Let’s Play “Which Button Do I Press?”

Question 1: Which button do I press to dispense hot water?

A Japanese hotel room is an oasis from the complexity of navigating Japan. I can kick back, have a nice cup of tea, and calmly plan my next adventures.

Or can I?

Most Japanese hotel rooms have buttons you need to press to complete normal activities like making a cup of tea or flushing the toilet.

You decide which button you would press for each of the questions in this post. You’ll find my answers at the end.

Question 2: Which button do I press to flush after “number 2”?

Question 3: Which button do I press to cancel the alarm?

Question 4: In Japan, 0 usually gets an outside line. Which button do I press?

Question 5: Which button do I press to turn on the television?

My Answers

Question 1: Which button do I press to dispense hot water?

If you answered “the circular black button” you are only partially correct. This is a trick question. 

I struggled with this one in a hotel room on Rishiri Island, off Northern Hokkaido. I had just woken up, so my brain may not have been firing on all cylinders. I first pressed the big black button, but nothing happened. I then pressed every button, one at-a-time, but the hot water dispenser just refused to dispense hot water.

I was ready to open the lid, and scoop out hot water with a teacup.

Then, in desperation, I resorted to the Google Translate app on my smartphone.

It turns out you have to first press the smaller button to the left of the big black button. This smaller button toggles a lock on and off. After pressing the smaller button, you have a few seconds to press the big black button to dispense hot water.

Ah, the calming effect of a nice cup of green tea.

The “citric acid” button is for descaling. The “reboil” button brings the hot water up to boiling temperature before allowing the water to cool to 90° Celsius, generally the optimum temperature for green tea.

Question 2: Which button do I press to flush after “number 2”?

Trick question: you really don’t need to press any button to flush after “number 2.” You simply stand up, and the toilet flushes for you.

There is no flush handle on the toilet itself. If you do want to flush manually, there are three buttons on top of the control panel that initiate flushes with varying degrees of thoroughness.

The system in my hotel room in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, knows you performed “number 2” because you had used the bidet function prior to standing up. Nearly every toilet in Japan has a bidet.

Some toilets know you performed “number 1” while standing, and flush appropriately. This one was not that smart.

Question 3: Which button do I press to cancel the alarm?

This is a trick question: I don’t.

Although the alarm is a good example of minimal, intuitive design, I don’t trust myself to set it correctly to wake me up for an early morning flight. I set the alarm on my smartphone.

Question 4: In Japan, 0 usually gets an outside line. Which button do I press?

This is another trick question: of course I don’t press any button, I have to turn the dial.

I was surprised to see an old-fashioned phone in my hotel room in Asahidake Onsen, Hokkaido. Most people have only seen pictures of dial phones, and probably have no idea why we talk about “dialing” numbers on smartphones.

Question 5: Which button do I press to turn on the television?

This is yet another trick question: I don’t.

As usual, on my recent trip to Hokkaido I never did turn on a television. I’m a “radio person” and was perfectly happy with streaming Minnesota Public Radio whenever I felt a need for a bit of home.

Note: I took all photographs in this post on my recent trip to Hokkaido, Japan.