Lets make a deal - Japanese Style

Lets make a deal Japanese style

Have you ever seen the tv game show, lets make a deal? Well I feel like I was playing it the other day here in Japan. Only the way I was playing it was a little bit different than the game show. This has actually happened a number of times.
This post will tie into the other post title - Japanese Duece Bucket (http://katyandjoey.blogspot.jp/2013/02/deuce-bucket.html)
So I walked into the bathroom and needed a place to...."rest" so I came to the first door. I felt like the game show host was like, lets see what we have behind door number 1


You can see from the picture this isn't really what I was hoping for at all. This is a Japanese style toilet and basically every public bathroom area has them (maybe a lot of people have them in their houses I don't know). I try to go to the weight room if I want to do squats and don't really care
to do it in this venue. (People's legs must be pretty strong here)

So the game show host in my head moved on to the next door....lets see
what we have behind door number 2.


Same deal.
Now I was starting to get a little nervous as this time practice was going to start in 15 minutes or so and I am not sure where else I would be able to run to get the task at hand completed.

So, I traded in what was behind door number 2 for the last door, door number 3....And, walla! I found what I was looking for.  A regular toilet.



Here when you stop at a rest area there are pictures outside the stalls that show what lays in waiting for you behind the door and will say whether it is a Japanese style toilet or if it is an western-style toilet. I have been fortunate enough to have always been able to find the western-style (knock-on-wood) and hope to not find myself faced with the prospect of what was behind door number 1 or 2.
The saying goes....when in Rome - but I think if I can find a place to sit
and avoid the deep squats all together I will be winning.

I'm not sure when the Western style toilet was introduced, but I found this
"instruction sheet" quite interesting.
 

And if you are wondering how to use a Japanese-style toilet here you go:

Changing Temps

Here in Japan it is starting to get warmer and at times we can catch a glimpse of spring. I am very much looking forward to the warmth coming as, like a lot of people, I just seem to feel better when it is warmer out. Another reason is I am not a big fan of the really cold gyms that we have gotten accustomed to practicing in. Here in Japan you would struggle to find a gym, at least around the Tokyo area, that has the heat on all the time. I think I mentioned it before but we practice in a public facility (we actually have a few different places that we have practices at - all public facilities). During practice at the 2 main gyms we use there are usually things going on, on the 2 other courts in the facility as well. (There is a big net net that separates one court from the next to stop any basketballs, soccer balls, ping pong balls, tennis ball,s shuttle cocks, volleyballs, or whatever else might go flying between courts from the various things that are going on in each court). But despite the fact that the courts seem to be constantly busy and full of people the heat never gets turned on, or when in the fall when it was super hot, the air conditioning on.
When we first got here the gyms were like an oven. You walk in from outside and when you took that first step in the gym it was like hot air blasted you in the face. Honestly, I dont think I have ever sweated more. Every practice I had to switch pairs of shoes halfway through because there was so much sweat in my shoe, my feet would slide around. I was literally able to turn my shoes upside down after practice and dump the water out. I almost ended up with a self-diagnosed case of warm-water trench foot (which is not even possible - but I almost got it).
This is what I wanted to do sometimes.

Now, since it is winter and the temps have changed we are fighting the other side of the spectrum. Like I mentioned before no gym that we practice in has heat and the gyms stay quite cool. The other day when it was in the 50s and the sun was out it was warmer outside than it was in the gym. For practice my wardrobe consists of:
On my legs: full length spandex tights, spandex padded shorts, padded knee sleeves that I can extend over my calves if I want, practice shorts, tearaway pants, and sweatpants.
On my upper body: under armour undershirt, long sleeve shirt, practice jersey, team jacket, sweatshirt.
After warm-ups I usually discard the sweatshirt and sweatpants, but I almost always practice in my tear away pants and jacket (other teammates do the same thing - some even wear a hat).
For our games though we do get it a little better with the heat turned on and its not as cold, although we did play one weekends set of games with no heat as the gym we went to didn't even have the ability for heat.
 This was the sign on the ball the other day when I got to practice :)
I do have to say though, that at least there is not a ton of snow or temps around 0 Fahrenheit -although I think the heat would probably have to be on then. It is very cold but we make it work. And I think it is just normal because everyone else, the people who are doing their thing on the other courts while we are practicing, are all bundled up pretty well too; and we all make due with what we have.

What does this mean?

When you drive and come up to a traffic light and see a red light you stop. Sometimes when there is a red light, there is also a green turn arrow letting the people who are turning know it is safe for them to go. Here, there is one light that we come across every time we come back from the mall that is quite interesting.

A bit aggressive, ever see anything like this? The only thing that would make this light better is if the yellow and green light were on at the same time.

