Etiquette #2

I have been told a lot about toilets in Japan, and was prepared for everything I've encountered. Far from my usual fear of all public restrooms, the Japanese restrooms are invariably spotless and comfortable. The toilets themselves come with a great many buttons -- most of which I have been too afraid to try, partially because, spotless room or no, I have a psychological inability to use a public bidet. Or, for that matter, a bidet that is also a toilet. The whole heated seat thing, on the other hand, is far nicer than you can imagine. All of that having been said, I had to laugh out loud upon waving my hand in front of a sensor I thought was going to flush the toilet only to be rewarded with the sounds of flushing. I'd forgotten this one tidbit -- Japanese women want camouflage noises to cover the sounds of anything they do within the privacy of their stalls.