Author Archives: chloe elizabeth

a toilet and a tub

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No that isn’t some clever title that really means something else. You asked for it, so here you go. The Japanese are serious about toilets and tubs. As you will see below, but require explicit instructions on use. (I apologize for the quality of most of the photos, but I figured an iPhone would do for the details.)

So, yes, this is my toilet in my bathroom. You know things are serious when there are instructions on the inside of the lid and there are indicator lights at the back of the seat.

But before we even get to the technology, let’s take a moment to discuss the tank. Can anyone explain to me why the tank filler would be outside of the tank? I’ve thought about this for a little bit. Maybe it’s so you can see the water? So you know it’s clean? Filling? There? Not sure what the purpose is, but I just see it as limiting my bathroom counter space. And what about the lack of a flush on the toilet? Well, if you look at that little label on the upper right hand corner, it says (in English) that the flush is on the wall. And so it beings…

Yeah…I don’t get it.

Here are the wall instructions. The top is the English explanation for all of the buttons below. From left to right the circular buttons say Stop, Wash, Bidet, and Dry. Yes. Those are you’re options. Please note that the Wash button is blue, indicating this is for men, while the Bidet button is pink for women.  Below the main buttons are two little screens with arrows on either side. These are for water pressure (Wash and Bidet) and water position. The Japanese are NOT messing around.

The flushes are the two tab-like things sticking out. Why two? Weak and Strong. No point in wasting water if you only need a little flush. And the big green button above the flushes. Oh, you know, just in case you need to call the living room. Because it’s a whole five feet away. But the Japanese do not yell, so this makes some sense culturally. That said, I made the mistake of testing this out the first night I got here and could not figure out how to get it to stop calling the living room. And by “calling” I do mean that it calls out…there’s a voice that actually says something over and over again in Japanese. It might have stressed me out a little. Maybe.

Back up on the instructions you’ll note there’s a little picture of another control panel just below the picture of the commode. This is located on the left side of the toilet (as you face it) and is the temperature control. For what, you might ask? For the seat, the water (you know, if you’re going to Wash or Bidet) and the air (if you’re going to dry). Cleanliness is a serious thing here. 
And that concludes our tour of the toilet. Did you know you could take a tour of a toilet? Now you do.
Up next? The tub. But first, I must go workout…
Okay, I’m back. The tub. 
Please note that the tub is contained in a room. This room is a sort of pod. There is a drain both inside and outside of the tub. The entire room is pretty well sealed. What you can’t see to the left is that there is also a mirror. Full length, no less. It’s a good time. What you can see is the shower head which is NOT in a position to shower into the bathtub. Another thing you can’t see? A shower curtain. There isn’t one. Because this room is entirely water proof, there’s not really a need for one. And because it seals completely (I mean, I don’t think it’s air tight or anything, but it’s pretty tight) the air gets and stays warm. 

And just in case it isn’t warm (or cool) enough for you, it has it’s own ventilation system. And that ventilation system doubles and a “dryer” for my “hang dry” items, circulating warm dry air for any where from 10 minutes to hours (not sure how many). And you can set where you want that air to blow, depending on what you need to dry.

And as if that wasn’t enough, here is the control panel for the water heater (there’s a control panel in the kitchen, as well). Here’s what I’ve managed to figure out. I have to turn the water heater on if I want hot water…and if I turn the water heater on, hot water comes pouring out of the a weird nozzle thing in the bathtub (where my American bathtub had a drain in case of overfilling). I’m sure there’s some way to get hot water without having to have water run in the tub, but since I have yet to figure that out, I’ve decided Japan is just trying to tell me I need to relax and take more baths…

And this concludes your tour of my bathroom. I may never leave Japan just for these two things. Well, three things, actually. I now have a washer and dryer (one machine that does both). Life. Changing.

Another quick note on toilets in general (not just mine): the toilets at work (public restrooms, mind you) are just as advanced. Unfortunately, this meant the first time I used one I sat on a hot toilet seat. It was not pleasant. And yes, I meant hot. Like, Arizona poolside hot. It was an interesting introduction to public restrooms in Tokyo…

room with a view

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My office is in a relatively new building in downtown Tokyo just outside the Imperial Palace. Kind of awesome, right? It’s called the Shin Marunouchi Building and that’s how people know it. There aren’t street addresses here (there are no street names), so buildings are a big deal. Anyway, this building is amazing. In fact, when we arrived on the subway, we never even had to go outside to get to it. That’s a really interesting thing about Tokyo. There aren’t just tunnels under the city. There’s an entire city under the city. In fact, there’s so much under my building that I haven’t had to go outside during the day even once…which is awesome considering the heat and humidity.

One of the other great things about my office is the view. I’m on a trading desk (not because I’m trading…it’s just how the offices are set up, so I don’t sit right up against the window, but I have an amazing view to my right.

