When I first moved in to the apartment, the bath system I had was one that I had never seen before. I wondered if it hadn’t come with the apartment when it was made back in 1950. It was (and still is) a gas lit water heating system for the shower/bath, however it was also slightly mechanical in the way that I had to first turn the knob for the gas, then crank a handle while pressing down on another button to get the gas flowing for a count of twenty seconds. Then I turned another knob and then pushed down a lever to finally get the water flowing. That was all well and fine, but the water temperature could not be changed. If I did not light the gas, then the water would be cold, but if I did light the gas, the water would be scalding hot. I presented this problem to Sakuma and she relayed it to the head teachers who then gave me a diagram of my water heater to show me where the temperature control for the water was. I already knew where it was and had tried it before, but I took the diagram and went home that day after school and then the next time I went to Sakuragaoka, I told Sakuma that it was no good and my water was still hot despite it being at the lowest setting.
The next week, Sakuma and I waited at my apartment for the plumber to come and test my water heater. He did and then said that because I was on the fourth floor, my water pressure would always be low and therefore I would always have really hot water coming out of my shower. Sakuma also talked to my predecessor over email to make sure I had not tinkered with the shower to disable it in any way in order to get a new one installed (and April told her that she had the same issue when she was there). Since it would be a problem if I caught a cold because of having to use the too cold water (since I did not want to scald myself) the school board thought it would be a good idea for me to receive a new system that was electronic! Huzzah! So, the week after the plumber came to check my system, he was back with another worker to install the new system. I had to, however, take the afternoon off from school because I had to be there when they installed it. No problem! Sakuma came with me at the start, left in the middle to go give a lesson, then came back before they were finished so that she could make sure I understood the instructions as to how to use my sparkly new bath. It took around four hours for the entire process and, while it was noisy, they were polite enough to lay down cardboard over my floor so that they did not get it dirty walking back and forth from the bathroom to the front area to the kitchen where they had deposited all of the equipment. The only awkward part was when I had to use the restroom and I had to ask them to move their equipment so that I could get to the toilet closet. They were nice enough to leave my apartment while I did my business, but it was still slightly uncomfortable having to pee and knowing that they knew I was using the toilet. My new bath system was so simple! Step 1: turn on the gas. Step 2: turn on the bath system by pushing a button. Step 3: turn on the water. Super easy and also, now I could change the water temperature by pushing the up arrow or down arrow on the panel. Hurray! One downside was that sometimes when I was trying to reheat the bath water (you can use it more than once since you shower before you enter the tub), it would display an error number and would not work again unless I turned the system off and then on again (but even then it would only work for a few more minutes). Oh well, maybe I should read the manual (even though it is in Japanese and I wouldn’t understand it). Perhaps I should explain about the way Japanese take baths. I will be brief. Before entering the bathtub, which will be filled with extremely hot water, the Japanese take a shower first so that they are clean and therefor can use the same bath water multiple times (if living alone—same person multiple days—and if living as a family—multiple people same bath water). This may seem gross or disgusting, but it is actually really smart, if you think about it. Entering the bath and just soaking after becoming clean is a much better idea than getting into a tub while you are still gross from the day’s dirt and grime and washing yourself using the dirty water. But maybe you have heard about Japanese taking big communal baths at a bath house. It is done in much the same way. There is usually a side for men and a side for women, but sometimes there is a bath that is mixed (but if that is the case, there is also usually a females-only bath). First, you deposit your clothes into a basket and cover yourself with the small hand towel that is usually only two feet long by one foot wide. Obviously not going to cover much, but you use it to cover your front side (or not if you don’t want to, that’s okay, too). Then you take a shower. There are usually stools for you to sit on at each shower station. Choose one and scrub well (ladies, you do not have to wash your hair, but you must put your hair up either way before you enter the bath—so that you don’t leave hairs in the bath water. Then comes the fun part—relaxing. There might be a bath outside that you can soak in, or they might all be inside, but usually there is more than one to choose from. You will probably be sharing with several other ladies (or men), but the bath is big and no one looks at each other, so it is really not a big deal. If you want to try multiple baths, make sure you rinse off after each one so that you don’t take water from one into the other (especially if the baths are scented). Take your time in the bath and then when you are done, towel off and change back into your clothes. Afterwards, grab a drink from the main station area and relax again as you rehydrate your body. I really enjoy going to Japanese bath houses (called onsen). My first experience with one was when I was a junior in high school when I got a scholarship to go to Japan for six weeks during the summer. My host family took a weekend trip to Chiba and ended with a stop by an onsen. My host mom guided me along the process, and while it was a bit awkward having my body be open for examination (I felt), it was really interesting to experience such a different cultural aspect.
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Myself
Video blogger and now a blogger as well. My life in Japan has changed me for the better. However, it wasn't easy... Archives
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