>>Hello, Graham here - just popped onto the blog to expand on the digital toilet seats. Didn‘t think Irene had done them enough justice;
Ok, yes they can be warmed to a temperature of your choosing. They have certain other features too, like if you need the sound of running water to help you pee. If don’t want to be heard while on the job, there was a white noise setting on one of them, you can also adjust the seat angle, etc. Now, I’ll just come straight out and say this, the most important part of any digital toilet is its bidet. Having never used one before, and having my stomach turned by rancid hose contraptions in India for the same purpose, I was surprised on first use in Japan at just how effective these are. There are buttons for distance spray and power, much in the same way a car wash does too. So much power in fact that its possible to give yourself a cold water enema if you are feeling backed up. (Did Irene mention that the Japanese don’t have much fibre in their diet).
This is all just background however to an incident with said bidet and Irene in Tokyo, whom I’d sold the merits of the toilet gadgets to and who was subsequently involved in utilising for the first time. All seemed to be going well until I heard strange intermittent cries and yelps protruding from the toilet. Very curious I wandered over to the door, “don‘t come in”, was heard, along with dripping noises and more hysterical yelping and screeches. Unperturbed I endeavoured to push the door open to find Irene soaked from head to foot, hands out in front trying to stop the nightmare mechanical fountain that was exploding from the toilet. I rushed over and hit the stop button then proceeded to laugh hysterically while an unimpressed Irene wondered how the bidet had went wrong.
From what I understand Irene had confused the power setting with the location button and shot the water straight up and over her back and head and had been scrambling around in the mayhem that ensued trying to stop the machine.
Please don’t let this put you off trying a digital toilet if you get the chance, in the hands of the right person they are a good thing.
That’s all for now<<<
Saturday 29 August 2009
Weird & Wonderful!....
…pretty much sums up Japan. Here’s our thoughts on the things which struck us as being so different from home:-
* 99.999% of the population are Japanese for a start, ethnically diverse it is not! This is due to their very strict immigration rules - basically if you’re not Japanese its damn hard to stay here;
* And there are a lot of Japanese folk staying here already. We were told the main island (where most folk stay) is about the size of the UK but they have more than double the population - it’s crowded! For example, we spent 6 hours on the train one day from Fukuoka to Tokyo and we couldn’t tell where one city stopped and another started as it was basically a massive suburb all the way!!
* So this means they have very little in the way of countryside to enjoy (at least in the south) and the countryside we did find has been kind of forgotten about and dare I say it - it was a bit like travelling half way round the world to visit Invergordon‘s twin town!! (although we now do actually have to travel half way round the world to get back to Inverg!);
* The countryside may be a bit disappointing but cities are what the Japanese do best - there’s lots off them and they’re really fun. Each city is different in its own way and has weird and wonderful skyscrapers which really come to life and look their best at night;
* However, the cities are on the pricey side, so particularly when in Tokyo, we couldn’t afford to eat the really tasty food (with the exception of course of the Michelin Star restaurant at the Whisky Society), which left us with the feeling that while Japanese food on the whole looks really tasty and is generally prepared with lots of tlc - in 99% of cases it doesn’t taste like you have imagined it will! They don’t really sweeten their food so there’s a lot more ‘sour’ flavours than we’re used to, and nearly every dish comes with a soft runny egg on top?? ….. and the other thing you don’t realise is that there is virtually no fibre in the Japanese diet….let’s just say this causes it’s own problems when you have a stomach and digestion system used to the western diet!
* Like everything, the Japanese present their food looking perfect and they are perfectionists in every way! The Japanese attention to detail is amazing. And they have invented gadgets/and ways of life to solve ever little annoyance - one’s which we just have to live with. Why can’t we have:-
- sneaker laundries;
- warm digital toilet seats
- train seats that flip round so you never have to travel backwards and feel sick;
- pens that still write even when you’re not leaning on something flat;
- exercise which needs no more exertion than sitting in a bath;
- the luxury of being able to walk the streets in what is effectively a very nice dressing gown;
….I could go on….. if it annoys you, I’m pretty sure the Japanese have come up with something to sort it;
* All these things taken together have left us with the feeling that the Japanese culture is very much alive and well - not so much in terms of history or architecture but in it’s people! They are most definitely Japanese and very proud of the fact and we feel very lucky to have been able to spend some time in this fascinating country to glimpse it at first hand (and perhaps we’ve seen a little of what life might be like for the rest of us in the future - it really does feel like they are leading the world in a lot of ways)…….and talking of world powers…. on to China……
* 99.999% of the population are Japanese for a start, ethnically diverse it is not! This is due to their very strict immigration rules - basically if you’re not Japanese its damn hard to stay here;
* And there are a lot of Japanese folk staying here already. We were told the main island (where most folk stay) is about the size of the UK but they have more than double the population - it’s crowded! For example, we spent 6 hours on the train one day from Fukuoka to Tokyo and we couldn’t tell where one city stopped and another started as it was basically a massive suburb all the way!!
