About the toilets

I think I have only one complaint about Japan. I don't like the "Japanese style" toilets. I call them squaters. You know what I mean, the kind that are basically a hole in the ground that you have to squat over. If given the option, I always try to seek out "Western style" toilets (they're often labeled that way) and often in public places, such as department stores and tourist sites, there will be both kinds(usually 3 Japanese-style and 1 Western-style). But occasionally there's no avoiding the squaters. You have to go, it's your only option, so what else are you going to do. At least they (the squaters) have always been quite clean. Frankly, I've seen toilets on European trains that are more disturbing. Another trend about Japanese public bathrooms-- they often don't have any hand-drying mechanism. I quickly figured out that women would dry their hands on a towel in their pocket. After that first day in Kyoto I bought us each a towel (which is really the size of a washcloth) and I've been carrying one around in my jacket pocket ever since. It's come in very handy!