I Want One

We were shopping at Homes last month and came across two walls of the wonderful Japanese toilet seats. This was the closest he's come to taking me seriously about buying one so I'm [a tiny bit] optimistic. I wrote about my weird obsession with fancy Japanese toilets in 2009 and you can read that post here.

On a side note, Homes is a cross between Target, JCPenney, Home Depot/Lowes, Marshalls and Petco.

Sakura Scented & Washlet Toilet Paper

We love the toilets in Japan. The Toto Washlet is something I've wanted since I first sat on one here in 2008. There's nothing like sitting on a heated toilet seat on a cold day or in the middle of the night. The first time I had that weird feeling that someone had just gotten up leaving the seat warm. I wrote about toilets when we lived here in 2009; click here to read it. 

While out and about last week I came across these packages of TP. The blue one on the left has double absorption and is specifically made to use with washlets. The pink one is seasonal with sakura (cherry blossoms), has the flower print and is even scented! We found blueberry scented TP before, but never sakura. 

The only English on the pink package reads, "Elleair is made with the finest quality and ultimate softness to bring comfort back into your life." Between this awesome TP and the heated seat, I'm pretty comfortable! 

Let's Talk Toilets

Every time I go into a bathroom I'm not sure what I'll find. I mean, clearly the obvious, but the variations of toilets here just amazes me; the variations and the amenities. Even the McDonalds on base has a fancy toilet! And in case you don't know which buttons do what, usually instructions are posted inside each stall. Sometimes the bathrooms have squat toilets. My friend Julie loved those when potty training her son, but I have to be honest, I don't like them since I'm not used to them, and Keanna is just plain terrified of them! Usually there's both types of toilets in public bathrooms, so I've gotten in the habit of checking before choosing.

Lately every seat I've sat on has been heated. I lost my appreciation for that after spending a few years living in Hawaii, but let me tell you, have you ever been ice cold and unexpectedly sat on a warm seat? It's wonderful! Bob and I agree that before we leave here we're going to buy a fancy seat. I'm not talking about only a heated seat, but a Japanese seat.

Japanese toilets often have four or five buttons ... One button, labeled with a music note, creates a flushing sound when pushed to cover any embarrassing bathroom noises, which, from what I've heard, is any noise a person would make in the bathroom. (Sometimes the buttons are on the wall, other times it's attached to the toilet). The others mostly relate to the integrated bidet, which both sprays clean water and blow dries, right from the toilet. And the spray button and bidet button hit two different areas...the first few times I tried it I laughed so hard I snorted. Then I hit the music note button to try to cover up the snorting that comes with my laughing. Anyway if you ever come to visit here, don't say I haven't warned you! But beware, the shock of pressing a strange button and suddenly feeling a jet of water "down there" can lead to jumping and soaked pants. Well, maybe not soaked pants, but a few drips or dribbles!

Here is a collection of pictures I've taken during our nine months here, and a video too. I recorded this video on December 20th at a rest area off the expressway (highway) on our way to see the Nagano Snow Monkeys.

This is the bathroom from the Begonia & Owl Park. We went here in September and again in December. Notice the water on top of the toilet is running? It did that when the toilet flushed.















And here are toilet seats for sale. This particular store was in Akihabara. We headed up there on Friday...pictures will be coming soon. Anyway, the toilet seat on the right was plugged in. When I walked by it the lid came up scaring the snot out of me. You can see that this one includes the water squirting.
















And here's a bathroom at a rest stop. When we walked in the lit board on the ceiling told us what types of toilets were in which stalls, and the blue lights tell you which is available...the red light means occupied. Pretty nifty, eh? And every bathroom at these rest stops, and even at stores and restaurants have a little urinal in them and a lower sink for kids.













The picture on the left is an example of the squat toilet I talked about earlier. One foot on either side and you face the side with the tank. There's a pipe you can hang on to if you need. On the right is another example of a lower sink...Sydney is two and it's the perfect height for her. Keanna's using the hand dryer.
















I saw this sign outside a stall at the rest area on the way home from the Nagano snow monkeys. I've never seen the changing table with a person standing on it before. So naturally I went in and snapped a shot. My guess is it's to stand on, without shoes, to change your clothes. That way your socks stay clean/dry? And see the toilet, it's got the control pad for water squirting, noise, heated seat, etc. The thing hanging above the toilet is a kid's seat that can be placed on the seat...just like what some people buy when potty training their kids.

