For the Love of Tokyo
Posted by: Cléa in Travel, tags: 191, Akihabara, Asakusa, Calpis, cbmused, Engrish, japan, Meiji Shrine, Odaiba, Pocari Sweat, Shibuya, spirituality, toilets, tokyo, Venus Forte
It’s not often that the sight of a toilet stirs a bout of nostalgia and a mix of emotions that bring a joyful tear to the eye. But spotting this beauty in a local showroom took my breath away, for the stirring of that cauldron of sentiments took place not that long ago.
Yes, I’m using poetic prose to talk about… toilets.
The first time I encountered such a contraption was during my trip to Japan. Checking into the hotel was delayed due to early arrival, but when nature called and I was ushered into the facilities and closed the cubicle door behind me, I simply laughed my head off.
Faced with a whiz-bang gadget and what looked like a remote control that would make any man deliriously happy, I pressed every button. from the meticulously timed sound effects of running water, to the strong deodoriser designed to mask any odour, and finally to the warm jets of water that strategically wash certain parts of the anatomy, with one specifically angled for the ladies.
Ranging from the traditional the hole in ground found in remote areas and Narita airport, to those at Roppongi Hill equipped with sensors that flush oh-so-quietly and could easily lull you into sedation, Tokyo toilets became a source of amusement and entertainment as I flashed my camera inside every cubicle. Hence the sight of this porcelain device on the weekend made me long for another trip to the land of contrasts.
But Japan was not all about gadgetry, bullet trains with uniformed attendants that bow incessantly to the carriage, flirty maid cafés in the centre of geek heaven in Akihabara, love hotels selling a sex haven by the hour or overnight, vending machines that sell a girl’s sweat bottled in a soft drink under the label Pocari Sweat or a milky beverage strangely named Calpis. Nor was it about outrageous display of individuality at Harajuku on Sundays, mind-blowing shopping at Shibuya’s 191 and Venus Forte at the futuristic Odaiba, or Engrish signs that redefined one’s logic. True, I was blown away and touched by the welcoming yet unobtrusive warmth of its people. But the Japan experience, as I best describe it, awakened a new spirituality and serenity within, fluttering about my being in Zen-like moments at the Meiji Shrine.
And for that kind of experience, I am thankful.
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