I finally tried it towards the end of my trip and I may use it again when I return. I have a tip for first timers. If you're curious about these buttons, press them when you're sitting down. Water up your bum is a far lesser shock than a fountain of water all over the toilet, floor and your trousers!

Washlet toilets are Japan's greatest creation.

Hmmm, no photos or even a map or directions to 109? How can one actually visit it then?

Great call-back post, very nicely done!

“It seems highly improbable now but who knows how far we might have to lower entry standards in order to meet our intake targets in the future.” LOL Very telling - he may feel that technically it is it's own language but he's not necessarily impressed by it!

Poor? MY post? You didn't chuckle? "Shiitake". That's a funny-sounding word. Like, "Oh, shiitake! I forgot my wallet!". And, in the post, not Hitachi brand, but...well, you have to look at the illustration.

I love my washlet!! I've had one for 3.5 years and still average 3 log dropping sessions a day, so it has not impeded my ability to stay regular. My greatest concern about leaving Japan is will I be able to get one installed in my bathroom in the U.S.? My washlet is the single BEST thing I like about Japan, by far.

Wonderful description. Once you go Washlet, a regular toilet just doesn't cut it anymore. But apparently there is side-effect to the bliss of hot water blasts to your bum, called The Washlet Syndrome. Proctologists warn that if you overuse the Washlet, you can lose the ability to defecate on your own, and/or develop a rash due to it being too clean down there. Whatever the case, it can be pretty habit forming. Whenever I notice one in a public bathroom in Tokyo, I find myself making a mental note of it..

I tend to speak like this way too much

I'm with ya!

I've seen so many guys who talk this way pull some serious @$$. Maybe I should start learning it.

Not for much longer. I'm sure the Canadian Government will kick him out if he keeps up his stupid antics.

I think the leader of the organization is actually Australian. EDIT: Opps. He is actually Canadian. ;)

Oh looky, looky: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080819p2a00m0na006000c.html From the article: "Members of the Sea Shepherd Conservation group are suspected of planning to attack a Japanese whaling research vessel using radio-controlled planes painted as WWII Zeroes, according to the Tokyo police's Public Security Bureau, in information released following the issue of arrest warrants for three members of the activist group on Monday." Yeah ... I'm sure that'd "fly" with the general public. Bad enough they're making a mockery of the Kamekazi thing, but how many of these dolts are American and have families that have been living in fear ever since 9/11? Yeah ... real smart -_-

Cheers! Way to get others involved Jason!

Oh lord. That is terrible. My heart goes out to her. What a terrible mistake.

Wow, now that's what I call a boob job!

I love how Japanese prime ministers are classified as "celebrities" - too right!

Just horrible... Sueing would just be a start.

Done and done. Heck, I've even talked some of my co-workers to come visit JapanSoc! Let's see if we can push our active participants up to something closer to 50 :D

Uh oh ... if anyone from that whack-job & nut-case club hears you say such a thing, they'll track you down and start throwing smelly crap at your house! What I don't get about the Japanese vessels, though, is why they're so darned polite about the whole Sea Shepherd thing. If I were the captain of a vessel and there were terrorists out there risking the lives and safety of my crew in open and international waters, I'd drop the hammer on their asses and sink a few vessels. Survival of the fittest, and violence in the name of self-defense. Animals do it all the time, so why should people in open water be any different? Oh sure, there are exceptions to this rule ... but when it comes to the dolts on these "crusading vessels", I'm sure nobody will pick up the cause to mourn the loss of life or miniscule amount of pollution caused by sinking an oil-powered vessel in the ocean.

Well ... that was ... umm ... different :P It's scary to see some of those ancient hair styles on people today ... hopefully the greasy-poof look will not come back anytime soon.

I have to say that they do work at least for me. I recently started a deck with anki and within a couple weeks had memorized around 700 words. I think it is also about how you use it and how often. You have to really hammer on the ones you don't know and write down the kanji that are new to you. It can take a fair amount of time, but it sticks with you.

This was great. I'm sure to have terrible nightmares for the rest of the week! Haha.

Ah, I don't plan on being part of any sort of cult movement or anything. SRS programs work for some people, and fail for others. I'll be sure to distance it from SuperMemo and whatnot, though, just to make sure that there are no ultra-negative reactions to it. If someone wants to hate my programs, that's fine ... but so long as it's because my applications suck rather than what category they belong to :P