Paper Making, Parrots on Our Heads and Waterfalls, Oh My!

What a day we had on Saturday! We took another ITT trip to Nakatomi Washi Paper Village, Otodome Waterfall and Shiraito Waterfall and Kacho-en, the Begonia and Owl Park. I have a lot of pictures and a few videos. For the videos, adjust your speakers accordingly, and if you get the blog in your email, you'll need to go to the main site to view it. To view the pictures in my Shutterfly album, click here. I'm going to make an attempt to not write a lot, but no promises. The pictures I took really do speak for themselves, and Julie gave me a copy of hers. The ones she took are scattered throughout this post, and are the first bunch in the Shutterfly album...arigato gozaimasu, Julie!

We were picked up at 0600 in our housing area, then headed to Shinzouka to start our activities for the day. We stopped at a rest area a couple of hours into the drive, and there I bought some onigiri. It was so yummy and filled with salmon! I've had it before on our trip to Yunessun Spa, the place with the feet sucking fish. Anyway, these things are yummy, and even Sydney liked it. The packaging is perfect, and has instructions for removing the wrapper without disrupting the seaweed. Once I find the molds I'm going to attempt to make it myself. Keanna didn't like it, but I think it was the seaweed that she didn't like. She eats all different types of sushi and rolls with the seaweed, but normally is softer.

Our first stop was Nakatomi Washi Paper Village to make our paper lamp shade. We did everything from scratch, and even the girls got in on the action. The sensei gave instructions and our guide translated for us. He was very helpful, and afterward knelt down and asked the girls [in English] what their names were. He was so sweet! While we were waiting for our lampshades to dry and set, we walked across the street to a natural foods store and drug store. There Julie and I found some Kit Kats...I now have Kit Kat Grape and Sakura added to the collection. The store had the packaging for Kit Kat Fruit Parfait and Kit Kat Caramel, but they were sold out.


After that we went to lunch and did something I've never done before. We ordered lunch at a vending machine, then got a ticket, went to a counter and collected our order. It certainly was different, but everything was in Japanese, so our guide stuck with our group of about 20 and helped us. After that we got up to the counter, and when our number was called she let us know. I know how to count up to 10 in Japanese, but our number was 26. After eating our noodles and tempura, we got back on the bus to the Kacho-en, the Begonia and Owl Park.

This place was beautiful, and without a doubt was the girls' favorite of the day. I've never seen so many flowers in one place before, and certainly not any as beautiful. The pictures doesn't do it justice! We didn't have much time there, and arrived shortly before the falcon show, and were leaving before the owl show. I wish we were able to see the owl show, but guess it's an excuse to go with Bob. Inside the main building with the flowers was a separate area with little parrots inside. For ¥100 (about $1) we bought a little cup filled with chopped apple. Well, we ended up buying about six of them since it was so much fun. As soon as we got in there they immediately came to Julie and I since we were holding the food. Keanna saw someone with one on her head, so she had me put food on her head...that was hysterical! And Sydney being the younger sister wanted to do everything Keanna did; she wanted one on her head too. Well as you'll see in the video below, Sydney flipped out when one flew to her arm!!! For the record, after she calmed down she fed them from the floor.

The waterfalls was our last stop. The first was Otodome Waterfall. It reminded me of one we saw on Kauai. To get to the second one, Shiraito Waterfall, we had to go down 100 steps. Sydney wanted me to carry her and I was fine with that since she was going so slow! It was so beautiful, and Julie said it reminds her of those inspirational posters you usually see hanging in offices. She got all fancy slowing her shutter speed to make the water look soft and blurry. I didn't do it on mine since I couldn't figure it out. Turns out I have to put my camera in TV mode...at least I know for next time. It was here that Julie noticed I had bird poop on my butt. Gotta love that, eh?! My mom has always said it's good luck to get pooped on. She said that while we were on vacation in Wildwood, N.J. while I was in high school. But ya know, the only people I've ever heard say that are ones that have been pooped on by a bird.

