Did you know that Oktoberfest in Germany is mostly in September? The very first day of Oktoberfest 2021 was supposed to be today, September 18, extending into October 3. Well, as in 2020, Oktoberfest was cancelled.
So why is it called by that month when it is held mostly in September? The first celebration in 1810 was in October.
Did you also know that Oktoberfest is held only in Munich? These days seven million drink more than a liter (about three typical cans) of beer each, costing around $11. Except for my wife and I when we followed the crowd to board the S-Bahn to the fairgrounds near Old Town. It was drizzling a bit. We bought a large pretzel outside of a typical barn where beer is served. We did not know that you needed to get this inside the hall. So no one came to serve us beer. After a while we decided to have lunch, and the restaurant we settled on only served wine. Thus, we might have been the only couple in the history of this event who failed to drink beer when they came here for this purpose.
I grew up using an American toilet. Then I traveled the world and got to know this useful modern device to appreciate the convenience.
For example, in Rangiroa Tahiti, the last time I went there, the outhouse was, well, outside the house. I had to go one night, and ran into a coconut crab.
To quote:
The coconut crabs or “Kaveu”in Tahitian, also known as “robber crabs” are the biggest terrestrial arthropod in the world! Adults of this species weigh up to 4 kg and size up to 1.3 ft. But some people say that they had observed specimens weighing more than 17 kg!
17 kg = 34.5 pounds. You know how large a crab that represents? I've caught samoan crabs using those circular nets baited with akuhead (
head of tuna). The largest ever caught in Hawaii weighed 7 pounds 7 ounces.
To the left is this crab.
Now imagine a 34.5 pound crab. Okay, there are only a very few of those. But the average large one on Rangiroa is 4kg, which is 8.8 pounds, still a very frightening encounter, in the dark, when you least expect a mugging. Oh, there are also large cockroaches in these outhouses.
Yes, this has very little to do with Japanese toilets. My other experiences include a complaint about Australian toilet seats. I'm not sure what material it is, but must be something close to porcelain, and when you sit down, there is a shock to the system. It is so cold. My Toto washlet seat is warm.
Here is a video on the
history of toilets, and it goes way back, with perhaps the Mesopotamians more than 5000 years ago being the first. To the right is this early version.
Around the same time, some indoor toilets in Scotland appeared. Then skipping on to the late 1500's, Sir John Harrington invented one he gave to Queen Elizabeth I. Perhaps this is why the term "john" is used as another way of saying toilet. He was way ahead of the times, for into the 17th century, people in Denmark generally defecated on farmland, or otherwise in places where human waste could be collected as fertilizer.
Skipping to 35 years ago, I was in a meeting at Toyota near Nagoya and excused myself to use the restroom. This was my first meeting with a Japanese high tech toilet. I don't read Japanese, and everything was in that language. I didn't know what to do, but thought I'd experiment by pressing a button. A fountain of water shot up, hit the ceiling and splashed on to my suit. I didn't know how to turn it off, so I quickly left the room and closed the door. For all I know it is still fountaining, and regret not at least pushing down the cover. So, anyway, I wiped myself off as much as I could, combed my hair, returned to the conference room and no one even smirked. This is one example of how the Japanese leaped into the future, for prior to this newfangled contraption, the previous option was a hole where squatting was required, so you needed good knees.
From Wikipedia:
"High-tech" toilets, which can be found in countries like Japan, include features such as automatic-flushing mechanisms; water jets or "bottom washers"; blow dryers, or artificial flush sounds to mask noises. Others include medical monitoring features such as urine and stool analysis and the checking of blood pressure, temperature, and blood sugar. Some toilets have automatic lid operation, heated seats, deodorizing fans, or automated replacement of paper toilet-seat-covers. Interactive urinals have been developed in several countries, allowing users to play video games. The "Toylet", produced by Sega, uses pressure sensors to detect the flow of urine and translates that into on-screen action.[50] 
Another name is
bidet toilet, which by 2016 had been installed in 81% of Japanese households. I had a Toto washlet added to my toilet around that time. (
left). I would have done it earlier but was worried about maintenance problems. Well, it has worked perfectly since then. I had one other advantage, the maintenance staff at 15 Craigside where I live did it for free.
Not familiar with one of those? Watch this video. Here is a tour of a Japanese bathroom and toilet.
I finally finished my bottle of Petite Syrah, with artichokes, foie gras pate', Romano Cheese and a salad.
It was too, too gooey.
I have a new aquarium:
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Did you know that Oktoberfest in Germany is mostly in September? The very first day of Oktoberfest 2021 was supposed to be today, September 18, extending into October 3. Well, as in 2020, Oktoberfest was cancelled.
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