Broomball

A week ago Katy and Myla flew back home from their 3 week visit to our families in the U.S. (It is great to have them back). While they were home they got to spend time with family and friends and one of the things they did was go to broom ball at one of her brother's homes.
One of Katy's brothers lives on a small lake and every year there is a day where family and some friends get together and play broomball. What is broomball you ask?
It is basically like a game of hockey only using a ball instead of a puck and brooms to hit the ball instead of a rounded hockey stick.

 You can probably get a little idea from the picture.

People wear pretty much whatever will keep them warm and might end up taking off a jacket or sweatshirt as the day goes because they get hot playing.
In Wisconsin, as you may know, it gets pretty cold and most of the lakes and ponds freeze over. This works out great as Katy's brother lives right next to a small lake. So, before the big day arrives he clears the snow off a spot on the ice in the shape of a small ice rink and makes a goal on each side. Basically that's all that needs to be done and they are ready to go. Most of the time its the adults that play, so the kids have fun it the snow or sit around the bonfire to keep warm. Its nothing too serious, although someone always seems to end up with a black eye or a bruise, but everybody usually has a great time.

In Wisconsin we are towards the northern (middle) part of the U.S. But, if you were to play broom ball way up north in Canada you might be lucky enough to have the Yeti/Abominable Snowman come play. As you can tell from the picture and his game-face the Yeti is a seasoned broomball player and a beast on the ice - if she shows up its game on. So, although broom ball may be a for-fun sport you always have to be ready in case he comes charging out of the woods.

Are you a dust panner?

Here in Tokyo it doesn't snow very often at all....one day it was in the mid 50s and very nice, the next day when we got up it was cold snow was coming down. As the day went on it keep coming down and really didn't stop until later that night. We tried to enjoy it because it might be the only time we see it here.

By the time snow was done we had a lot on the ground and everything was white. They are not used to snow like this here. Even though we only got 3-4 inches it pretty much shut everything down. There are no plows to clear the roads and they had to close the main highways running through and around Tokyo. The airports were closed as well as the bullet trains. Not sure if the trains were shut down because they didnt know if they would be able to stop or not, or what the reason was, but they were out of commission for a while too.

We had to go for a run to the store as we needed a few things and it was also evident that people aren't used to driving very often in snow. We followed a cab driver, who you would think would be a good driver as he probably has a lot of experience as driving is his job, but the cabby was having a really hard time. He was spinning his wheels and swerving every time he pushed the gas. There weren't that many people on the roads and I think it was probably a good thing as there would have been many more accidents than there were.
The next day I had to go out again and the roads were a little better as the sun was out melting some of what was left on the roads. As I was driving I saw a few people shoveling their sidewalks. Here it must be okay to throw the snow in the street as pretty much everyone I saw shoveling was doing just that. They would wait for a break in the traffic, if one was needed, and then dump the snow so the cars could run it over. (a little different than back home where they try to clear the streets). And when I say shoveling, I guess I am using that term lightly. I did see some people out with shovels, but I guess the more correct way to say it would be to say people were out dust panning. I saw a number of people with a handheld dust pan clearing their sidewalks, bending way over to scoop the snow off their walks and then flinging it onto the road. This is a little different than Germany where a lot of the people were brooming the snow off the sidewalk, but I happened to find it still just as interesting.....and effective?
Next time you get a big snow where you are, try the Japan-style-dust-pan method and leave me a comment letting me know how it goes

Valentines Day in Japan

How did your valentine's day go? Did all your chocolate, flower, or whatever other dreams you may have had, come true? Did you give or receive something from your special someone? In the U.S. as well as many parts of the world, I would say it is customary for the man to get his special someone a gift, with the lady possibly returning the favor (hopefully, since I am a guy, getting a gift back would be a for certain thing....I'm not much of a chocolate or sweets person though, so a protein bar would do for me :)
Anyway....here in Japan things are a little bit different. Here Valentines Day is a day where the women give the guys gifts.
I found some informaiton online that said Japanese women sometime, at least back in the day, had a hard time expressing their feelings so Valentine's day was a way for the women to express the way they felt toward a guy. One of the players on our team said you really know if a girl likes you if she hand-makes the chocolate.
So thinking about your Valentine's Day by Japan standards how did you fair? If you are a guy reading this does your girl really like you? And if you are a girl, did you hand-make some chocolate to express how much you care about your guy?
Think it may be a little unfair that Valentine's day is basically for the guys to get all the gifts? Dont worry, there is a day in March called "White Day" - March 14th - where the guys are supposed to return the favor and give gifts to the girls.

But what if you randomly received a gift from a Japanese woman? Not all gifts or chocolates are are romance related.  Here is a paragraph I found online explaining this a little more:
(The chocolates you get) might be "Giri-choko (obligation chocolate)." Women give chocolates not only to their loved ones ("A true love" chocolate is called "Honmei-choko.") "Giri-choko" is the chocolate given to men such as bosses, colleagues or male friends that women have no romantic interest in, just for friendship or gratitude. The concept of "giri" is very Japanese. Giri is a mutual obligation that the Japanese follow when dealing with other people, where iIf someone does you a favor, then you feel obligated to do something for that person.

