When you gotta go, you gotta go...

After living in Japan for almost half a year, there isn't much that surprises me anymore- well, maybe I should say there isn't much that shocks me. But today, I was jaw-droppingly (not a word, but an accurate description) shocked. I was waiting by the park near my house for a friend to pick me up for dinner. She had gotten lost, so I was waiting for about 15 minutes. There are a few really small (like 5 chairs!) restaurants across the street from the park and there were a few people milling around the restaurants- smoking, going to their car, talking on their phone... Anyways, this old man comes out from one restaurant as I look up from my phone (I was sending someone a text message). When I looked back down at my phone, I heard water start running. "Hmm...where could that be coming from?" I thought. So I look up, and not 5 yards in front of me, on the other side of the small street, the old man is peeing!!! He had his back facing me, and it was really dark outside, but I knew that's what he was doing!!! I think I must have stared in disbelief at the back of his head until he finished. After he finished his business he just walked back into the restaurant while I continued to look on in disbelief. It was one of those moments when you are so shocked that you need to verbally express your disbelief, but I was alone, so I just had to stand there and make sure I had really seen what I just saw. And then he was gone, disappeared into the restaurant, and the street went back to normal. I asked my friend if it's common to go to the bathroom on the street in Japan, and she said not really, but some people do it. I guess it saves the restaurant from the hassle of cleaning a bathroom if they just send their patrons outside to relieve themselves...