Warmed Toilet Seats..

Electronically warmed toilet seats?

ONE OF THE BEST INVENTIONS EVER!

Think about it… There is nothing worse than being out in the blistering cold… I do believe it’s meant to snow today it was supposed to snow today, thank god it didn’t… and suddenly you need the loo, now if you’re like me that’s every ten minutes (I’m over exaggerating, but you get the picture.) And once you finally track one down you dread the cold plastic or metal seat of a public toilet that you’ve grown up with.

But then… you remember you’re in Japan, and cold toilet seats are no longer something you need to be scared of.

The little electronic panel beside the toilet is just waiting to tell you just how toasty warm your toilet seat has been prepared for you. And I am yet to find a way to turn it off, so I assume that no matter what, wherever you are, you WILL have a nice warm toilet seat to comfort you during those cold Sapporo days. I mean I’d even prefer it when it’s summer, because a cold toilet seat is always going to be a cold toilet seat…

I was pleasantly surprised this morning to receive a message from someone that I haven’t talked to in god, almost half a year now? And my travel plans may have just changed slightly. Maybe…

Today I started the day off earlier than I did yesterday, a fine 7:30am instead of a late 9:30am, I can’t remember the last time I slept in that late? Not in the last year or so that’s for sure. But I understand that I needed it, I got maybe about two hour sleep on the plane over and then walked around for four hours until I could check into the hostel, so I was understandably tired.

The hostel is quite nice. Friendly front staff, which is always good. A common room complete with two kotatsu’s (which is a low wooden table that sits on top of a futon or heavy blanket which is heated from underneath. In this instance underneath the table is lower, so your feet can rest down underneath) they are very warm and comfy and I seriously think Australia should pick up on this trend and introduce some.

Only thing I can think of that might need some revision is the people to toilet/shower ratio. There are six levels to this hostel, each level holds four rooms which all hold about 4-6 people and… there are two showers and one toilet per floor.

I am yet to have a problem with the showers, but getting to the toilet first thing in the morning can be a real feat.

Anyway, my day today included a visit to Maruyama Park and Hokkaido Shrine. I was going to go to the Maruyama Zoo which was nearby, but after reading the terrible reviews of the care of the animals I decided to skip it and use the money I would have paid for entry to buy myself some food.

Maruyama Park it’s self was like walking through a Winter Wonderland. And it was nice to find out that my almost 4km trek to get there was worth it, because all this walking is reminding me that my hips are terrible!

Though there didn’t seem to be many people walking through the park, which I thought was a shame, there was no shortage of people making their way up to the Shrine at the top. Another moment I wished I COULD READ KANJI! Looking through reviews beforehand people had said there was a stand which told you in English which amulet meant what so you could buy the one you wanted. But in my walk around I saw no such thing, which was a shame.

I didn’t really want to just randomly buy one and be cursed with bad luck for the rest of my life; I couldn’t read anything, so it could have been that kind of Shrine for all I knew.

Anyway they had food carts out front, selling everything from fairy floss to takoyaki, the latter of which I brought. I wish I could say that I wasn’t disappointed, but I’ve had better. In Geraldton of all places… Still tasty though.

I ended up catching the train back to Odori Station and then walking the last 10 minutes from there. I can spare $2 if it will save my legs.

I made my way down to Susukino after dark again to see the ice sculptures. Odori Park has the snow sculptures and Susukino has the ice sculptures. I’m looking forward to Monday when everything is ready and they light those bad boys up!

I finished the night off by teaching one of my Chinese roommates how to pronounce ‘Towel’. And it was not because I had left my towel in the shower when she went to use it after me... Not at all…

So if I accomplished nothing else today at least she now knows what a towel is.

Until next time,

ごきげんよう!