* So this means they have very little in the way of countryside to enjoy (at least in the south) and the countryside we did find has been kind of forgotten about and dare I say it - it was a bit like travelling half way round the world to visit Invergordon‘s twin town!! (although we now do actually have to travel half way round the world to get back to Inverg!);
* The countryside may be a bit disappointing but cities are what the Japanese do best - there’s lots off them and they’re really fun. Each city is different in its own way and has weird and wonderful skyscrapers which really come to life and look their best at night;
* However, the cities are on the pricey side, so particularly when in Tokyo, we couldn’t afford to eat the really tasty food (with the exception of course of the Michelin Star restaurant at the Whisky Society), which left us with the feeling that while Japanese food on the whole looks really tasty and is generally prepared with lots of tlc - in 99% of cases it doesn’t taste like you have imagined it will! They don’t really sweeten their food so there’s a lot more ‘sour’ flavours than we’re used to, and nearly every dish comes with a soft runny egg on top?? ….. and the other thing you don’t realise is that there is virtually no fibre in the Japanese diet….let’s just say this causes it’s own problems when you have a stomach and digestion system used to the western diet!
* Like everything, the Japanese present their food looking perfect and they are perfectionists in every way! The Japanese attention to detail is amazing. And they have invented gadgets/and ways of life to solve ever little annoyance - one’s which we just have to live with. Why can’t we have:-
- sneaker laundries;
- warm digital toilet seats
- train seats that flip round so you never have to travel backwards and feel sick;
- pens that still write even when you’re not leaning on something flat;
- exercise which needs no more exertion than sitting in a bath;
- the luxury of being able to walk the streets in what is effectively a very nice dressing gown;
….I could go on….. if it annoys you, I’m pretty sure the Japanese have come up with something to sort it;
* All these things taken together have left us with the feeling that the Japanese culture is very much alive and well - not so much in terms of history or architecture but in it’s people! They are most definitely Japanese and very proud of the fact and we feel very lucky to have been able to spend some time in this fascinating country to glimpse it at first hand (and perhaps we’ve seen a little of what life might be like for the rest of us in the future - it really does feel like they are leading the world in a lot of ways)…….and talking of world powers…. on to China……
31/07/09 - 04/08/09, Tokyo Take Two!
We’re back and there’s no rest! Up at 6.00am to visit the Tsijuki Fish Market - a fascinating and very colourful place, with every type of fish/seafood that lives in the sea e.g. massive tuna, sea slugs, eels, clams…the list goes on…and it’s crazy, all action.
After a mid-morning snooze we headed to the Edo-Tokyo Museum to try and find out some history. And we learnt the reason Tokyo has so few old buildings is because they were either destroyed in the earthquake in 1923 or the bombing of WWII - the scale of bombing damage to Tokyo was equivalent to that of Hiroshima - pretty much destroyed then!
We then tried to catch a Sumo match, but it wasn’t Sumo Season. However, we did manage a “nosey” into the stadium and the ring looks a lot smaller than on TV.
The evening was then whiled away in Shinjuku watching some unusual dancing at another Shrine festival. Basically everyone joins in (mostly wearing their Kimono’s) and dances round a tower, and they all make a real effort to get the moves right (attention to detail very high!). It also gave us a little insight into how Geisha’s must entertain their clients - and it looks like it hasn’t changed in 100’s of years.
Day 2 - stopped in at Sony Aquarium - no real fish there of course! And finished the day off with a “rolling” Sushi (couldn’t leave without going - will miss a little Sushi!) and a beer at our local. When the barman found out we were on Honeymoon he presented us with a little scarf - seems it is viewed as very auspicious to be on Honeymoon….and as we mentioned previously it only got better at the Whisky Society!!
We also tried our luck for an upgrade at the airport - no chance, Japanese efficiency was in full swing!!
After a mid-morning snooze we headed to the Edo-Tokyo Museum to try and find out some history. And we learnt the reason Tokyo has so few old buildings is because they were either destroyed in the earthquake in 1923 or the bombing of WWII - the scale of bombing damage to Tokyo was equivalent to that of Hiroshima - pretty much destroyed then!
