Last word in luxury?

Checking in to the Sannomiya Terminal Hotel in downtown Kobe dredges up a trivial scrap of memory from a previous visit to Japan. I’d already done the calculation to answer the question ‘first trip to Japan?’ Twenty five years ago that was, more or less. Surprising as it may sound, one piece of technology hasn’t changed in all that time; the ultimate luxury loo, and I’ve still never seen one anywhere else.

The fluffy cushioned heated seat could have caused an accident on first contact if I hadn’t been in the right place to start with. Easy to get used to that in a cold bathroom in the chilly winter months! But this one needs to be approached with care in light of the warning on the instruction sheet. Yes, instructions on how to use the loo ARE necessary. It may look perfectly innocent, but read on and check the pix carefully… does your loo have knobs and dials down one side and wires snaking out from under the seat? Maybe not!


In case the picture is too small to read, it says 'spraying before indicator turns red releases COLD water.' My advice based on experience is don’t test-drive the shower function – at least not in operational position or with the lid open! The instructions don’t say what the difference between shower and bidet functions are – and tell you what, I didn’t bother to find out!

More (serious) impressions of Kobe will follow shortly, including earthquake and early foreign settlement stories.