Japanese Toilets

  

basic information

There are two types of toilets in Japan: "Japanese style" and "Western style".

Public washrooms are usually equipped with Japanese style toilets, but the number of public washrooms with Western style toilets has increased significantly, especially in tourist areas. Public washrooms with both Japanese and Western style toilets are also common.

Because toilet paper is sometimes not provided in public washrooms, it is recommended to always carry a small package of tissues with you. Similarly, because paper towels or dryers are not always provided, it is recommended to carry a handkerchief.

Toilets in private homes are mostly Western style. Many modern toilets feature luxury options such as a heated seat, a built-in shower and dryer and an automatic lid opener.

Usual Japanese style

Elevated Japanese style

How to use Japanese style toilets:

1)	Face the hood of the toilet.
2)	Pull down your trousers completely below your knees.
3)	Squat down as closely to the hood as possible. In case of elevated toilets (see picture), you need to stand on the raised platform while squatting.

When using the washroom in a private home, minshuku or ryokan, you will find toiletslippers for exclusive usage inside the washroom. Leave your usual slippers outside the washroom, and do not forget to change back into them, afterwards.

Japanese Bathrooms

  

basic information

In Japan the main purpose of taking a bath, besides cleaning your body, is relaxation at the end of the day.

The typical Japanese bathroom consists of two rooms, an entrance room where you undress and which is equipped with a sink, and the actual bathroom which is equipped with a shower and a deep bath tub. The toilet is almost always located in an entirely separate room.

When bathing Japanese style, you are supposed to first rinse your body outside the bath tub with a washbowl. Afterwards, you enter the tub, which is used for soaking only. The bath water tends to be relatively hot for Western bathing standards.

After soaking, leave the tub and clean your body with soap. Make sure that no soap gets into the bathing water. Once you finished cleaning and have rinsed all the soap off your body, enter the bath tub once more for a final soaking.

After leaving the tub, the water is usually left for the next member of the house. It is to keep the bath water clean for all members of the house that washing and rinsing is done outside of the actual bathtub.

Modern bath tubs can be programmed to be automatically filled with water of a given temperature at a given time, or to heat up the water to a preferred temperature.

 

 

Talking About Love

 

Part 1: "I love you" in Japanese

 

One of the most popular phrases in any language is probably "I love you." In Japanese, "love" is "ai （愛）," and the verb form "to love" is "aisuru （愛する）." "I love you" can be literally translated as "aishite imasu （愛しています）". "Aishiteru （愛してる）," "aishiteru yo （愛してるよ）" or "aishiteru wa (愛してるわ,female speech)" is normally used in conversation. However, the Japanese don't say "I love you" as often as Western people do, because of cultural differences. I am not surprised if some Japanese say that they have never used these expressions in their life.

 

The Japanese generally don't express their love openly. They believe that love can be expressed by manners. When they put their feelings into words, it is preferred to use the phrase "suki desu （好きです）". It literally means, "to like." "Suki da （好きだ）," "suki dayo" (好きだよ, male speech) or "suki yo (好きよ, female speech)" are more colloquial expressions. There are many variations of this phrase, including regional dialects (hogen). "Suki yanen （好きやねん）" is one of the versions in Kansai-ben (the Kansai dialect). Since the phrase can also mean "I love it," and because of the popularity of Kansai-ben, it is used as the name of an instant noodle soup product (See the picture below).

If you like somebody or something very much, "dai (literally means, big)" can be added as the prefix, and say "daisuki desu （大好きです）."

There is another word to describe "love" which is "koi（恋）." The kanji character for "kokoro (心, heart)" is included as part of both kanji characters. Compare the kanji characters below (From left "kokoro," "ai" and "koi").

Both "ai （愛）" and "koi（恋）" can roughly be translated as "love" in English. However, they have a slightly different nuance. To find out about it, we will take a look at the words including "ai" or "koi" 

 

 

Talking About Love

 

Part 2: Ai and Koi

 

Here are some words including "ai （愛）" or "koi （恋）."

The words including "ai"	The words including "koi"
aidokusho  愛読書 (one's favorite book)	hatsukoi  初恋 (first love)
aijin  愛人  (lover)	hiren  悲恋 (sad love)
aijou  愛情 (love, affection)	koibito  恋人 (one's boyfriend/girlfriend)
aikenka  愛犬家 (a dog lover)	koibumi  恋文 (love letter)
aikokushin  愛国心 (patriotism)	koigataki  恋敵 (a rival in love)
aisha  愛車 (one's cherished car)	koi ni ochiru  恋に落ちる (to fall in love with)
aiyousuru  愛用する (to use habitually)	koisuru 恋する (to be in love with)
boseiai  母性愛 (mother's love, maternal affection)	renai  恋愛 (love)
hakuai 博愛 (philanthropy)	shitsuren  失恋 (disappointed love)

"Koi" is a love for the opposite sex, or a longing feeling for a specific person. It can be described as "romantic love" or "passionate love." While "ai" has the same meaning as "koi," it also has a definition of a general feeling of love. "Koi" can be selfish, but "ai" is a real love. Here are some lines that explain them well:

Koi is always wanting. Ai is always giving.

"Renai （恋愛）" is written with the kanji characters of both "koi" and "ai." This word means, "romantic love." "Renai-kekkon （恋愛結婚）" is a "love marriage," which is the opposite of "miai-kekkon (見合い結婚, arranged marriage)." "Renai-shousetsu （恋愛小説）" is "a love story" or "a romance novel." The title of the movie, "As Good As It Gets" was translated as "Renai-shousetuska (恋愛小説家, A Romance Novel Writer)." 

Talking About Love

 

Part 3: More Expressions

Here are some proverbs that include "koi."

Koi ni shishou nashi. 恋に師匠なし。	Love needs no teaching.
Koi ni jouge no hedate nashi. 恋に上下の隔てなし。	Love makes all men equal.
Koi wa shian no hoka. 恋は思案のほか。	Love is without reason.
koi wa moumoku. 恋は盲目。	Love is blind.
Koi wa nesshi yasuku  same yasui. 恋は熱しやすく冷めやすい。	Love becomes deep easily,  but cools down soon.

"Soushi-souai （相思相愛）" is one of the yoji-jukugo （四字熟語）. It means, "to be in love with one another."

The Japanese sometimes use the English word "love" as well, though it is pronounced as "rabu （ラブ）" (since there is no "L" or "V" sound in Japanese). "A love letter" is usually called "rabu retaa （ラブレター）." "Koibumi （恋文）" sounds a bit dated, and it is more a literary word than a conversational word. "Rabu shiin （ラブシーン）" is "a love scene". Young people say "rabu rabu (ラブラブ, love love)" when they are very much in love.

"Ai（愛）" can be used as a female name. Japan's new royal baby was named Princess Aiko, which is written with the kanji characters for "love（愛）" and "child （子）." However, "koi（恋）" is rarely used as a name.

There is another word pronounced the same as "ai" and "koi". Since their meanings are distinctly different, I don't think there is any confusion between them when used in the proper context. With different kanji characters, "ai（藍）" means, "indigo blue," and "koi（鯉）" means, "carp."　Carp streamers that are decorated on Children's Day (May 5th) are called "koi-nobori（鯉のぼり）."