We then tried to catch a Sumo match, but it wasn’t Sumo Season. However, we did manage a “nosey” into the stadium and the ring looks a lot smaller than on TV.
The evening was then whiled away in Shinjuku watching some unusual dancing at another Shrine festival. Basically everyone joins in (mostly wearing their Kimono’s) and dances round a tower, and they all make a real effort to get the moves right (attention to detail very high!). It also gave us a little insight into how Geisha’s must entertain their clients - and it looks like it hasn’t changed in 100’s of years.
Day 2 - stopped in at Sony Aquarium - no real fish there of course! And finished the day off with a “rolling” Sushi (couldn’t leave without going - will miss a little Sushi!) and a beer at our local. When the barman found out we were on Honeymoon he presented us with a little scarf - seems it is viewed as very auspicious to be on Honeymoon….and as we mentioned previously it only got better at the Whisky Society!!
We also tried our luck for an upgrade at the airport - no chance, Japanese efficiency was in full swing!!
25/07/09 -31/07/09, The Other Bits of Japan!
Well, no need to tell you why Hiroshima is well known but going there makes it much more real and there are still plenty of reminders to the devastation caused. We saw the Atomic Bomb Dome and the Peace Memorial Museum, both very poignant. 200,000 people were either killed instantly or died in agony a couple of days after the bomb. The anniversary was not until 6 August but there was already a small remembrance service taking place where a few folk carried the burning flame (this will not be extinguished until the last nuclear bomb has been destroyed). While Hiroshima will never forget what happened, today it is a nice, (obviously) modern city which we enjoyed visiting. We also had the chance here to go and see one of the many fireworks displays(there are hundreds across Japan) - the Japanese love fireworks (and so do I).
Next stop on the road was the seaside “city” of Beppu - famous for its Hot Springs and Onsens. And it really does have lots of them and steam jetting out everywhere even in the middle of roads! So we opted to try a “Sand” Bath - where you basically bury yourself up to your neck in sand - just like at the seaside when you were wee but here the sand has been warmed for you and with the weight of the sand you end up really sweating. The result - you feel like you’ve had a work out even though you’ve been lying down relaxing - at last, a sport I like! It was also when undertaking this strenuous exercise that the Japanese “perfectionist” streak revealed itself. I wasn’t allowed to leave the changing room until my dressing gown was tied at the right side. Personally, I was just about to bury it and me in sand so I hadn’t thought that it would really matter!
So suitably revived we went on to Aso to see a live volcano. Well, at least Graham did. We travelled quite far to see this but when we arrived there were leaflets, signs, tannoy announcements and blue flashing lights specifically telling you not to go up to see the crater if you had asthma as you might die - damn and botheration!!…so Graham hopped on the cable car while I looked at tacky souvenirs. Graham assures me it was the best thing he has ever seen but he did bring me back a bit of volcanic rock!
However, there was no risk to my health at the next site in Fukuoka (well, only to my hearing) - a baseball game with the home team “Softbank Hawks”. (Note: in case you’re wondering we did not pick these places just because of their names - Aso & Fukuoka!). As with anything they like the Japanese really get into their baseball and it is a real family night out - everyone goes. We did learn a bit about baseball while there but it was really the crowd who were the most entertaining. They just spent hours making as much noise as possible. Everyone has “clangers” which they bash together, but not in any old way, they have “routines”. But despite the crowd support the Softbank Hawks lost, although this didn’t seem to discourage the supporters and they didn’t slump into a “Scottish depression”, which so often follows our defeats!
So our 14 day Japan Rail passes were nearly up and we had to head back to Tokyo before we were forking out £100’s for the train! But before we did, I had just enough time to go to the “Sneaker” laundry - a great invention - a specially designed washing machine and a wee drier like a microwave for your trainers - we NEED them in Britain! - our trainers are like new (unlike everything else we have with us which is now falling apart!)
Next stop on the road was the seaside “city” of Beppu - famous for its Hot Springs and Onsens. And it really does have lots of them and steam jetting out everywhere even in the middle of roads! So we opted to try a “Sand” Bath - where you basically bury yourself up to your neck in sand - just like at the seaside when you were wee but here the sand has been warmed for you and with the weight of the sand you end up really sweating. The result - you feel like you’ve had a work out even though you’ve been lying down relaxing - at last, a sport I like! It was also when undertaking this strenuous exercise that the Japanese “perfectionist” streak revealed itself. I wasn’t allowed to leave the changing room until my dressing gown was tied at the right side. Personally, I was just about to bury it and me in sand so I hadn’t thought that it would really matter!
