Culture Day
...written on 2000-11-03, @ 20:25:10
Fri November 3, 2000
Today was "Culture Day", a national holiday in Japan. I and my fellow English teachers had the day off. I woke up to sun, so you know what that meant (see Noodlehead). I did a little bit of email and then headed off into the wild yonder to find some eats.
It's kind of tough finding food on an island when you don't like seafood, but I finally found a pasta place and went in and had spaghetti with meat sauce and 3 little rounds of garlic toast. It was nice eating something that didn't have a soy sauce or miso taste.
After lunch I went back to the apt to take my clothes off the line as it looked like some bad "tenki" (weather) was coming my way. I got the clothes in, grabbed my big canvas shopping bag and headed for Tomidaya grocery store (see First Trip to the Grocery Store).
When I got to the corner where I was going to turn to go to the store, I stopped and looked across the street. I heard a young woman singing with a microphone and saw a costumed Pokemon character greeting the little children. I decided to see what was going on.
It was a street fair celebrating Culture Day! Both sides of the street were lined with people either selling wares or browsing the merchandise. The sellers had set up blankets, tables or racks for displaying coats, frying pans, pottery, Pokemon dolls, Hello Kitty stuff, wood carvings, flowers, produce, food and crafts of all kinds. Some of the businesses on the street were taking advantage and having sales as well. I had fun looking at everything (except the octopus pieces waiting to be filling for little bread balls-now you know why I prayed the other day when I bit into a mystery bread ball I had bought at the store, see Mister Donut).
One of the businesses I saw on that street was a bathroom store. They sold vanities, shower accessories and toilets . I saw one toilet that looked like a chair for Captain Kirk! It was an American style (really they call it a "western" style, so no offense to the rest of the world who uses this type) There were so many bells and whistles on that thing! I'm sure there was a seat warmer butt-on, a perfumed water spray attachment to clean your private parts and another attachment to blow you dry. I am not joking! (see Hair's the Story ). The Japanese are very clever inventors in many things.
I asked the young woman tending the store if she had any shower hose holders (I'm thinking of hanging my shower hose over the bathtub so I can keep the bathroom floor dry.) She apologized for not being able to speak English and said about 4 sentences. While I didn't understand every word, I thought I got the general gist and I repeated it to her in my pidgin Japanese. We both were jumping up and down with happiness that we understood each other.
So all that said, Monday, I'm sure I will be the proud recipient of a Captain Kirk toilet.