It was my first time too. I was looking after the kids and saw that I could book a nice hotel for the three of us for just ¥9000. It felt like such a steal compared to Tokyo hotels.

Yeah you’re right. Maybe posting that sign was misleading. It’s just not uncommon for me to see people giving themselves a couple of splashes before entering and then wash themselves after.

Yeah, that’s what it says. But in practice I don’t think splashing hot water on yourself does anything to actually get yourself clean. Like if it did, why wash yourself with soap after soaking?

Interesting. I guess I’ve never really viewed myself as part of the “white person” group which is why I had the reaction to it. Like obviously I am white, but it isn’t part of my identity to the same way being non-Japanese is.

Wow the timing of that sucks. Sorry to hear about it.

Ex 2. We're working with an agent to represent us, and noticed a property for sale that might meet our needs. We asked our agent to get in contact with the other agent, who was acting as an exclusive agent for the seller. That agent refused to let our agent represent us, which is illegal.

I felt that both the other seller's agent and buyer's agent acted unethically by pushing it through without that check, given the possibility of dementia, especially as her children had been driving the sale.

However, the seller's agent didn’t mark the property as "under negotiation," allowing another buyer to make an identical offer without the mental capacity requirement. The seller chose that offer.

Ex 1. I submitted a offer for a property including a condition on obtaining certification from a judicial scrivener confirming that the 90-year-old owner still had the mental capacity to enter into a contract. This was to prevent the sale from being reversed if she was later found to be impaired.