We had a great day, the girls slept on the bus on the way home, and we've made more wonderful memories for our time in Japan. As for the strange and funny finds for the day....the ladies' room at the rest stop had a lit sign letting us know which stall was available. They also had little chairs in there for babies to sit in! Our favorite had to be the Elegance for Lady's Inner machine also in the ladies' room. An ice cream stand by the waterfalls had a variety of flavors. I immediately noticed Triple Sec, and Julie spotted caramel cracker. Do those look like Saltines to you?! And last but not least, the completed lamp we made! It will be going in the girls' bedroom on their night stand.

Fun & Games

It's been a slow week with not a whole lot going on. I've been getting stuff done around the house, and it's about time too. Finally got pictures hung up on the walls, and in the hallway too leading to the front door. One side is cement, so a hammer and nail doesn't quite cut it. After meeting Myra for her birthday dinner over the weekend we went to the mini mart. She pointed out these hook things that are made for cement walls. The hooks are large, so I knew they wouldn't work hanging a few of my pictures, but for a couple that have a wire in back it worked like a charm! So thanks, Myra! It's finally starting to feel like a home, and it's really nice to have the pictures and clutter off the floor!

Julie's taking a class this week, so every evening we're watching Noah for a few hours. Keanna's really doing well with the Wii Fit, and she's got Noah hooked; Julie even gave a few games a shot...including yoga. (Hey Scott, I think you ought to look into a bigger TV and then a Wii!!!) He doesn't quite have it down yet, so she's guiding him along...literally! She holds his waist or shoulders to help him out. I took some picture of them doing the hula hoop, ski jump and soccer heading games together. You have to move from side to side and shift your weight to go between the flags. You'll also be able to see the pictures hung up around the TV. FYI, the nail on the outside edge of the picture frame is 14" from the corner and 17.5" from the ceiling. Not only did I measure, but I used the level since all six frames match. And the curtains are totally ghetto! The tracks and clips were here and on the ceiling when we arrived...they're like that in all the townhouses on Ikego (our housing base). Well I couldn't find any window dressings that would work and hang on them, so I took Brenda's idea. I attached a paperclip to the existing clip, then attached a little clip from the 100 yen store (16 of them for 100 yen which is about $1) and attached those to the top of the curtain...it attaches similar to a clothes pin but is a clear circle about the size of a dime.

And speaking of the 100 yen store, remember that funky toilet paper holder we have in our bathrooms here? I posted pictures of it a couple of months ago, but to save you from going back to find it, here's the direct link to it. Last time the girls and I were there I found this Hello Kitty toilet paper cover and holder. The best part was the price, can't beat ¥100! I had to detach our holder from the wall, but it's only three screws so not bad at all. Then I poked holes in the fabric where the screws would go and reattached it to the wall. Only problem is it's a tight fit holding the spare roll below. Apparently our toilet paper rolls are much larger than Japanese toilet paper rolls! But I got it in the holder and will probably just leave it in there for show (it's in the downstairs half bath) from now on and get a spare roll out of the plastic wrapping!

Lastly, Dawn it was great instant messaging with you earlier today! I told you I had a package for the kids...and yeah, I told you that at the beginning of the summer, but I wanted to prove it to you. Here's a picture of the package. Tomorrow when we go to check the mail at the post office I'm going to bring it with me, fill out the customs form and get it the heck off my dryer! There are coloring books in there for the kids, and I'm still looking for notebooks for you that have the binding on the other side. The coloring books are like that, and I know you're left handed.

Almost forgot! We all know Hello Kitty originated in Japan as did Pokemon. A fellow submarine wife asked me if Pokémon and Naruto were as popular here as in the United States. Her son is a big fan of both and was curious. My guess is yes, but when I'm out shopping I'll take a picture of the displays. At the 100 yen store here in Zushi there was a huge Hello Kitty area...I'm pretty sure there was for Pokémon as well. FYI, that's the Japanese website for Pokémon, and I already used the translation option through Google. I haven't heard of Naruto, but will be on the lookout from now on.

Over or Under?

I promised to keep this blog light-hearted, and I think the subject of toilet paper proves it!

When Bob's gone I never have to worry about putting the toilet seat back down. Although I have to admit, he's good about putting it back down. All those years on the submarines trained him well. I remember walking through both subs he was on and seeing signs reminding the guys to put the seats down because if they make a sudden movement and the seat falls, it'll make noise thus making the sub easier to find. Sometimes he puts the lid down too, and waking up in the middle of the night and sitting on the lid is no fun. Although I suppose it could be worse, I could sit down with the seat up?!

