It’s been another whirlwind week! From now on, I’m setting my blog to update every day at 12:01am (Japan time). Click to find out what time that is for you! It’ll be updated occasionally in-between too, of course! I could write for years. 
To be honest, I spent most of this week tinkering with my blog, so I hardly went out at all. But that’s okay, every once in a while! What else would an artist do? (Though this week is packed) Earlier on in the week was Typhoon Roke. It was weird, because it seemed to mark the change of weather from Summer to Winter. What happened to fall? Temperatures fell over 20 degrees F (10ish C) in a day. And stayed that way, long after the typhoon was over.
I’m already wearing jackets. For some people, they really enjoy this, but… my arms (and legs) are really long. Apparently, they’re freakishly long, because shirts and jackets in the states are 2-5 inches too short on average. So it doesn’t take too much imagination to imagine how hard it is here! 。゜゜(´□｀。) I usually “make do” with being badly dressed, or add extra fabric to coats. This year, maybe I’ll finally make my own…. err, maybe? I used to cosplay, but I’m not the world’s most patient seamstress!
But.. enough of the whining!! ^^;; The ONE good thing abut cooler weather is the advent of the ability to soak in a long bath without feeling like you’re going to die from heatstroke! So what did I do? Took some pictures of my bathroom! Aren’t you excited? (LOL)
No clapping, please
First, I needed some ammunition for the tub! This means a delicious-smelling powder that I can pour into the water to turn it pretty colors and make it smell nice
Like these!
And here are some more..
There are all kinds out there! You can buy them all over in Japan, from the pharmacies to novelty or specialty stores.
Those in the middle there are supposedly based on your blood type! Who knows whether they really work or not, though.. XP
A bunch of different brands. Every time I look in a store, there are new and different kinds! They range from around 100 yen ($1USD) up to 500 yen ($5). I generally stick in the cheaper range.
I’ve tried all kinds, and to be honest, they’re all pretty much just scented water. They say that they’re special and contain milk/honey/seat salt/chocolate/caffeine/etc etc etc, but really… they’re just yummy-smelling stuff in the end.
My favorite so far was probably the chocolate one I had last winter once time :3
I ended up choosing Kappa-flavored! Well, okay, not flavored… It says that it’s the “water that a kappa would bathe in.” It’s got cucumber extract in it… whatever that is. From a spa in Hokkaido. I didn’t know that Kappa frequented Hokkaido! I should travel to Hokkaido more often! Totally obsessed with Kappa ヾ(*ΦωΦ)ﾉ
By the way, this is a kappa: Wikipedia says… (Read it later!)
Predictably, it’s green!
Light wonders if he can use this to his advantage..
Hey, Brain, what are we going to do tonight?
The same thing we do every night, Pinky..
Take over the world!!
Oh, this is my bathtub.
..Isn’t it big?
The water turned a pale green when I put the powder in..
I don’t know why Japanese bathrooms have this, but they always have a faucet that runs only cold water. No heater attached! I hang my loofah on it, because really… what else can I use it for? O.o;;;
You can’t tell well, but if I sit up in the bathtub, the water comes up to my neck! My legs also are scrunched up to my neck. It’s tiny, but deep! The opposite of American bathtubs!
By the way, this is the shampoo that I use. Not very exciting, but it comes in pretty bottles. :3 I like it because it’s very thick, and my hair is quite damaged from years of dyeing it.
Hey Rita, what are we going to do tonight…
That’s about it! :3 It’s back to work on my manga tonight, until bedtime! Tomorrow I have to work on-location. You know, outside the house, like a normal person! (For Asahi Weekly) It’s going to be a blast!
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this is the cutest post! i just wanted to tell you that i absolutely love your blog and have made it my home page since my friend made me aware of it
good luck in all your future endeavors!!
Awww, thank you Nivea!! ♥
I’m really flattered!
It looks like your tub is over-flowing o_o!! Or maybe I just can’t see right cause this computer screen is crap and doesn’t put out colors and pixels as well as the one I have at home… XD
Well, either way, I’ve never tried any of these from Japan. But now I totally want to try them because of you!! n______n// Lol Another thing to add to my Japan shopping list! Eeep it’s getting loooonng~
This shampoo works great for dry hair? I died my hair for quite a few years and the tips are damaged, also I straighten it with an iron every day, so that probably helps. I have a shampoo from Japan that has similar bottles but they’re pink and it’s from Essentials (company). It worked at making my hair suuuuper soft and shiny for a few months, but now my hair’s back to their normal feeling damaged state….
