More about Japanese hotels...

Okay, now that I've gone to the nitty-gritty about Japanese toilets, I want to share my thoughts on Japanese hotels.

They are better than American hotels.

Why? Because they are simple, and efficient. For example, every Japanese hotel I've been in, without exception, has slippers there for you. They also have a preheated pot of hot water and a tea set with plenty of green tea. Clearly they understand that these things are necessities, and something any civilized person needs the minute they come into the room.

As if that weren't enough, they have button panels that are easily understood (even by someone like me, who doesn't speak the language), which enable you to turn on and off the lights, or in some cases even open and close the drapes, at the touch of a button. Apparently like all hotels in Asia (I say this because it is also true in Hong Kong) you have to place your hotel key in a holder near the door to activate the lights. This is a great way to avoid wasting energy.

But wait! I've saved the best for the last. The real reason Japanese hotels are superior to American hotels, is because they have alarm clocks that you can actually figure out how to use. I'm not kidding. I can't tell you how many American hotels I've been in that have a gizmo (clock, alarm, radio, CD player, noise machine, etc. etc.) that is completely incomprehensible when it comes to setting the alarm. "Yes," you may say, "but that is because you are technologically impaired." And, I would have to admit, that is true. But there have been times (in was actually at a Marriott hotel in Canada) when I called the guest services for someone to come up and show me how to work it...and they couldn't figure it out either!

Now, what is the point of that? It means you have to rely on a wake-up call. And people forget. Not often, but one missed wake-up call is all you need to miss your flight.

In Japan, the alarm clock section has three buttons. One turns it on, or off. One moves the wake-up time up, and one button moves it back. That's it. Why does any clock need more than that?

When I travel, I don't want to spend half an hour just before I go to bed, trying to figure out the alarm clock and feeling like I deserve an award of some kind when I finally do. I just want to go to bed, and make sure I will get up at the right time.

In Japan, whether modern or traditional (complete with futon for sleeping and shoji screens), they understand this. And for that I thank them, from the bottom of my heart. (By the way, the picture above is still of my first hotel in Japan. The finger on the left hand side is mine. I guess you could call it my trademark.)