Sunday, January 24, 2016

A Culture of Clean

Another large thing I noticed about the people of Japan is how clean they try to stay. Personally, I don't mind getting a little dirty sometimes and I don't overly worry myself with germs. I think a little germs can be good for us, building up our immunity. I am rarely sick because I take good care of my health. 

But Japanese don't seem to like germs and they go to great lengths to keep from spreading them. In any public situation I could always see at least a dozen or more people wearing a disposable facial mask covering their mouth and nose. They wear these to keep their own germs to themselves as well as keeping themselves safe from the germs of others. I had to laugh when I saw a section in the convenience store with these masks in them. There had to be at least a dozen different ones to choose from, including scented ones, children's sized, and pretty patterns. They take these masks seriously. 

Hygiene in the bathroom is a big deal! Every toilet I used came complete with many buttons to control the attached bidet to clean yourself with and many had an attached sink which would run water when the toilet was flushed. Some, in train stations came with increased suction for odor control, water sounds for privacy, and heated seats.