We had just finished an amazing dinner with friends at a restaurant perched atop a scenic gorge in the mountains along the Ariake sea in Saga Prefecture in Japan. As we headed to the car, I swung into the restroom to make a pit stop. I had downed three Kirin Free beers with dinner (sadly, the free referred to the absence of alcohol not the price) and we had a lengthy car ride ahead of us.
The restroom was not uncommon among older Japanese restaurants. However, it was the type of bathroom that, throughout my years in Japan, I never ceased to be surprised by. It was unisex. That wasn’t the surprising part. The stall had a door that locked so privacy there was assured. The thing that baffled my American brain was, “why is the urinal between the bathroom door and the stall?”
Anyone could enter at any time. If there had been a lock on the door, it wouldn’t have seemed so strange. But, there was no lock, leaving me to wonder when another patron, perhaps female, was going to burst in to find a blonde haired foreigner standing there with his pants unzipped.
In that type of restroom, I always found myself wriggling just a little closer to the urinal for the sake of modesty. Doing this bummed me out because, inevitably, the floor was wet. I like to think that it was from the humidity but knowing men, it was not.
I inched closer with my mid and upper body, while at the same time trying to keep my feet out of the puddles, I noticed a handwritten sign taped to the top of the urinal.
It said: 一歩前! (Ippo-mae)
Translated: One step forward!
I had to wonder if the step forward was for modesty’s sake or to keep the floor dry. On a few other occasions, I have seen the same sign in different places and have come to understand that it was not modesty that inspired it. It was cleanliness.
Over the years, I have told the story to many laughs. A little to my surprise, with each telling, I find myself thinking that there is a bigger truth wrapped up in those simple words.
The words have morphed from joke to a sometimes mantra/call to action for me.
Onestep forward…to the finish line
One step forward…toward overcoming fear
One step forward…toward my dreams
One step forward…toward tomorrow
One step forward…toward whatever I desire
And, when remembering where the advice came from, there is the added incentive to step slowly and look where I am about to place my foot.
The restroom was not uncommon among older Japanese restaurants. However, it was the type of bathroom that, throughout my years in Japan, I never ceased to be surprised by. It was unisex. That wasn’t the surprising part. The stall had a door that locked so privacy there was assured. The thing that baffled my American brain was, “why is the urinal between the bathroom door and the stall?”
Anyone could enter at any time. If there had been a lock on the door, it wouldn’t have seemed so strange. But, there was no lock, leaving me to wonder when another patron, perhaps female, was going to burst in to find a blonde haired foreigner standing there with his pants unzipped.
In that type of restroom, I always found myself wriggling just a little closer to the urinal for the sake of modesty. Doing this bummed me out because, inevitably, the floor was wet. I like to think that it was from the humidity but knowing men, it was not.
I inched closer with my mid and upper body, while at the same time trying to keep my feet out of the puddles, I noticed a handwritten sign taped to the top of the urinal.
It said: 一歩前! (Ippo-mae)
Translated: One step forward!
I had to wonder if the step forward was for modesty’s sake or to keep the floor dry. On a few other occasions, I have seen the same sign in different places and have come to understand that it was not modesty that inspired it. It was cleanliness.
Over the years, I have told the story to many laughs. A little to my surprise, with each telling, I find myself thinking that there is a bigger truth wrapped up in those simple words.
The words have morphed from joke to a sometimes mantra/call to action for me.
Onestep forward…to the finish line
One step forward…toward overcoming fear
One step forward…toward my dreams
One step forward…toward tomorrow
One step forward…toward whatever I desire
And, when remembering where the advice came from, there is the added incentive to step slowly and look where I am about to place my foot.
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