My blog about living in Japan

Beruthiel

That toilet in your blog looks waaaay complicated hibby. I'm fecked if I encounter one of those!

hibby

Beruthiel wrote: »

That toilet in your blog looks waaaay complicated hibby. I'm fecked if I encounter one of those!

I'll let you in on a little secret: if you look very closely at the photos you'll see that our toilet isn't even plugged in. We're not actually using any of the exciting features. Boring, I know.

opinion guy

Beruthiel wrote: »

That toilet in your blog looks waaaay complicated hibby. I'm fecked if I encounter one of those!

Japanese bathroom technology is years ahead of anyone else. I'm full sure there a Japanese people who have relationships with their toilet.

My personal favourite though, has to be the bathroom mirrors that refuse to fog up when you have a shower as they have a heating element in the mirror. Absolute genius.

We are like neanderthals here in Ireland without this wonderful tech.....:(

Tar.Aldarion

You can just buy fog free mirrors :-p (I think they have some special little chamber at the back, some have a special coating etc. But yes, i want to live in their futuristic wonderland

opinion guy

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

You can just buy fog free mirrors :-p (I think they have some special little chamber at the back, some have a special coating etc. But yes, i want to live in their futuristic wonderland

:eek::eek:

Where do I buy these magical devices ?!?!?!?

Beruthiel

Any good bathroom supply shop.

/Edit.
hibby, I just read your comments with regards to Yukio Shige doing his bit to prevent suicides by the cliffs.
I knew that the rates in Japan were high, but 34,427 in 2003 is just shocking and horrific!

JapanZone

Beruthiel wrote: »

I knew that the rates in Japan were high, but 34,427 in 2003 is just shocking and horrific!

After a sudden and dramatic jump in 1998, Japan has seen more than 30,000 suicides every year since. There are countries - including South Korea and several in eastern Europe - with higher rates per capita, but in Japan it has become endemic.

There are of course a wide variety of reasons for this. The prolonged economic crisis the country has faced for more than two decades is chief among them, and there is also the fact that suicide doesn't have the same religious taboo that it carries in Christian countries, for example.

Sad stuff.

But getting back to the thread, while I'm not really a fan of Japanese washlets myself I've always thought they would be a good item to base an import business around. But I think I missed the boat on that one now that the property bubble has well and truly burst.

If I ever build a house here, I'll definitely put in a Japanese-style bathroom and maybe even buy a washlet or two.

hibby

JapanZone wrote: »

After a sudden and dramatic jump in 1998, Japan has seen more than 30,000 suicides every year since. There are countries - including South Korea and several in eastern Europe - with higher rates per capita, but in Japan it has become endemic.

It is really shocking and almost incomprehensible. If you think of the sheer number who have killed themselves during those 14 years, or if you imagine the number who are killing themselves every day in this country, even in a country this size, it's a massive loss.

I'm no expert in Japanese society, but I know the pressure to have a successful life (measured as getting a good job in a good company) is very strong, and also that if you get off the rails at any point it is nearly impossible to get back on.

Nowadays, secure, well-paid jobs are much harder to get, and for a lot of young people all they can hope for is insecure, overworked contract employment without all the lifelong benefits and structures their parents' generation enjoy.

hibby

JapanZone wrote: »

If I ever build a house here, I'll definitely put in a Japanese-style bathroom and maybe even buy a washlet or two.

I would like to have a Japanese-style bathroom in Ireland too - how practical would it be? Obviously, you would have to ship all the parts over from Japan specially (including the gas water-heater?); then would you be able to find an Irish contractor who knows how to put it all together?

Actually I'd really like to have a wa****su room too - shouji and tatami and an oshiire. Again, not sure where I would start in terms of sourcing and shipping all the materials.

JapanZone

With the bathroom, it would be a "custom" job but I wouldn't think it'd be that hard. Apart from being completely tiled and properly drained so that you could splash water around as much as you like, the main differences would be having a BIG bathtub and a decent/strong hot water supply. The things I miss are being able to completely submerge in a hot bath - I'm not huge, 6'2", but it's impossible in our bathtub - and a high-pressure hot shower. The shower unit we have now is better than many I've used in Ireland, but still not as good as I had in every Japanese apartment I ever lived in. It's only a matter of water pressure, so it can't be that hard to sort out.

As for a wa-shi-tsu (to avoid the naughty word filter ) it could be done. If you can find an adventurous carpenter here and draw up your plans, the tokonoma/oshiire and so on should be doable. Getting all "authentic" materials would be costly so I'd do it from local timber and just import the washi paper and tatami mats. I still run an online retail store and can get anything that is available in Japan. Tatami sheets are available pretty cheap, though unless you were willing to spend a lot you wouldn't want the full mats. Japanese people tend to like the smell of new tatami but I imagine Irish people would find it offputting.

