| Otohime
Japan is great. Don't get me wrong, I love it here. But every so often I notice something so mindbendingly stupid that it warrants a little rant.
Here's a good example: Japanese women will not pee if they think anyone can hear them.
That's how nuerotic this society is. The very THOUGHT that a woman needs to urinate and that someone else might find out that she's doing it seems to send Japanese women into a panic.
So, women will flush the toilet before they use it to cover the sound. This is, of course, idiotic and a huge waste of water: so some smart fellows came up with this device called "otohime" (literally: "sound princess")
Otohime is a little box attatched to the wall of most public restrooms that has a big button to press. Pushing the button makes an obviously fake flushing sound designed to mask the fact that you are *gasp* peeing.
Of course... it's fairly obvious that on hearing the otohime go off, the lady next to you is using the toilet.
I don't hate the boxes... I actually like that they save water. But I am annoyed that, by their mere existance EVERYWHERE, they're implying that the sound of urine hitting the water in a toilet bowl is something mortally offensive that must be hidden at all costs.
Alright... I'm done.
Damn you otohime.
Damn you forever. |