And here was the view at my desk when I first arrived:

The other side is in English, but how awesome is that?! (I removed my last name and company info…don’t know if one of you is a stalker. And I don’t want to get fired.)

Okay, my eyes are drooping…can’t keep them open. Must sleep, but stay tuned!

getting to work

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Wow. Monday seems like five years ago. So many new things! This post will cover getting to work. Eventually, there will be less to share, but right now everything is just so new and different. I want to make sure I capture it all!

Monday morning I met my boss in my lobby so we could go into work together. Since it was my first time finding the office or riding the Tokyo subway, this just seemed like a good idea. And my instincts proved right. I’m sure I would have found the building eventually, but…it might have taken a while. (Not having constant google maps access has shown me just how reliant I have been on my iPhone for the past few years!)

Tokyo Metro! “We’re not in Kansas (New York) anymore.” First of all, they are uber clean. Like, “you could lick a hand rail” clean. I’m not sure how they do it (oh, wait, Japan is a culture of respect and honor…could that be it?), but seriously, they are that clean. I’d like you to notice that lack of gum stuck to the ground and trash everywhere. Even the tracks are clean!

There are also these great maps in each subway station. Every stop is numbered and every line is colored making it pretty easy to figure out how to get where you want to go.

And then there’s the schedule. Yes, my New York friends, a subway schedule. And they are on time. All the time. It’s incredible. Unless, of course, someone decides to jump on the tracks (something they do a lot more here than they do in New York with one of the highest suicide rates in the world–a little tidbit my boss shared with me on our way into work).

There are also these super handy neighborhood maps outside most subway exits–and the exits are numbered, too, making it super easy to figure out how and where you want to exit in order to be outside as little as possible. And why would you not want to be outside? Because it is ridiculously hot and a lot of the subway stations are attached to little underground worlds (clean, nice shopping areas, etc) that are AIR CONDITIONED!
Japan is one of the most homogeneous countries in the world (coming in third behind 2. South Korea and 1. North Korea). And just in case you wanted to know just how white I feel even here in “diverse” Tokyo (as compared to the rest of the country), here is a of picture from my commute. “One of these kids is not like the others…”

The subway is also incredibly quiet…and people like it that way.

Finally, I had to get used to standing on the left and walking on the right. Walking follows driving and there are signs everywhere to ensure that people know this. 

Another interesting tidbit. As we walked down into the subway stop, I noticed that, unlike me, most women were not wearing commuter shoes (aka flip flops)…partially because I noticed that my manager looked at my feet. And then she shared with me that most women in Tokyo wear their nice shoes while commuting because they are out in public and then they change into comfy shoes once they get into the office. And just like that, I understood why so many American men here have Japanese wives. I will continue to wear my flip flops to work, thank you very much.

sunday (aka first full day in tokyo)

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Part of the reason I liked the idea of moving to Tokyo on a Saturday was being able to go to church and meet people the very next day. As luck would have it, I live about 20 minutes walking from the temple/church, even closer than I lived in Manhattan. And church (the English branch) is at 10 am. The best church time there is. So, to church I went.

view of the temple from within the park across the street

Similar to New York, the church has a varied population in the summer (lots of men with wives and children who have gone home to Utah and tourists). I did meet some nice members and, once I stopped sweating from the walk, I really enjoyed myself.

Once church was over, and I had just accepted the fact that I would be hot the rest of the day, I headed into the park just across the street. So reminiscent of the Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park that I loved as a child…only it was the real thing. Perhaps not a “tea garden”, but the park was beautiful.

A man painting. I didn’t want to get too close because I wasn’t sure he’d like me taking a picture of him, but it was very pretty.

the pond
the pond from a little hill
the beginning of the pond
and a waterfall with Japanese maples…I cannot wait to see the leaves change this fall!
On the walk home from church, I saw this little dude (we’ll assume it’s a “he”). Anyone want to take a stab at what this character belongs to? 

 He was outside of a fire station, so we’ll assume he’s a little fire fighter?

lunch
When I got home, I made myself this very basic, very delicious lunch. And why am I sharing this on my blog? Because A) while fruit here is super expensive, it is also super delicious. B) I am so happy to be living somewhere that has natural light again I cannot even explain it. And C) to prove that I don’t eat out every meal. 

 And then I finished off lunch with a favorite treat. I know you can get Pocky all over the US now, but eating them in Tokyo is just way cooler. And they totally remind me of when my mom went to Tokyo and brought us packs of these before you could get them anywhere. Such a fun treat!

