So if Japanese is such a technological marvel, why do I still have to sh^t in hole in the ground?

Disclaimer: The following entry is about toilets and is probably inappropriate for all ages and all situations.

So yeah, seriously, in this place, if I bought a low end cell phone, I’d not only be able to organize my life, download annoyingly catchy ring-tones, surf the web, order pizza (though I don’t like Japanese pizza, too much mayonnaise), I’d also be able to film a full length motion picture, edit and publish it. Also, most new cars come with voice activated GSP units which double as a radio interface, TV, DVD player and Tivo. So, if this place is so nag dern advanced, why don’t they do something about there toilets!
For those of you who aren’t familiar with this aspect of Japanese life, let me fill you in. In Japan there are two types of toilets: the Japanese “squat” toilets, and the “western” style toilets.
The Japanese style toilets are quite interesting. It seems that before the advent of plumbing, to do your business you would simple squat over a hole in the ground. Now apparently old habits die hard, and the Japanese didn’t want to abandon the age old art of carefully balancing yourself over a hole, and skillfully aiming to try and get the majority of your waste into the hole or, at the very least, not get it on your legs or feet. So, while they totally embraced the idea of plumbing (thank god) they put their own twist on the toilet. So ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the Japanese squat toilet!

This is the type of toilet you will find in most public and many private bathrooms. You may be wondering about the shoes. Well, as you all know, the Japanese change there shoes when the come inside. Well, it doesn’t stop there. The Japanese will actually change their shoes when they enter the toilet room. While this surprised me at first, striking me as both ridiculous and ultra-sanitary to an unhealthy extreme, when I realized that the aim of the Japanese people is no better than mine; wearing different shoes began to make a whole lot more sense.
Occasionally one may get lucky and come across a “western” style toilet. I am lucky enough to have one in my apartment. Now, one thing I have learned about Japan is that it is a culture of extremes. So for a toilet, you either get the Spartan squat toilet, or you get immersed in ultimate luxury with a “western” style toilet.

That’s right these toilets come equipped with fully heated seats, a built in bidet and feminine hygiene spay, fully adjustable water pressure and temperature, and a built in fan, with adjustable temperatures, for drying after you wash. Now when I first got here and saw one of these in my hotel, I wasn’t too surprised, I mean, it was a nice hotel! But when I moved into my apartment and found one there also, I got to say I was impressed. I was not so impressed, however, when I got to school and there were only Japanese style toilets. It is really cold when you have to use those things in the winter! You thing a cold seat is bad? Try having a nice breeze blowing at you as you carefully perch yourself over your target hole. It’s not fun, let me tell you.
Ok, enough about toilets! Next time I swear, my post will be completely unrelated to asses or their functions. Sorry about the theme of late.