Maybe I can find your shampoo online and order it to try it out!
Hahaaa.. yeah, I forgot about it, since it takes a long time to fill up, and only remembered when the sound of the water splashing over caught my attention XD
You can get these kinds of powders everywhere, but places like Tokyu Hands and Loft have especially big selections. Those are huge chain stores, so you can find them in most major areas. =^^=
Oh yes, I used to use Essentials too! But this kind (Asience) is a LOT thicker, and does a much better job of making my hair feel less damages. I highly recommend giving it a chance if you can!
I searched on Amazon.jp and they have the shampoo here, but can’t seem to find the conditioner. If I can, I’ll let you know! The shampoo is great, but it’s the conditioner that really rocks my world!
Thanks for this post! I have yet to break in my bathtub here in Japan, but those scented water packets look right up my alley. I’ll have to pick one up for my inaugural bath.
Oh, do! Let me know what kind you pick!
my favorite bath powder was one that was pudding-scented!!! i also like the ones with the little devil on it… they’re quite nice…
i’m one of the happy ones that it got colder, although it’s nowhere near 10C here, and i’m not that far from Tokyo! it’s about 20C-ish… and today’s kinda hot, maybe 26C? good luck trying to find/make a jacket!!
OMG, pudding-scented!!! I wonder if it had milk in it, too! Or maybe eggs?
I think I’ve tried the devil ones before, but I can’t remember how they were.. I’ll have to give them another chance! (heheh)
I actually meant that it dropped 10 decgrees, not that it was 10 degrees. Oh wow, that would be such a huge change– I would die XD (It was 28 degrees one day, the next day it was 18). I’m glad that it cooled off, but will definitely be a lot more glad when I find a coat! XD;; Any recommendations on styles/brands?
yeah, pudding scented!! smelled so heavenly! i got it from LOFT… in a white packet so i can’t remember the brand… >_<
style suggestions? hmm… i haven't paid too much attention to upcoming winter fashion (cuz i find it depressing when it's still hot out), but how about a nice poncho? i think they're still trending for this year… like in a dark burgundy color or something.. with fringes… that would probably work good for you too since they make some of them really long so you wouldn't have that arm-length problem!! ^_^
I have two ponchos that I love to death!! One of them is tassely and white and froofy and SO doesn’t suit me, but I love it anyways
I wore it a lot on top of my winter jacket last year and was almost not freezing cold. XD
I’d LOVE a burgundy one!! I’ll have to check out 109 soon
kawaii! Man, I’d probably fit in it no problem – 5 foot 2 inches – I was told that there are always two bathrooms in Japanese homes. one for taking a bath and the another for the toilet. It that true? I guess it’s because of the size or just the Japanese hygiene. Oh yeah, do you have the futuristic toilet? The one with all the buttons and lights (sounds too)? I tried one in the Japanese Embassy a year ago, gosh, I stayed in the washroom for about 45 minutes testing each button out!! Gotta get one of those.
oh wow! that’s so cool about the futuristic toilet! i can’t wait to go visit within the next couple of years and try one out!
Haha, my bathroom is hardly futuristic.. but it does have it’s quirks!
Yep, that’s true!! I have a little room with a toilet only in it, and the other room with the bathtub (the whole room is tiled, so I can splash as much as I want, and there’s a shower nozzle too, so usually I actually take showers
) I’m not sure why, to be honest, but you’ve made me curious, and now I want to find out! I’ll start asking around, and maybe see if there is a book or something explaining it 
I don’t have a futuristic toilet, but I sooooooooooooooooooooo want one! I plan to make a post about those sometime soon. I just need to find a good example and take pictures of it.
I know of a few in the city that would be great– I’ll try to take them this weekend!
Cute little tub. I’m sure my wife would love to try one (I hope she’ll join me on my next trip to Japan). The detail about the faucet reminded me of my friends’ place in Shimoda. In the toilet, when you flush, the water comes from the top first, so you can wash your hands before it goes in the tank! Nice way of saving water.
LOL! Hey, my toilet is the same kind! The water comes out of the top from a little faucet. Definitely good for saving water, but I almost always go and use the faucet in my kitchen instead XD
I’ll post a picture of it soon!