Famous People: Ichiro Suzuki:

According to a recent poll, he's the most recognized human being in Japan (the Emperor is a distant second.) Perhaps a little hard to believe, but this gives you an idea of how famous this sportsman really is. Often regarded as the best baseball player to ever come out of Japan, Ichiro Suzuki took the American Major League by storm during the 2002/3 season. After 9 seasons in Japan with Orix Blue Wave in Kobe he decided to seek out pastures new by signing for the Seattle Mariners.

As with most players who make the switch from Japan to America, Ichiro, who was the highest paid player in the game (530 million yen in 2000) before he moved, he had to take a pay cut to move over to the Major Leagues. For someone that highly paid, who was seven-time Pacific League batting champ from 1994-2000 and held numerous records during his time with the Orix had very little left to prove. Ichiro had made his feelings felt as early and 1999 when he trained with the Seattle Mariners during a Summer camp - he later said:

"When I took part in the Mariners camp in 1999, I felt like a rookie, almost like a little kid. I knew then I wanted to play in the majors and experience the challenge of competing against the best players in the world as soon as I possibly could."

In 1991 the Mariners paid more than $13 million to negotiate with the player, who signed a 3-year contract for an undisclosed sum. He still uses his first name, Ichiro, as he has for the past 7 years, as opposed to every other player in the Japanese and American baseball leagues instead of his surname of Suzuki, which has made him become even more recognisable to fans. In 1997, when Ogi Akira, new manager of the Orix Blue Wave changed the name on the No. 51 shirt from Suzuki to the player's first name Ichiro - and it's stuck ever since. Renowned for his speed, throwing accuracy and uncanny ability to hit virtually any kind of pitch, he's found more success in America than the majority of the Japanese that have graced the Major Leagues. Although he has been overshadowed recently by the exploits of his countrymam Hideki Matsui for the New York Yankees, he still remains one of the most famous sportspeople in Japan.

Superstitions: Bloodtype

How important is it to know your bloodtype? In most countries it's not very important, and certain doesn't come up in casual conversation on a regular basis. However, in Japan knowing your bloodtype could change your life...........It is widely believed that your bloodtype has great influence over your personality. About 100 years ago, a doctor called Furukawa Takeji (1891-1940) researched the relationship between bloodtype and personality and came to believe that you could determine what kind of personality a person has, or will have, from their bloodtype alone. Even though it's been proven to have no scientific basis whatsoever, many Japanese people still believe in these distinctions to a certain degree.

Does your personality fit with these descriptions?

Type A: People with Type A Blood are calm, composed, level-headed and serious. They have a firm character, and are reliable and trustworthy. They think things over and make plans deliberately. A Types may look aloof or distant to others but have a fragile, nervous side, as well. They tend to be hard on people who are not of the same type, and so they consequently tend to be surrounded with people of the same temperament.

Type B: People with Type B Blood are curious about and interested in everything. That may be good, but they also tend to have too many interests and hobbies, and they tend to get all excited about something suddenly and then later drop it again just as quickly. But they do manage to know which of their many interests or loved ones are the ones that are really important, the ones they should hold on to. B Types tend to excel in things rather than just be average. They have the image of being bright and cheerful, full of energy and enthusiasm, but some people think that they are really quite different on the inside.

Type O: People with Type O Blood people are said to set the mood for a group and to take on the role of creating harmony among its members. Their image is one of taking it easy, of being peaceful and carefree. They are also thought to be big-hearted and benevolent, and they tend to spend money on others generously. O Types are generally "loved by all." But, they also, surprisingly, have a stubborn and strong-willed side, as well, and tend to secretly have their own opinions on things. They are easily influenced by other people or by what they see on TV. They seem to appear level-headed and trustworthy, but they often slip and make big blunders inadvertently. But that is also the point that makes O Types lovable.

Type AB: People with Type AB Blood are said to have a delicate sensitivity. They are considerate of other people's feelings and deal with them with care and caution. On the other hand, though, they are strict with themselves and those close to them. They therefore seem to have two personalities: one for those "outside," and another for people on the "inside." They often become sentimental, and they tend to think too deeply about things. AB Types have a lot of friends, but they need time to be alone and think things through, as well.

Blood Type A is the most common Japanese blood type. In Japan, schools carry out thorough physical exams, and so the majority of Japanese people find out their own blood types from the results of these exams. Don't be too hasty in telling someone your bloodtype. Some Japanese people swear by the superstition and wouldn't even be with anyone whose bloodtype is not 'compatible' with their own. I don't know my bloodtype and I've got on just fine without it!

Blood type descriptions take from http://www.tapanime.com/info/bloodtypes.html

Next time: What happens if you whistle in the night.......!

Japanese Customs: Toilets

Some people are often surprised to see the Japanese style toilet, (the 'squat style', basically a hole in the ground and familiar to most people around Asia) so prevalent here in Japan. Thankfully, accompanying the Japanese style is the Western style which is starting to become the norm in most houses and apartments. Of course, I'm not going to go into details about how you should use the toilet, just make sure you don't fall down the toilet when your squatting!

If you go to a public restroom in Japan then there will nearly always be the Japanese style, and if you're lucky a Western style as well. Surprisingly, many of the restrooms, especially the mens, tend to be viewable from the outside to all and sundry so if you're of a nervous disposition when going to the toilet make sure you use a cubicle. One company stands above them all as the grand-daddy of toilet makers in Japan. The chances are that 95% of the toilets you've used in Japan were made by Toto who have recently begun shipping their new ultra modern toilets to countries around the world, including China and America.

As with many areas of Japanese society and culture, Japan not only hold on to the old, but are at the forefront of everything new, and toilets are no exception. Japan has the most high-tech, and perhaps bizarre toilet technology in the world. Imagine a toilet where the seat lifts up for you automatically. There will be panels of buttons on both sides of the seat which control things such as the built in bidet, a pleasant noise of flowing water to mask any unwanted 'noises' whilst you're doing your business and even a chemical analyzer that can tell you if you have any problems after checking your urine.

Many foreigners often become totally lost when faced with such as machine. Even I've managed to spray the whole bathroom, including myself, with the built in bidet after pressing the wrong button. Luckily they haven't developed a toliet that includes any sort of probing device or a simple trip to the toilet could become a painful ordeal! Top of the range models sell for up to 500,000 Yen or more if they're shipped abroad. Are all the gadgets and widgets really necessary? Probably not, but in 10 or 20 years time we'll look back and think how we managed to survive when we had to put the toilet seat up ourselves and a bidet wasn't included as standard in all systems.

If this article has sparked your interest in all things toiletary then you can find all you ever wanted to know about toilets at http://www.worldtoilet.org

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