I had to change the roll tonight, and every time I do I chuckle. Strange I know, but you'll see why in a just a second. We have 2 1/2 bathrooms in our house, and all three bathrooms have the same type of toilet paper holder. In case you're unsure how to change the roll, we have instructions. You'll notice they're in Japanese, so good thing I know how to do it!

I'm adamant that the paper come over, and he prefers it under. Well, I don't know if he actually prefers it to come from underneath or if he just does says that! Anytime he changes the roll he puts it his way knowing full well I'll change it. He won't change it back, and won't change it if I do the initial change, but man it bugs me! It bugs me and he knows it, so I'm willing to bet he could care less which way it's on there.

So how about you? Are you an over or under household?

Getting in Our Groove

We did a lot of running around yesterday, even though the weather was yuck. It was drizzling, windy and raw, but we had to go out and run some errands. Bob was tasked with opening a mailbox Thursday at the main base, only he's out to sea, so guess who got tasked with it. Yup, yours truly. You military spouses will have a better grasp of this and the torture I went through yesterday. He emailed me the info I needed (orders, family entry approval, etc) for this guy coming to his command, but I did not think it'd fly. I went with my POA too, but it's for Bob, not this new guy. After waiting in line at the post office for 20 minutes, I got up to the counter only to be told I was in the wrong area. Lovely. Keep in mind that I woke Sydney up getting her out of the car, and Keanna was jumping and running in place. She wasn't bothering anyone but me, but I think holding Sydney and her being cranky made me cranky. And no, I didn't register us at this post office, we have one on ou housing base; I had never stepped foot into this one. Getting side tracked, but we did check our mail on the way out yesterday. The girls love to do it, and Keanna's in charge of unlocking and opening the door.

So we're in line, and at the 10 minute point a guy comes in in uniform. Well we know what that means, don't we?! You guess correctly again....just like at the commissary, he got head of line privileges. That's fine, I didn't mind it so much especially because he was carrying a large box that looked to be heavy. Anyway, long story short, I end up in the correct office, and after 45 minutes of explaining my husband isn't this guy's sponsor, I'm not this guy's spouse and no he hasn't checked in yet and is still attached to another command, I've been asked to do this.

Oh, and the best part? This is my favorite part and I can't believe I forgot to mention it until now. Our printer didn't survive the move. Bob was convinced I did something to screw it up when setting up the computer and printer while he was gone last month. Well over the two weeks he was home he fussed with it, and finally on Tuesday, the night before he left, he finally agreed that it's time for a new printer. So I saved the email from Bob, the FEA and orders to a disk and headed to FFSC to print them all out. Without that email I'd look like a crazy person. It was forwarded from LCDR someone to CDR someone, another CDR someone and finally to Bob. Then it had the headers of being forwarded to me. I was hoping with the proof of this email that I didn't look like a complete wacko to the friendly postal worker.

Anyway, getting back to it since I was side-tracked. After 40-45 mins of sitting in this guy's office it all worked out. He had a mustache, so Keanna asked (and didn't whisper), "Mom, why is his lip dirty?" I must have turned redder than red at that point...I think I actually felt my face get hot. He chuckled (thank goodness, because the last thing I wanted to do was get this guy angry), and said, "Well that's one I haven't heard before!" I explained that he has a mustache and that it's hair, it's not dirty! That seemed to keep her quiet for the time being. She insisted on holding my military ID, and since she had a card, Sydney had to have one too. I gave her my Costco card and hoped for the best. Every few minutes he'd ask for my ID and Keanna felt so important handing it to him. He'd enter information in the computer, and being a father himself, asked Sydney for the Costco card too and pretended she was helping too.

