilet we are used to. They have all sorts of functions: spray, bidet, warm air, heated seat, etc. The toilet in my apartment has a washlet. The spray and bidet functions don't work, but the heated seat is nice! Sit toilets also often have water that comes out like a water fountain (bubbler) into a little sink that drains into the tank. So you can wash your hands with the water for the next flush -- a great way to save water.

In schools, there is a part of the schedule called osouji, or cleaning. The students clean their class rooms and other parts of the school. It usually takes 15 minutes at my school, and I've been just emptying trash cans in the teachers' room and doing some light sweeping. When osouji starts, "The Entertainer" is played over the loudspeakers. Nobody knows why I giggle while I sweep.

Speaking of music, the nearest grocery store has reopened after remodeling -- Yay! While I was there tonight, the theme from Star Wars was playing. Over and over and over. Grocery stores don't bag your groceries. You use a basket that sits on your cart to shop. As you check out, your groceries are put into another basket along with some bags. You take the new basket to a table and bag your stuff yourself. At least nobody can complain about how their stuff was bagged!

Finally, there is a girl at school who has a pencil case that says "Get High" on it. Another case of decorative English! This also happens when we use Chinese and Japanese characters decoratively. Be careful if you are inclined to use Chinese or Japanese for a tattoo!!