Beruthiel

hibby wrote: »

including the gas water-heater?)

Our gas boiler heats the water tank.

JapanZone wrote:

a high-pressure hot shower

We recently did our bathroom up. We got a larger water tank and a water pump put up in the attic. We now have a fantastic shower!
While researching bathroom furniture I came across those wooden japanese baths. Couldn't tell you what website as it was months ago, but they can be got.
A plumber could set your bathroom up as a wet room so you can splash about as much as you want.

hibby

Beruthiel wrote: »

Our gas boiler heats the water tank.



We recently did our bathroom up. We got a larger water tank and a water pump put up in the attic. We now have a fantastic shower!
While researching bathroom furniture I came across those wooden japanese baths. Couldn't tell you what website as it was months ago, but they can be got.
A plumber could set your bathroom up as a wet room so you can splash about as much as you want.

The wet room is really the main point. Designed not just for incidental splashes but for complete washing outside the tub, and appropriate floor drainage.


About the gas heater, the difference with the Japanese system is that it's on-demand, rather than pre-heating a tank. But there are pros and cons of both systems. Another aspect of the Japanese system is the reheat. If you're putting 200 litres of water in a bath, you want to use it several times, otherwise it would be pretty wasteful.

Incidentally, I found some American websites that offer wooden baths - very beautiful but starting at over $5000.

JapanZone

The most popular wood for baths in Japan is hinoki, or Japanese cypress. It has a distinctive smell, not at all unpleasant. Just taking a quick look on Rakuten, they start from about ¥300,000 (3,000 euros). And they up to 10 or even 20 times that price. Plus shipping, of course

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/tosago/1000_582/

Another use for the hot bath water is recycling it in your washing machine, easily done with Japanese top-loading machines, which usually have a pump built in for that purpose.

Just Like Heaven

This is a bit of a random question, but I've heard that in many swimming pools in Japan you're not allowed enter if you're tattooed. Would this apply to Onsen?

JapanZone

fewtinsoffroth wrote: »

This is a bit of a random question, but I've heard that in many swimming pools in Japan you're not allowed enter if you're tattooed. Would this apply to Onsen?

It would indeed. Tattoos are associated with the yakuza, the criminal underworld. You'll often see a notice outside a pool or an onsen refusing to allow entry to anyone with a tattoo (the English word is used for a typical "western" tattoo) or irezumi, the word for the large artistic style of tattoo that will often cover a person's entire back or torso.



So even people who do have a modest tattoo in Japan are usually pretty discreet about them.

By the way, the above sign also bans:
- people dying their hair (in the onsen)
- kids using the sauna
- people (women) who are menstruating
- bringing in tobacco or alcohol
- taking home the toiletries provided

Just Like Heaven

JapanZone wrote: »

It would indeed. Tattoos are associated with the yakuza, the criminal underworld.

Yeah this is what I'd heard Nothing I can do about it I guess.

hibby

fewtinsoffroth wrote: »

Yeah this is what I'd heard Nothing I can do about it I guess.

I heard that if you have a small tattoo you can just cover it up with a flesh-coloured plaster and go into the onsen. Nobody will ask you to take off the plaster to check what's underneath, and actually as long as the tattoo isn't on display they don't care.

username123

Came across this thread, and your blog, completely by accident. Absolutely fascinating.

Looking forward to more enjoyable blog posts, my favourites are the ones about normal everyday stuff like your morning routine and commute to work.

Thats crazy as above about tattoos! Are they viewed differently on westerners than natives?

Perhaps Ive yet to come across it on the blog, but how did you meet your wife, and how did you come to move to Japan (I presume she had been living in Ireland first?).

Great read, thanks!

hibby

username123 wrote: »

Came across this thread, and your blog, completely by accident. Absolutely fascinating.

Looking forward to more enjoyable blog posts, my favourites are the ones about normal everyday stuff like your morning routine and commute to work.

Thats crazy as above about tattoos! Are they viewed differently on westerners than natives?

Perhaps Ive yet to come across it on the blog, but how did you meet your wife, and how did you come to move to Japan (I presume she had been living in Ireland first?).

Great read, thanks!

Thanks very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the blog and I will keep in mind what you said when I'm thinking of new topics to post about.

I don't know much about attitudes to tattoos other than what I have read, but it would be crazy if they had the same view of tattoos on westerners as natives. The cultural significance is very different. Probably they realise that in the west people with tattoos aren't necessarily dangerous gangsters, but the rules are the rules and they can't make exceptions. But that's just my guess.

You are right - I met my wife many years ago when we were both in UCD and she stayed in Ireland after that. This is her first time to live in Japan for about 18 years. A lot has changed in that time, so it can seem a bit like a foreign country for her too at times.

username123

hibby wrote: »

Thanks very much! I'm glad you enjoyed the blog and I will keep in mind what you said when I'm thinking of new topics to post about.

