Japanese washrooms have some very distinct differences from Western washrooms, as I have come to realize.
Public washrooms, for the most part, seem completely devoid of hand-drying devices. No electric hand-dryers, no paper towels, not even those awful cloth towels that loop around, eternally soiled. Nothing. Some Japanese simply use a handkerchief they keep stowed away in a jacket pocket, but most simply walk out of the restroom with wet, dripping hands. In my dormitory, I am in the habit of bringing a hand towel with me wherever I go, just in case I need to use the washroom.
I have run into the rare occasion where a public washroom has a hand-dryer. These dryers are powered by 150 hp motors, and nearly blow the skin off my palms. Sure my hands are dry, but they're also red and sore.
My first night in Japan, I stayed at the fabulous Buena Vista Hotel in Matsumoto. The toilet there was a marvelous piece of high technology. It featured three buttons, as well as a flushing handle. The first button read STOP, while the other two buttons displayed pictures dotted lines indicating on to (or into) which body part a stream of water will be squirted. I had a feeling I would have to hit that STOP button at least once. Upon lifting the lid, I noticed some badly translated instructions. All I could figure out, was that cold water would flow as soon as I sat down. I became afraid to sit down.
Not all toilets, or 'toire' in Japan are that advanced, quite the opposite. On the second floor of the dormitory (my floor) there is only one western-style toilet. The other six on the second floor are quaintly known as 'squat-holes'. These toilets are no more than porcelain holes in the floor, and I am terrified of them. As much as I want to experience Japanese culture, I refuse to use these "squat-holes".
The bathing facilities in the dorm are...interesting. My room is on the opposite side of the building as the shower room, so I must walk for about three minutes with my towel, soap and shampoo in hand down several hallways, and once through the cafeteria. The entrance to the change room is right next to the front entrance of the dorm. There is a scale in the change room that uses kilograms, and has a horribly inaccurate ideal-body weight chart. According to the chart, I have the ideal weight of a 6'5" man. For my height, I am apparently 20 lbs overweight! Once there, I strip down and enter the bathing-room. It is a humid, foggy room full of naked Japanese men sitting on little stools spraying themselves with water. In the middle of the room is a large hot tub, and everyone goes at the same time. I try to avoid the tub whenever possible.
All in all, the washrooms in Japan, while the same in essence as Western ones, have some differences for which I was not prepared. One thing I am thankful for: the "1976-design Hello Kitty Toilet Paper" sure is soft.