Japan for Dummies

· · · Japan for Dummies · · ·

You didn't expect a Japanese toilet to look normal, did you? Not all but a lot of loos are actually plugged into the electric grid. That can feel pretty unsettling for a first-timer, but you adapt. After all, there's a sign alerting you to the risks involved (you can see that on the right). Some toilet lids have heating wires inside, so your WC session won't be too chilly. You can regulate the temperature and check it on a digital display. Plus, you can sprinkle your butt with water from all types of angles. Now, here's something I can do without.

But I did find this button with the musical note symbol on it pretty amusing, I must say. If you press it, it'll cause some 30-second-long noise that is supposed to sound like a toilet flushing. Since my return home, I've managed to uncover the mystery of this mechanism: The Japanese are deeply embarrassed by the pooping sound they make while on the toilet – so they constantly and noisily flush it to drown out their farts. Then someone found that a waste of water – and thus the fake flushing sound was born.

If you want to learn more
about the crazy habits of the
Japanese, read this book !

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