You are welcome. Ive read some more posts.

Some topics for you:

An ordinary meal cooked at home, cooking appliances, food eaten (I love any of the food posts and found the cost of fruit/veg interesting).

Socialising with your wife, her father, other people - where you go, what you do (loved the story of the trad music band), theatre/cinema/drinks etc...

Furniture - yes bizarre but Im fascinated with the roll out bedding and the high tech toilets!

The hardware store/supermarket/barbers etc...

A wander round your neighbourhood is always good.

I was interested in the post about the swimming pool and the exercises, do they have gyms as we know them in Japan?

Food again, typical meals cooked at home, take away food, like the Japanese equivalent of ordering a pizza, a packet of crisps, popcorn etc.. Perhaps a chat on diet, your pictures show healthy looking people in crowds, obesity does not seem to be a problem?

I love when you show us the small cultural norms like places to store shoes in hallways or high tech toilets!

Just Like Heaven

hibby wrote: »

I heard that if you have a small tattoo you can just cover it up with a flesh-coloured plaster and go into the onsen. Nobody will ask you to take off the plaster to check what's underneath, and actually as long as the tattoo isn't on display they don't care.

I'll be ankle to knee on both legs by the time I get to Japan next Summer, plus my back already done, whilst they're currently not visible when I'm wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt I think I'll have to forget about dipping in the onsen.

I've always had that in the back of my mind though, it's no big deal.

Just Like Heaven

And besides I could always try join the Yakuza :P Pretty authentic tourist experience.

JapanZone

If you're interested in the real world of the yakuza (as opposed to a romanticized version) and much else about Japan that doesn't make the travel guides, read the website of the intrepid Jake Adelstein: http://www.japansubculture.com/

BananaWhoops

Really enjoying your blog! Can't resist giving mine a wee plug here either for anyone who's interested. I live in Nagoya - a bit less cool than Osaka but still..

lostinhanslation.blogspot.jp

Beruthiel

BananaWhoops wrote: »

I live in Nagoya

Great, I have a question!
I am going to Tsu from Tokyo, so I will have to change trains at Nagoya.
How difficult am I going to find that?
I believe Nagoya train station is huge.


/Edit
btw - I just read your blog. Why did you add two years to your age?
Especially as you are now an on the shelf spinster.
Only one year left to find your Mr. Darcy!!

username123

BananaWhoops wrote: »

I live in Nagoya - a bit less cool than Osaka but still..

Hi, having never read a blog in my life, I find myself fascinated by Dara's blog of his life in Japan so was delighted to give yours a read too.

Very enjoyable, I personally would like a but of context, your age, who you live with, your fluency in Japanese etc... thats just my 2 cent!

Beruthiel wrote: »

btw - I just read your blog. Why did you add two years to your age?

Where did you see this? Am I missing the context somewhere?
Edit - forget it, read too quickly the first time!

hibby

BananaWhoops wrote: »

Really enjoying your blog! Can't resist giving mine a wee plug here either for anyone who's interested. I live in Nagoya - a bit less cool than Osaka but still..

lostinhanslation.blogspot.jp

Hey, don't knock Nagoya! I heard it has the widest street in Japan, right?

I'm looking forward to reading your blog!

BananaWhoops

Beruthiel wrote: »

How difficult am I going to find that?
I believe Nagoya train station is huge.

btw - I just read your blog. Why did you add two years to your age?
Especially as you are now an on the shelf spinster.
Only one year left to find your Mr. Darcy!!

I am a relative newbie here but I have been to Nagoya station a couple of times - it is big but manageable! Just give yourself enough time, and ask someone if you need help. They are more than happy to help!

Hmm why did I add two years to my age? I guess it comes from a complex about being not taken seriously because of my age. I started when I was 22 and found it hard to get the respect of my students (that was also linked with inexperience) and now I guess I've just got into the habit. Silly, I guess!

For some reason the thread above has disappeared but to the person who said they'd like a bit of context - thanks for the feedback, its a good idea I started initially as a way of keeping my friends and family up to date and took for granted that they knew everything.

Also Dara, thank you for your comment on the blog! I will look it up. I'm a real fresher around here, I have a lot to learn!

hibby

BananaWhoops wrote: »

Also Dara, thank you for your comment on the blog! I will look it up. I'm a real fresher around here, I have a lot to learn!

Me too! I just read your most recent post and it was a real eye-opener. I had no idea about that aspect of Osaka's nightlife. I mostly spend my evenings at home studying for my Japanese exam or having an early night - very boring I know!

hibby

Beruthiel wrote: »

Great, I have a question!
I am going to Tsu from Tokyo, so I will have to change trains at Nagoya.
How difficult am I going to find that?
I believe Nagoya train station is huge.

Beruthiel, if you are planning to come to Osaka and want to meet me, or if you need any help or advice, drop me a PM.