So at least that was done, and I could email Bob the story (no, not what I typed above). I emailed him back the info, and tried to sound professional so he could forward it on to whomever he needed to. Bob went out to sea on Wednesday morning at 9 am, so what do you think he did the day before? Aside from giving the printer one final effort, he bought a car. Yeah, bought a car! All the cars here that the Americans drive are beaters for the most part. My car is a 1997 and his is a 1997 Skyline. The picture to the left isn't his exact car, but it looks just like this one. Tuesday he did some paperwork stuff with it and paid the seller, but I was left with the responsibility of organizing the LTO run. You readers in Japan knows what that is. And I'm not even sure exactly what it is. All I know is it involves going to Yokohama with $190 and paying someone approx $25 to do it for you. Fine with me! I called the same woman that did it for us when we bought my car. After the post office I met up with her, gave her the paperwork and the money, and took another deep breath; one more thing off my list. When I get the paperwork back from her on Monday I have to go over to the VRO and get the stickers for his car. Let me tell you this, yesterday that line was literally out the door and down the sidewalk. Yeah, not fun, especially with two kids.

After meeting up with this woman I headed over the NEX to buy a printer. Bob wanted me to wait until they went on sale, and I could understand that, but no way....it was worth $20 for me to have it NOW versus a couple of weeks from now. They had two Epsons, four HPs and two Canons. And do you think they sold the ink for the Epson printers they carry? You guessed correctly again, nope! I wanted an Epson, we had good luck with our Epson of four years and a horrible experience with our HPs, so I went with the Epson 9400 something or other. It's got a fax machine, so I went for it. For the difference of $28 I went with the higher end Epson. On the way out of the NEX I grabbed the sales flyer for next week, and don't ya know it, it's going on sale for $30 off! I did a U-turn with both girls riding on either side of the cart, walked back in and asked what the deal was with that, and they do price adjustments for 14 days, so on the 11th I'm going in there with my receipt and getting credited the difference.

The girls were behaving so well considering the circumstances, so I told them we would treat ourselves to McDonalds. They could even get a chocolate shake which is their ultimate favorite. And speaking of that, I think I'm going to bring the nice guy at the post office a shake next week as a thank you. He did go out of his way and probably shouldn't have. So I want to show my appreciation. He also said my husband owes me big time. I told him that's why I call myself the Admiral and Bob's the LT of the house. Getting back to it, McDonalds. We went in and the girls got Happy Meals. This isn't the first time, but it is the first time I've taken a picture. The toys are Japanese, the bag is Japanese, and the instructions for the toy are in Japanese. Thank goodness they're not complicated, huh?! Keanna was so happy, and in between slurping her shake she said, "Mom, I love you." I told her I love her too, and told them both that dad loves them too. Even though he's out on the ship, he thinks about us all the time, and he knows we think about him too. And just because dad isn't here it doesn't mean we can't do things and accomplish stuff. I used yesterday as the example. We're perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves and figuring out the post office, paperwork for the car, etc. I'm not sure if they fully understood me or not, but they were nodding their hands and Keanna then said, "Yeah, dad didn't help me put my socks on today, I did it by myself." Needless to say, I think she got my point!

We made a pit stop before heading home, and low and behold, McDonalds on base has the fancy toilets! Japanese toilets often have four or five buttons ... One button, labeled with a music note, creates a flushing sound when pushed to cover any embarrassing bathroom noises, which, from what I've heard, is any bathroom noise. The others mostly relate to the integrated bidet, which both sprays clean water and blow dries, right from the toilet. I tried the spray button as well, and until then thought it was the same thing as the bidet button. Needless to say I discovered that the bidet button and the squirt button hit two different areas. Right there in the stall I laughed out loud snorted too! It was even funnier because of the echo too. Anyway if you ever come to visit here, don't say I haven't warned you! But beware, the shock of pressing a strange button and suddenly feeling a jet of water "down there" can lead to jumping and soaked pants. Well, maybe not soaked pants, but a few drips or dribbles!

They even have the fancy hand dryer. I'm not talking about the one where you push the button and hot air comes out. I'm talking about the Dyson one that was advertised on TV. I don't think this was the actual Dyson model, but same concept. Anyway, The air is pushed out at hundreds of mph and it's like a squeegee on your hands. Those suckers are awesome!!

So that was our Friday. It's Saturday afternoon now and I'm thinking about what to make for dinner. It's raining again, so maybe some soup or even Cream of Wheat. I love oatmeal on rainy days. At least tomorrow's going to be nice. We have a picnic on the main base and it's outdoors, so it'll be nice to sit in the sun! That just reminded me, I need to make two batches of brownies!