Evening, folks.
Lots to put up this installment, including a bunch of photos I think some of you might enjoy immensely.

First things first.
Japan, as some of you may already be aware, has extra fun squat toilets in most areas. However, western toilets are becoming increasingly popular, and can be found in many urban areas. Witness, exhibit A: Western style toilet.



But wait! What's that, you say? AN ARMREST? I think not, folks. Actually, if you look very carefully (or click on the photo to enlarge it) you can see that this, in fact, is a very Star Trek-ish control console. Witness, exhibit B: Control panel.

Hmm, so we have a variety of functions here. Generally speaking, these do not have their English equivalents written so conveniently beside the Japanese. Oh, the fun we've had! Here's the rundown of said functions, in case the picture's a little small for you:



Stop: Please God, stop spraying my bottom with H20.
Spray (with lovely, yet simple, bum design): Water sprays at your bottom.
Bidet: We all know what this means. I hope I need not explain.
Water Pressure: If you think the pressure's a little weak, well, never fear you can adjust it to your personal needs.
Flushing Sound: My PERSONAL favourite. This actually puts a flushing sound on for about 20 seconds. The Japanese do not like having other people hear them do their business. Nevermind that in the squat toilets there are no sound makers. Let's techno-equip the Western toilets!
Volume: Exactly what it says. If you're noisy in the washroom, this is the country for you!
Powerful Deodorizer: I'm assuming this is what it claims.

Also, as a fun aside, some toilets have a drying function. Hot air blows... It's VERY uncomfortable, trust me, I hit this button by accident once. I am always tempted to push buttons while I'm at a safe distance from the toilet itself, but I fear being sprayed. That would like somewhat unprofessional.

Finally, we have the "Japanese (Western) toilets for dummies" section, which can sometimes be found adjacent to the toilet. Very handy if you're new to these techni-toilets. (Exhibit C, in case you were keeping track.)



Soooo.
Enough toilet talk.
Today, I met up with Christina and Ray in Osaka at 1:30pm, near Big Man, this humongous TV in Umeda which is a major meeting spot. We all talked and commiserated about the challenges we're now facing in Japan, almost none of which actually have to do with Japan itself. Most of our concerns stem from company issues or whatever, so we're all trying our best. My current irritation is living ina hotel when there is no acceptable reason for my school not to have secured my apartment. Generally, the new teacher moves into the old teacher's digs, so I'd be waiting for the guy to vacate. But this is not the case. He let Manager know that I needed a new place (the old one had an insent issue...) about 5 months ago. Anyways, yeah so I get annoyed by preventable troubles some days.

We decided to hit Subway for lunch, which was a nice slice of home, but too expensive for everyday. Then we headed to Yodoyobashi Camera, which is like a department store, but SO intense. Hundreds of PCs, laptops, mp3 players, digital cameras, clothes, etc. We went in particular to view cell phones. The one I want is about $100, so I will probably pick that up in the next few days back in Akashi. When we went into the store, they had some odd promo happening, and this little Puffy White costumed THING accosted us! So, I was like "hmmm, may we take a photo?" because seriously, it was just weird looking to me. Here are Ray and I with the Puff.



On a whim, we three decided to travel to Kobe, which is about 20 minutes away by train. We went shopping for a few hours. OOOH! Today I got my name stamp made. In Japan, for bank business and some other things, you require a small red circular name stamp because a signature changes too often to be a good guarantee you are who you say you are. We went to a tiny little shop in Kobe and had an old Japanese man help us. He looked unimpressed at first, because we were clearly Western and that might mean trouble. We had to sound out our names for him, so he could get something similar in hirigana. Anyways, so I now have a nifty little stamp which will hopefully make business here go more smoothly. Gotta check Monday if it's actually not too sketch an interpretation of my last name. We shall see.

Also, hit up Tokyu Hands, which is sort of the Japanese equivalent of IKEA. I only move in tomorrow, though, so I thought I'd wait to pick up any thing necessary like sheets or whatever until I'm a bit more settled. After all, who wants to move more stuff! Saw a big crab that reminded me of the lobster on the way to Halifax, back home in Canada.



Then we headed to Daimaru, a HUGE department store that some of my students had recommended. JESUS CHRIST. It was haute couture. Gucci, Chanel, Hermes, etc. You name it. It was there. I felt like a wannabe even entering the place. Eesh. Some Australian girls asked us some questions for a few minutes. It was a nice English break.

For dinner, we gave this Indian Raja restaurant a try. Bleck. Not very impressive, and pretty expensive. Good chai, though. Thank goodness, since Chai calms me immeasurably. Kobe was dark by the time we left the restaurant, and we were tired, so we all decided to head back to our respective cities and called it a day.



Hope you enjoyed this edition. The next may be a while coming, as I will have to find an internet cafe until I get it in my apartment. Never fear, though I will get around to posting whenever I can. Night.