They also have a dog, a golden retriever named Baru. It took me a while to find out this was how they say Ball, as in what he looked like when he was born. Baru likes car rides, having conversations with the dogs next door, and morning monologues when he wants to go for a walk. He also loves eating tofu and licking my knee for some reason. Don’t ask me why; my host mom thinks he likes the taste of my sweat but he also licks my knee through whatever pants I wear.

My homestay is nestled in a nice neighborhood out in western Kyoto; coming home I can see the mountains to the west. The houses are nice but close together, so with my windows open I can hear every word said next door or keep tabs on the Tigers (no, not the Detroit Tigers).

I discovered the true center of Japanese technical dominance. It’s not cars, or robots, or electronics, or even Pokemon. It’s the bathroom. Granted, Japan is also home to many of the famous and much-reviled “squat” Japanese-style toilets. Let’s ignore those. Private bathrooms tend to have the nice Western toilets we’re all used to, except with a few embellishments.

Seat heaters to start with. Then the bidet – a little jet to wash your undercarriage, usually complete with a blow drier. (Personally I don’t really want water or hot air shooting up my butt but I suppose it’s a matter of personal preference.) Usually the jets and drier have several different modes you can choose from, though I haven’t really explored this. Then there are toilets that play music or the radio while you’re on the can, or measure your blood pressure or body temperature or dietary habits by analyzing, well, let’s not get into details. All of this is controlled by an array of buttons (including one for flush, which took a while to decipher in Japanese) and indicated by a set of lights on the toilet.

My host family’s downstairs toilet even has a remote control for some reason. The toilet beeps when you flush it. A gadget lover’s paradise.