5 Unique Features of a Japanese Home

1. The Fish Grill

    There is a grill drawer lying underneath the usual three-burner stove. It is used for grilling fish, like whole mackerel or some other smallish fish. I have not used it yet because, surprisingly, I'm having trouble finding fresh seafood. Whole fish and seafood is surprisingly hard to find in small city markets. You have to go to a larger grocery store, a department grocery store, or a fish market. Our neighborhood has several small markets within a half mile radius, but no large supermarket. 

2. Toilets/Toilet Rooms

    In Japanese homes, the toilets are separate from the rest of the bathroom. Our toilets are like any other typical Japanese toilet in that they are automated and have multiple functions. These are soundproofing, odorproofing, seat warming functions. And several bidet options. 

    In the past, we have visited Tokyo during the winter. After returning to Chicago, it was always a shock to go to the toilet in the middle of the night without seat warmers. 

3. Ofuro

    This is the Japanese bath. Although I am personally more a shower person, I can appreciate the occasional bath. The entire room is for showering and bath. You first take a thorough shower and then step into the bath, which is more for relaxing rather than cleaning. It is the same in a public bath. 

    The two poles above the bath are for line drying. It is common to have either just a washing machine or  combined washing/drying machine. Because of this, homes are equipped with line drying options, either on the balcony or the bathroom. We have a combined washing/drying machine. I hang delicates on the poles and then press the "dry" button on the control panel. This activates the drying fan on the ceiling and essentially turns the room into a dryer. You can set it on timer to turn off automatically. An hour and a half usually gets the job done. 

4. The Entryway

    Entryways are designated areas where you can remove or put on outdoor shoes. Homes usually have a step (where the rug might be) clearly separating the outdoor/indoor shoe areas. We are lucky to have a large shoe closet. At first, I thought we could never fill the storage space. Only a week in, I am beginning to see that it won't be a problem. M seems to go through shoe sizes every few weeks, and there are plenty of other things to store in addition to shoes. 

5. The Intercom

    Almost every home is equipped with a screen with a view of the doorstep. In our case, the delivery guy would arrive outside the building and call us via the intercom. We would hear the ring, and his face would then appear on the screen saying that package is being delivered. I would say, ok, and let him in the building's main door. Then he would bring the package to my doorstep and ring again. Same thing, except this time I open my front door to accept the package. 

    These are the big ones for now. I can't wait to visit other people's homes once this pandemic is over.