Let me start by saying that I'm not one to focus too much on toilets. Truth be told, I've only felt compelled to photograph two in my entire life, both happened to be in Tokyo.

I was relieved to discover that I had stumbled upon a rare circumstance on my first day out and that the Japanesse take their "facilities" very seriously.

Check out this hi-tech bad boy:

That's right, you want a warm seat? You got it. Want to minimize the noise of the flush? No problem. Need a little wash (I know, slightly gross)? Sure thing. The entire experience left me wanting heated bathroom seats across Chicago say in the middle of January but

The entire experience left me longing for heated bathroom seats across Chicago in the middle of January. Aside from that, I'll take our old school variety.

This Outta Tide You Over.

It goes without saying, I've been swept away in the swirls of life recently without much end in sight. So here's a little story to tide you over for a day or two.

It's May and I find myself in Tokyo, Japan for the first full day of my trip. I've got the backpack on my shoulders, the camera around my neck and I'm determined to conquer this massive city despite the fact that I cannot speak a lick of Japanese.

A few hours in, the clock is nearing noon and I am surprisingly in good shape but the morning coffee was catching up with my bladder FAST. My search for a bathroom began immediately because let's face it, I knew it could take me a while to find one. Eventually I spot a small sign off in the distance of the Metropolitan Government Building about 30 minutes later. By this point, my bladder was all I AM READY TO BURST HERE so I (swiftly) walk over, rush into a stall and see:

Yeah. That's right. It's a tiolet IN the ground.*

My mind was all WHAT THE &$^% AM I GOING TO DO WITH THIS? I'LL ACCIDENTALLY RUN ALL OVER MY PANTS. DO I FACE OUT OR IN? WHO PUT IT IN THE GROUND? MAYBE IT WAS A MISTAKE. GOTTA GO BUT CAN'T. CAN'T TAKE THE PRESSURE MUST LEAVE NOW. BLADDER MUST WAIT.

And so it did, much to the delight of my senses. Wait until you see the next one.