Random Post about Random Stuff

This is my blog about some random things we have seen and discovered in Japan.

         Toilets are so random here. You have two types of toilets.

TYPE 1: you have the squatty potties. You walk in and there is a hole in the ground that you squat over, do your business and leave. These are interesting and it was a great adventure teaching the kids how to go in these. A lot of them have potty shoes that you can put on as you enter so you don't risk getting things on your own shoes. (kind of a gross thought, I know, but here in Japan it is reality)

TYPE 2: Luxury potties. These are so nice. You go in some public restrooms and you get to have an amazing experience. First you notice there is a dispenser on the wall. And here is what it looks like

If you follow the instructions it is a sanitizer for cleaning the toilet seat so you don't have to worry about germs. Pretty cool. Every potty should have these.

 

Then you look down at the potty and see this lovely device. A remote control..... Some have more buttons than my tv remote. :)

You have a  remote to play music (so no one can hear you go) You get a spray to wash yourself with. You can also play running water sounds. This thing is complex. The best part is .......Wait for it......... HEATED SEATS.  Can you say A-MAZ-Ing.  Especially on a cold day. Landon jokes that he wants to sit on these toilets all day.  We even have them in our church Bathroom. Pretty cool if you ask me. I like these toilets much better than the squatties. It is fun to go into a bathroom and wonder which extreme you will get.  It is exciting wondering what is behind door number 1, or 2! (no pun intended)

The next random thing we have found here in Japan is vending machines. Japanese people love them some vending machines. You see them everywhere. Even in the middle of nowhere.  They get used too. Some have Toys like what Courtney has. It was an olaf on a key chain. Pretty cool.

 

 

Most are like this one with drinks. These you can see on a road in the middle of nowhere and people actually stop and use them. It is like a gas station drink on the side of the road. Kind of nice, if you ask me. We were driving home from a festival, and after the wintery canyon we were in, many people were stopping to buy a drink.  You can also order food out of the vending machines, like bowls of Ramen, ice cream cones, and even hot cocoa.

 

On top of vending machines everywhere, they also love there games. Arcade games. We have found quite a few places with them, but they are huge and most of them are the claw game where you control the claw and try to grab something. They are massive though. He is a picture and this is only about 1/2 the room.

They love games and vending machines.

 

Another random thing...... Money. They have bills and coins just like we do. It is pretty cool we always carry both with us, Yen and American money. It takes me longer to pay with change because I have to figure out what the coins are worth. That being said most of their coins have the amount written on them, which is very helpful for me.

I also fill rich when I use there money because their $1 is actually 100Y. So I feel rich when I pay with 1,000yen and it is only about $10.00

 

 

More Randomness........We were told about this appliance store and since we needed a microwave we decided to check it out. Yep...... Not successful. everything was in Japanese. Why would someone recommend this to us if there is no way I can read it and make it work.  Moral of story, don't recommend electronic things to buy off base unless you can read Kanji.

Also on a side note, our copy machine in the church is all in Kanji and very difficult to use, so most of us guess until we get it right. Good luck, you crazy Americans.

 

I said the post would be random.... Saw this beauty in a store. Yep KING KONG is AMERICAN. I think this may be their attempt at helping us feel at home!

 

These crazy ornate figures are made out of recycled parts. Pretty cool. I love seeing random awesomeness here in Japan.

 

Now the next thing I actually think is amazing and pretty cool. Almost all restaurants have a display of there food items. It makes it easy to decide what you want and oh so fun to see all the fun foods they have. Some look delicious like this beautiful dessert.

Then there a some with walls of displays before you enter their restaurant. It is cool and much easier to order by pointing at what you want. It is easier for the kids to see what they would want too. We probably drive them crazy that we aren't fluent in Japanese but we are trying and learning more each day.

 

 

Well, That is my post about many little random things. It is like the song My Favorite things from Sounds of music.

 

"toilets and vending machines, toilets and money,

 food displays, and kanji  and king kong e dongy " (sing to the tune)

 

I am sure, More Random things will come later.

 Love you all, enjoy the randomness of life and it will be a little sweeter.