Toilet mystery solved

Tuesday, we left Takashi and took a bus to Miyako, which is a well known fishing port on the eastern coast of Japan. He handed us off to a young woman named Yori, who drove about two hours to get to Morioka, rode two more with us on the bus and then turned around and had to drive back home.

Apparently, that job was advertised for, and she went through an interview in English to win the position. Yori was really sweat, and it's too bad we don't get to see more of her.

It was fun to have a female guide, to ask some of the more personal burning questions we had. Erin didn't wait but for two seconds to ask what had been all on our minds. We got on the bus and she goes, "I'm so happy we have a girl. So which way do you face on the toilet."

She is referring to the trough-like toilets installed in the ground that are in many public restrooms here. It requires that you squat over them. We've, of course, been fascinated with them ever since we got here, trying to figure out the proper method of use.



Yori cleared up the mystery, explaining that you face the tank, not the door as all of us have been doing. That allows you to avoid getting splashed and reach the toilet paper, which is usually back by the tank.

Lesson learned: There are some things a man guide can just not help you with.