Japanese "bathrooms" are generally different than the ones in the US. If you need to go to the bathroom, you say "Toire wa doko desu ka" because the toilet is usually in a little room by itself. Notice the little sink on top of the tank - many places use this as the sink (but I like to wash my hands in the one that's outside in the hall). On the toilet you'll also find that you have a choice between a 大 "big" and 小 "small" flush - just another indication of Japanese environmental awareness. (did you see the birthday dragonfly Dad made me? on the right are my pics of Paris buildings on the Seine)
When I first got to my apato last year (before the renovations, so I still had an old toilet), the river rocks in the top sink part above the toilet tank threw me, but I was so relieved to not have a "squatty potty"!
The actual bath area is much better than it was - now the washing machine has its own drain, and I don't have to dodge the tube in the shower. The only thing that's tricky is figuring out how to heat the water with the gas heater. Though the room is spacious, it's FREEZING in the winter! I now understand this concept of "taking a bath" - you shower off quickly to get clean, then soak in a hot tub to get warm. Sounds good on paper (so to speak), but for those of you who know how tall I am, you can imagine how that tub there is not the picture of relaxation for me. This is why I go to the onsens (hot springs) as often as possible. You'll also notice that I have a DRYER - the other reason why the other JETs are jealous - I usually just hang my clothes out on the verandah to dry, but on cold mornings, it's REALLY nice to pop my clothes in the dryer for a quick spin.
2 comments:
And how did you get so lucky to get a dryer??? Who did you bribe?
It would be interesting to see some of the before-and-after pictures (or would they scare us too much?) Yeah, I don't see you fitting into that tub.. interesting to see the size/shape though and contrast it to what is here - Dallas is big on jetted tubs and garden tubs and very deep, long tubs. You have the deep part, but not the long part!
Certainly don't know what I did to get a dryer - came with the place.
I'd be happy to show before/after pics, but I mistakenly erased the "befores" last year when I wiped out my photo library instead of copying it. :(
Post a Comment