A warm toilet seat is just about as good as life gets, in my opinion.
We just had our first trip to Japan and the loos warmed my heart. And my bottom. Literally.
I have a list of things that surprised and delighted me about Tokyo after our family of five soaked up the Land of the Rising Sun.
No.1 on my list are the heated toilet seats.
The public loos are all spotlessly clean and your seat is toasty warm, which is just about the ultimate luxury in life, I have decided.
Not much else compares to a warm welcome when you sit down.
Many public loos also offer little sound machines next to the toilet that play tranquil tunes while you tinkle. Thoughtful and practical.
No.2 on the list is the 7-Eleven.
Different to our version, the convenience store chain has many surprise things for sale.
The cold egg sandwiches are to die for! Fresh, soft, crustless white bread with a special egg-and-mayo mixture got me hooked. I had one every day.
The other crazy sandwich filling was strawberries and cream. My daughter got hooked on them.
Our family order also consisted of triangular-shaped sushi, packet pancakes smothered with butter and maple syrup jam, and a crunchy chicken schnitzel breast – all before 8am.
No.3 on the list are the pet-cuddling cafes splattered throughout Tokyo.
We opted for a micro pig-cuddling cafe that gave us maximum happiness.
I was a little cynical about the whole thing but sitting on the ground while warm little snouts eagerly press into your belly is just about the cutest and happiest thing you can do. Trust me.
And lastly, at No.4, is the One Hundred Yen Shop. One hundred yen is roughly one Australian dollar. And you can bet your (warm) bottom dollar that everything really is just one buck.
Oh, the stuff we bought! Chopstick holders with tiny cats on them. Socks for our dogs. A potato peeler dressed in a kimono. The list goes on (my poor husband!).
We were delirious from bagging obscure bargains and had the time of our thrifty lives.
Thank you, Japan. I will miss you, as will my pampered tush.
Sami Muirhead is a radio announcer, blogger and commentator. For more from Sami, tune into Mix FM.
