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10 things that surprise foreign women in Japan

Oona McGee Dec 2, 2013
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Travel website Expedia recently conducted a poll to find out what women were most surprised by when they came to Japan. The top ten results revealed that ladies were fascinated with aspects of everyday culture, but none more so than when it came to bathroom habits. With three of the top ten responses relating directly to bathroom life, it seems there’s a lot going on in the ladies’ rooms of Japan.

The survey, taken by 200 foreign women between the ages of 20 and 60 currently living in Japan, also revealed responses related to food and shopping.

#10: From every corner of the world

In at number 10, 8 percent of women surveyed expressed surprise at the abundance of international food in Japan. It’s true that there’s definitely more to life here than sushi, and particularly in a big city like Tokyo, you can dine out at Russian, Greek, Indian, Mexican and even Israeli restaurants. International recipes and foreign cooking classes are also becoming popular, albeit with the occasional Japanese twist, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

#9: Subterranean bargains

Next, department store basement sections made an appearance, with 8.5 percent of the votes. Known as Depachika (a combination of the words depa, for department store and chika, lit. “below ground”) the huge number of outlets and the vast array of beautifully presented food items on offer below ground are often written up in travel guides. It seems that no amount of reading can truly prepare a girl for the sensory overload that comes from actually stepping into one of the great shopping paradises of Japan.

#8: Home of the gizmo

With 10 percent of votes, it’s Japan’s love for tiny little gadgets performing tasks so minor you never knew they existed. Visiting an electrical store in Japan can be just as much fun as clothes shopping–with a wide range of cute, feminine gadgets for shaving eyebrows, steaming facial pores and massaging limbs, complete with a “For sale in Japan only” label, it’s a shopping stop that many ladies should put on their bucket list when they come to Japan.

#7: Luxury bathing

Japanese home baths took the next spot on the list with 12.5 percent of votes. This is another one that’s widely talked about, but seeing one for real will change the way you think about bath-time forever. By washing yourself before you get in, you can relax and soak in clean hot water as if you’re in a natural spring, and families using that same (clean) water one after the other makes a lot of sense both in terms of caring for the planet and your bank balance.

The fact that the home bath can be remotely controlled from another room to fill up to a certain level and temperature at a desired time is nearly as gob-smacking as the fact that it talks to you and plays a melody to let you know when it’s ready.

#6 Made with real angel wings

The softness of luxury Japanese toilet paper was enough to garner 13.5 percent of votes in the survey. As the first of our three toilet-related entries, it’s no surprise that we ladies like a bit of luxury when it comes to bathroom tissue. Many of the popular varieties in Japan are actually designed to be used in conjunction with the washlet toilets, so they’re extra soft and double ply to soak up the moisture from a freshly washed bottom.

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#5. If you want me I’ll be under here. See you next spring.

And at number 5 we have the kotatsu (16.5 percent of votes). This traditional low table, fitted with a heating device and a thick heavy blanket, is truly heaven for ladies with cold feet. Japanese families huddle around these tables during winter, where they eat, talk, watch TV, and inevitably doze off thanks to the wonderful warmth that emanates from beneath the table. No words can truly express the kotatsu experience until you’ve had the chance to experience it yourself.

#4 Queenie loves her throne

Scooping up an amazing 17 percent of the votes, it’s electronic bidet-style toilets. Japan produces the most sophisticated toilets in the world, with functions for cleaning, drying and heating. Hopefully our ladies didn’t get a surprise unknowingly while sitting on one! That said, it’s important not to get too carried away when using these magnificent contraptions – in fact some argue that if overused they can do more harm than good.

#3 Stores that live up to their collective name

Coming in at number 3 is the number of convenience stores in Japan, with 20.5 percent of votes. The fact that there seems to be one on every corner in the city just goes to show how convenient they really are. You don’t have to venture far to find one of these, where you can buy concert tickets as well as groceries, pick up or return deliveries, print photos, pay bills, send faxes and more.

#2: If it exists, you can buy it from a metal box

Our penultimate entry, and one that has no doubt appeared in pretty much every “great things about Japan” ranking in the last decade, is the vast array of vending machines that exist here, with our metallic, product-spewing servants picking up a massive 23 percent of the votes. From hamburgers to batteries to flowers and everything in between, things in Japan can be dispensed to you at the drop of a coin. Even drink vending machines become an exciting window-shopping experience, with a huge variety of seasonal beverages on offer. And you never have to walk far to stumble across one.

#1 Is that music coming from your bottom, miss?

And – drum roll, please – the final and most surprising thing that foreign ladies said they encountered in Japan is none other than otohime. Otohime, literally Sound Princess, is a device commonly found in ladies’ restrooms which plays out the sound of running water, designed to mask any unladylike noises while on the toilet. Sounds trivial, but 27 percent of the total votes went to this cute, face-saving technology. Well, we suppose it beats whistling while going number two.

Making sounds when you tinkle is considered deeply embarrassing for Japanese women, so if you’re making the trip to Japan, ladies might want to consider downloading an app to help them mask the sounds of nature at work!

Sources: Nikkei Woman Online Expedia
Images: Mckey Kaden Watch Kekkawww