So suitably revived we went on to Aso to see a live volcano. Well, at least Graham did. We travelled quite far to see this but when we arrived there were leaflets, signs, tannoy announcements and blue flashing lights specifically telling you not to go up to see the crater if you had asthma as you might die - damn and botheration!!…so Graham hopped on the cable car while I looked at tacky souvenirs. Graham assures me it was the best thing he has ever seen but he did bring me back a bit of volcanic rock!
However, there was no risk to my health at the next site in Fukuoka (well, only to my hearing) - a baseball game with the home team “Softbank Hawks”. (Note: in case you’re wondering we did not pick these places just because of their names - Aso & Fukuoka!). As with anything they like the Japanese really get into their baseball and it is a real family night out - everyone goes. We did learn a bit about baseball while there but it was really the crowd who were the most entertaining. They just spent hours making as much noise as possible. Everyone has “clangers” which they bash together, but not in any old way, they have “routines”. But despite the crowd support the Softbank Hawks lost, although this didn’t seem to discourage the supporters and they didn’t slump into a “Scottish depression”, which so often follows our defeats!
So our 14 day Japan Rail passes were nearly up and we had to head back to Tokyo before we were forking out £100’s for the train! But before we did, I had just enough time to go to the “Sneaker” laundry - a great invention - a specially designed washing machine and a wee drier like a microwave for your trainers - we NEED them in Britain! - our trainers are like new (unlike everything else we have with us which is now falling apart!)
Apologies!
For any of you out there who are still holding onto the hope of seeing some holiday snaps, that must have seemed like a long night (and it’s not over yet!).
To explain - for the week prior to staying at the Whisky Society Hotel we had been sleeping in Japanese style beds, which are pretty much like kipping on the floor at your friend’s house and we all know we are too old for that these days! So we took the opportunity to sleep in when we found a bed with an old fashioned mattress and thought, no worries, we’ll put the photos up at the airport or when we get to Beijing… mmmm…. this would have worked had the Chinese Government not scuppered our plans!!
The Chinese Government in its wisdom have currently banned access to Facebook and Blogspot (which you've probably heard about). Now, if I was at home I would pretty much support the banning of Facebook but protecting 1.3 billion Chinese from being exposed to our blog has been a bit of a pain! And we are still in China, (Hong Kong at the moment) so in the interests of international diplomacy we’ll be leaving the Chinese blog updates until we are elsewhere (we have no wish to be detained to discuss these with the powers that be!).
However, to give you a little insight into how things have been going in China, here’s a wee example of how we’ve been coping with the ‘communication barrier’. We went into a ‘stationary’ shop when in Xi’an to buy an envelope, as I had a lovely complaint letter waiting to be sent off to Sony UK. So Graham got started on the obligatory mimes, which he thought aptly depicted the ‘licking and sealing of an envelope’ - only to be taken to the back of the shop and shown a Mouth Organ!!! (this still makes me chuckle). And, of course, Graham being Graham, he played a wee tune on the Mouth Organ before opting to draw some pictures to explain that we really wanted an envelope.
As it turned out we had been standing in front of the envelopes all along, but the whole Mouth Organ interpretation had greatly amused us on 2 accounts - 1) why was the ’paper’ shop selling Mouth Organs in the first place?, and 2) why did the lady in the shop think… aaahhhh… ‘Westerners’, they’re always looking to buy a Mouth Organ??? Very odd…although, things haven’t really improved and we now only wish that buying a train ticket was as easy as buying a Mouth Organ!! (note - we also realised the following day when at the Post Office that they glue down their envelopes here - so the “licking an envelope” mime didn’t really travel well anyway!).
But going back to the blog - we’ve loads to tell you, so here’s the rest of the Japanese updates and as I mentioned earlier the China ones will be posted in a few days when we land in Oz. And, we’re just going to put up some photos now too……promise…..
To explain - for the week prior to staying at the Whisky Society Hotel we had been sleeping in Japanese style beds, which are pretty much like kipping on the floor at your friend’s house and we all know we are too old for that these days! So we took the opportunity to sleep in when we found a bed with an old fashioned mattress and thought, no worries, we’ll put the photos up at the airport or when we get to Beijing… mmmm…. this would have worked had the Chinese Government not scuppered our plans!!