And of course, then there was dinner. My boss offered to take me out to eat Sunday night and I took her up on it. She asked me if I wanted traditional Japanese or something else. Of course, I went with Japanese. And, while my boss is American and doesn’t speak much Japanese, she has command of “restaurant Japanese” so it was really nice to just have someone else take care of ordering! Also, have I mentioned just how much I love Japanese food? And that I haven’t touched a fork since I got here?

appetizers – these were just brought as a start to the meal, a sort of amuse bouche

soba

 She ordered a number of small plates for us. One of which was soba noodles. In the summer time, these are served cold (you can see ice on them if you look closely) and they are brought out with a sesame dipping sauce that’s amazing. They are thick and chewy and absolutely delicious!

yakitori

 Then, there was the yakitori (aka grilled meat on skewers). Also delicious. In case you were wondering, the food here is just incredible. It’s a good thing the gym is right in my building…

On that note, I must go exercise before the gym closes so I can keep eating all of these delicious things and not gain more than five pounds (I have to be realistic, right?!). But before that, tomorrow (or later tonight if I have the energy) I will be sharing with you Monday, my first day of work and the subways! More to come on the toilets, as well.

the arrival

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Well, it has now been a little over 48 hours since I arrived in Tokyo. It seems like much longer than that…not in a bad way. It’s just that there’s so much to take in! This post was going to cover the first 48 hrs…and then I realized just HOW MUCH there would be to cover, so instead, this is the first day. Heaven help me!

When I arrived at the airport, I noticed two things. First, it was super hot/humid. Second, it was very orderly. Going through customs was a breeze…except that I got in the wrong line at first. And then I got yelled at (“yelled” might be a bit strong) for taking a picture of the “Welcome to Tokyo” sign. Not very welcoming, if you ask me. But it’s not like I deleted the picture, so I won’t hold it against Japan.

Baggage (still in NYC)

Narita airport is quite far from Tokyo proper, so there’s not taking a taxi (even when on the corporate dime), which meant taking a bus into the city and then a taxi from the bus. I considered trying to deal with my luggage myself, but my International Assignment Consultant (IAC) mentioned something about baggage delivery, and then I saw all of the service desks and just thought, “You know what…totally worth the $50 to have three of my bags delivered even though it’s not reimbursed by the company. So worth it!

While waiting for the bus, I wandered outside and noticed something else I found very interesting. Smoking rooms. Outside.

Anyway, I got on the bus, which dropped me off at a hotel near my apartment. At the hotel, I got a taxi to take me the rest of the way. A couple of things about taxis here, and driving. First, they drive on the left here. Not sure why or where that comes from, but they do. Second, the taxi drivers open the car doors from the driver’s seat (some sort of electronic opening). And third, the taxi drivers don’t really speak English. Thankfully, I knew that last one and had asked my IAC to send me the address of my apartment building in Japanese and then printed it off. This proved extremely useful.

I got to my apartment around 8:00 pm and I was thrilled to see just how nice and clean it was. And the lovely woman at the front desk was so very friendly, which made it okay that both my first and last names were spelled wrong. She showed me to my apartment and asked me if she could show me around (which is when the aforementioned shoe removal incident happened). Of course I’m thinking, “It’s an apartment. What, exactly, do you need to show me?” Well, stupid me.

from the front door
bathroom (obvi)
toilet = way too many buttons (not sure I’ll ever get used to the warm toilet seat)
bath/shower pod room thing (more to come on this)
entering the kitchen 
washer/dryer (it does both) = dream come true!
bed
reverse view
desk (where I’m sitting right now to write this)

After getting semi-settled and unpacking one of my suitcases, I realized I was starving (I slept for about 8 hours of the 14 hour flight, I think) and so it was time to venture out into Tokyo and see if I could find some food.

Business class or die (okay, not really…I can’t afford business class on my own, but it was AMAZING!)

I wandered for about 10 minutes, seeing several restaurants that looked appetizing…but also very daunting. Suddenly, my lack of Japanese speaking ability was making me very uncomfortable. I was tempted to stop at a doner kebab stand (mission friends, you will understand my temptation), but I couldn’t have my first meal in Japan be a Turkish kebab. So, I kept walking until I found a sushi restaurant advertising an English menu. I decided, with ordering, to just choose a mixed sushi plate because the thought of trying to order individual pieces was just too much (even if I do speak “sushi japanese”…toro, tobiko, unagi, etc). I was not disappointed.

variety pack
loved watching the sushi chefs do their thing
One thing that was different was the shrimp heads in my miso (at lunch today it was itty-bitty clams). Apparently it’s a thing. And while semi-shocking when you don’t expect it, totally delicious!

And that ends day one. I promise not every post will be so travel-log-gy, but hopefully the photos make it worth it. In any case, days 2 and 3 were both great, too. Posts to come which will include more food, the subway, groceries, and things that are really different in Japan. If there’s something specific you want to know more about, leave a comment and I’ll try to address it…otherwise, you get what you get.

Arigato gozaimasu!