Japanese Survival Stories No 1 The Toilet and Other Hazards

(Above: A Japanese Toilet and the directions for using a western style toilet. I think they have it backwards.)

I never expected to need assistance when Iwent to go to the toilet for the first time in Japan. I naturally assumed that all toilets were pretty much the same as I grew up with in the USA. I figured that a your toilet came with your basic porcelain stool suitable for standing in front of, sitting down on or keeling next to when you needed to rest your head after a night of heavy drinking was pretty much all that was really necessary. Certainly, there are exceptions, such as when camping, where you hang your nether parts over a fallen tree, or when out drinking and you stalk the nearest bush. I was never expecting to see a urinal laid flat on its back and set into the floor. I didn't expect it to be moving either.I had been on an airlane for about 12 hours. Airplane toilets are just what you'd expect to find on an airplane. I spent time in Haneda Airport, the toilets there are what you'd expect to find in an airport. I spent the night in an Internatioal Hotel in Tokyo, once again, a toilet was a toilet. I had to take a 4 hour train trip from Tokyo to Sendai, (this was before the Bullet Train was introduced). That is where my experiences with the friendly stool got flushed.We had gone from our seats to the dining car to have a beer. I don't know if it was just a matter of time, or if it was the shaking of the train, but I soon felt nature's call. I asked where the toilet was, got my bearings and after bouncing off a wall or two, I managed to get the door to slide open. I got inside and found what I was sure was the urinal. It wasn't, but by the time I figuered it out, I wans't exactly in the mood to take care of business. I made up my mind to tough it out for a couple more hours.