The Chinese Government in its wisdom have currently banned access to Facebook and Blogspot (which you've probably heard about). Now, if I was at home I would pretty much support the banning of Facebook but protecting 1.3 billion Chinese from being exposed to our blog has been a bit of a pain! And we are still in China, (Hong Kong at the moment) so in the interests of international diplomacy we’ll be leaving the Chinese blog updates until we are elsewhere (we have no wish to be detained to discuss these with the powers that be!).
However, to give you a little insight into how things have been going in China, here’s a wee example of how we’ve been coping with the ‘communication barrier’. We went into a ‘stationary’ shop when in Xi’an to buy an envelope, as I had a lovely complaint letter waiting to be sent off to Sony UK. So Graham got started on the obligatory mimes, which he thought aptly depicted the ‘licking and sealing of an envelope’ - only to be taken to the back of the shop and shown a Mouth Organ!!! (this still makes me chuckle). And, of course, Graham being Graham, he played a wee tune on the Mouth Organ before opting to draw some pictures to explain that we really wanted an envelope.
As it turned out we had been standing in front of the envelopes all along, but the whole Mouth Organ interpretation had greatly amused us on 2 accounts - 1) why was the ’paper’ shop selling Mouth Organs in the first place?, and 2) why did the lady in the shop think… aaahhhh… ‘Westerners’, they’re always looking to buy a Mouth Organ??? Very odd…although, things haven’t really improved and we now only wish that buying a train ticket was as easy as buying a Mouth Organ!! (note - we also realised the following day when at the Post Office that they glue down their envelopes here - so the “licking an envelope” mime didn’t really travel well anyway!).
But going back to the blog - we’ve loads to tell you, so here’s the rest of the Japanese updates and as I mentioned earlier the China ones will be posted in a few days when we land in Oz. And, we’re just going to put up some photos now too……promise…..
Monday 3 August 2009
God Bless the Whisky Society!!!
Just taken 25 hours out from backpacking to live it up at the 5* Park Hotel Tokyo!!!.....what a night......lovely room with a very warm toilet seat (they're all digitally heated over here!) and a view of Tokyo Tower (but not from the toilet - thankfully).
So we have been relaxing for the evening at the very swanky Whisky Society Bar (thanks to Fiona & Robert for introducing us to the Whisky Society in Leith all those years ago - we're reaping the rewards now!) - discount off the room, Tower View thrown in, complimentary bottle of Champagne for being on our Honeymoon and a wee dram bought for Graham from the chap who booked our room - it actually feels like we're on honeymoon now!! (even though it is our last night in Japan and we got married 4 months ago!).
And the food....it was amazing (Kaiseki), where it looks like works of art - and we had Caviar in 2 courses!!! Graham also (obviously) sampled a few of the old homebrews - Miltonduff and Dalmore to name a couple but he resisted trying the "Old Puffer at the Harbour"!!
Graham was also amazed (or slightly horrified to be honest) that the Japanese drink their Whisky straight...apparently it is manly to drink it this way - if not slightly reducing your life expectancy - although we were assured by the barman that he dilutes his drinks as he "wants to live".
Anyway, we are going to post some photos for you to see tomorrow morning before we check out so come back shortly for a peek. But afraid there isn't going to be any of the Tower View as they switched it off at midnight - damn!...didn't expect that.
Oh well, all good things and all that.....back to a shared dorm in a youth hostel in Beijing tomorrow night!........
So we have been relaxing for the evening at the very swanky Whisky Society Bar (thanks to Fiona & Robert for introducing us to the Whisky Society in Leith all those years ago - we're reaping the rewards now!) - discount off the room, Tower View thrown in, complimentary bottle of Champagne for being on our Honeymoon and a wee dram bought for Graham from the chap who booked our room - it actually feels like we're on honeymoon now!! (even though it is our last night in Japan and we got married 4 months ago!).
And the food....it was amazing (Kaiseki), where it looks like works of art - and we had Caviar in 2 courses!!! Graham also (obviously) sampled a few of the old homebrews - Miltonduff and Dalmore to name a couple but he resisted trying the "Old Puffer at the Harbour"!!
Graham was also amazed (or slightly horrified to be honest) that the Japanese drink their Whisky straight...apparently it is manly to drink it this way - if not slightly reducing your life expectancy - although we were assured by the barman that he dilutes his drinks as he "wants to live".
Anyway, we are going to post some photos for you to see tomorrow morning before we check out so come back shortly for a peek. But afraid there isn't going to be any of the Tower View as they switched it off at midnight - damn!...didn't expect that.
Oh well, all good things and all that.....back to a shared dorm in a youth hostel in Beijing tomorrow night!........
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