Fishing with a spear?

On Saturday back home in WI a short fishing season opened. In WI right now the temps are pretty cold and most of the lakes have frozen over. With the lakes frozen you cant simply go out and fish like you normally would, so you switch techniques and go ice fishing.

But this weekend the fishing is done a little differently...have a look for yourself.

If you're not sure what ice fishing is....here is a link to the Wikipedia article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_fishing

Survey question

The big snow storm out east has left many without power and stranded. I ask if things will change down the road because of the storm, but from a little different perspective. What do you think?

You can vote above

Deuce Bucket

When we got to Japan back in August, the first thing I noticed when we got off the plane (other than the fact that Katy, Myla and I weren't in the majority with the way we looked) came in the bathroom. The toilets are deluxe. Here instead of just having a place to rest and do your deeds you have an array of options.

As you can see in the picture the toilet has a little arm that extends out. On the arm are some controls. One of the the buttons will shoot a narrow stream of water towards your back side and with the controls you have the ability to control the strength of the water. This is great if you ever find yourself in the pickle of one or two sheets of tp as it can help you get clean. Some of the toilets even have a button for a powerful deodorizer....I think its obvious why that might be a plus.

If your lucky enough to find yourself perched atop of a more deluxe model, you are blessed with even more controls. Like the basic toilets there is the option for the narrow stream of water. Another button will shoot a non-narrow stream of water towards your back side, covering more area. Again you have the ability to control the strength. The last water-shooting button, I believe is for women, and I think it will basically spray you everywhere with water. I have tried the first two, but haven't pushed that third one. Other options include a fan that will dry your booty, the ability to control the temp of the water that is squirting you, the ability to control the position of the water squirting you (whether it is high or low), and my favorite option of all - the heated toilet seat. I guess this really isn't an option...more of just something that comes with the toilets. I probably should have listed this under the basic toilet as I would be hard pressed to remember the last non-heated toilet seat I sat on. Some of the deluxe versions even let you control the temp of the seat and the toilet is always plugged in so the seat doesn't have to heat up. You always sit down to a nice, warm, cozy and delightful treat for your rumpus.
This is what the control panel looks like on a deluxe version.

If you look back at the first picture in this post. You will see what looks like a faucet sticking out the top of the tank. Its exactly what it is. After you flush the toilet, water comes out of the faucet and fills the top part so it is ready for the next flush. But, since it is not contained inside like the toilets back home and sitting on top, out in the open, you are basically able to wash your hands with the water...then, whether you touch the water or not, it continues down into the tank where sits until the next flush. Heck, you could even use the water for something else....like, to fill up your water bottle............joking. Although you probably could, the whole water, toilet, toilet water thing doesnt really seem to do it for me. Altough it is coming out of a faucet and probably good to go, unless I have four legs, collar, and a wagging tail I think I'll stick to the water from the kitchen faucet or a big bottle from the store. Capish?

And last but not least.....you daily ninja tip.
As you know bathrooms are also called rest rooms. Here in Japan many of the stalls/restrooms are quite small. With that in mind, if you ever find yourself in need of some rest or sleep, here is how you do it.

An egg for what?

Tonight at dinner we ate as team. The hotel we are staying at this weekend provided us with some spaghetti, some meatballs, salad, soup, fish, a pork chop and of course some rice. Rice is probably the most common food here in Japan. It can be eaten for every meal. When we go down for breakfast in the morning there will be a big rice cooker full of rice and many people have it for breakfast. Tonight, as with any dinner we have, everyone was eating the rice. Many of us were eating it with the porkchop and the sauce that was with it. I happened to look over though and see a few of the Japanese guys eating it a little differently. Eating it with egg. Here there are a lot of dishes that have egg with them. There are various noodles that you can get where the cooked egg is on top or the noodles are wrapped in an egg, sort of an omlete sort of thing - very good - I would recommend it if you make it to this part of the world (its called omusoba). This was a little different though. The guys would order and egg from the kitchen and have one brought to them in a dish. They would then crack the egg into the bowl, mix the white and the yolk together with their chopsticks, add a little soy sauce, and after a little more mixing pour it onto the rice...............Raw.    No heat, no cooking, no nothing, just soy sauce and a bare naked, nothing on, can see everything, raw egg.  Yup, it was raw.
 Bon appetit.

Now I like eggs as much as the next person (have them everyday for breakfast), and am willing to try pretty much anything once, but I'm not so sure I am going to dive into this one.
I know in the States the CDC (Center for disease control and prevention) recommends not consuming raw or undercooked eggs for risk of Salmonella, but over here the chickens must be different, or Salmonella isn't a worry, because "everybody's doing it."
Next time you're cracking an egg into a pan or dropping it into a pot of boiling water think about what it would be like to be cracking it straight onto a bowl of rice instead, and if that would fit your fancy.

And who knows, maybe you'd like it with fish eggs too?