Ouch ... the hot seat - Japan series #6

Even using the toilet in Japan has been a learning experience. I normally just use the squat toilet that is across the hall from our office, but when I have time or need to stretch my legs I will go to the building next door to use their ultra modern western toilet.

Here are some things I learned about using the fancy toilet:

1) Always turn on the courtesy sound button. (It makes a whooshing noise to cover the sound of you doing your business whatever it may be.)

2) Check the temperature of the toilet seat before sitting down. It can get mighty hot depending on the setting the last person used. Also, one side note, if it is too hot and you happen to yelp, no one will have heard you because you had turned on the courtesy sound button.

3) The toilets in the women's washroom have an additional bidet feature: the feminine wash. I have not used any of the bidet functions yet, since I need to read about it thoroughly as not to be surprised by the water jet.

4) Taking your camera into the stall and taking pictures so your friends back home can see how many buttons these toilets have, may get you strange looks when you emerge.