The Japanese Bathroom

Now we've worked really hard over the last 7 months choosing our blog topics to appeal to the majority and as great keepsakes for our family. However, we couldn't leave this one untouched. We've decided that WE WANT A JAPANESE BATHROOM WHEN WE COME HOME!

There are several reasons why the Japanese have mastered the design of a functional and comfortable bathroom. As we've noted previously, their toilets come with all the bells and whistles. While heated seats are wonderful, the various spray (cleansing-like bidet) buttons are left untouched by us (though admittedly Jacob tried them out on our recent vacation in Awaji Island). In addition to the toilet, the "bath room" is really the focal point. In Japan, one doesn't take a bath to cleanse. Rather, one takes a shower until clean and then soaks in a bath for relaxation. In America, we do it backwards. We go into the bath dirty, clean ourselves (or our children) and then soak in a tub of dirty water.

The Japanese shower/tub room is literally a separate water tight room. The shower is a completely tiled area with a detachable hose shower head and a little seat/bench to rest upon. There is usually a small plastic pan which you can fill with water and use to wash the body. During this process, the water can be turned off. Even though most Japanese take a shower and a bath, they still use much less water than we do back at home.

P.S. Lest you think that we are favoring all things Japanese these days, note that we also really want our U.S. sized kitchen back! Further, the Japanese "hole in the ground" public toilets could use some work...Luckily there are (usually) abundant Western versions (read - actual toilets connected to the hole in the ground).