High Tech toilets in Japan

At dinner the main topic of conversation was the amazing toilet we had in our rooms. This was a toilet like no other I had seen. You needed an instruction manual to use it. Alongside the bowl there was an array of knobs and dials. It acted like an up market bidet. I pressed the green button and nearly shot off the seat as a spray of warm water hit my rear. Other people had tried the buttons when not seated and ended up having to mop down the ceiling as they were definitely designed for a seated bottom. Once you had flushed a little spout on top of the cistern started running so you could wash your hands. Toilets were very high tech in Japan. In Hiroshima we had one with a heated toilet seat. In public toilets the flushing mechanism was a no-touch affair. You just waved your hand across the appropriate button. They also had devices on the walls to dry your hands. You plunged your hands in and hot air dried them.

My biggest surprise in Japan was that I actually liked the food. I had thought it would be like Korean food, which I hated. The first meal I had was pork and rice with a raw egg that you mixed in so that it cooked. It came complete with a bowl of miso soup and some pickled vegies (which I didn't like). You would never starve in Japan as there are food stalls everywhere and you can also buy ready made dishes in the supermarkets and convenience stores that they will heat up for you in a microwave at the checkout! If you want a coffee, you can get it from a vending machine. I put in my 120 yen and received a hot can containing milky coffee that was more pleasant than a lot of coffees sold in cafes. At the more high-tech vending machines you could choose the blend of coffee and adjust the strength of the coffee, milk and sugar - amazing!

Our second day in Kyoto was a free day and I divided it between temple visiting in the morning and shopping in the afternoon. In the evening we went around old Gion in the hope of seeing a real working geisha on her way to an appointment. Unfortunately it was raining and so all the geishas were having a night in. We had been booked in to a Japanese cultural show. The theatre was designed for small Japanese rears as I discovered as I tried to sit down. The armrests were immovable objects and there was no way my ample behind was going to fit between them. I had to push into the seat from the front and sit with my hips pinned in a vice-like grip by the arm rests.

So far I have found the Japanese incredibly polite and willing to please and they don't stick their hands out for a tip, as it is just part of doing their job. Tomorrow we are leaving the city behind and going into the hills for our first taste of traditional Japan.