Not everyone has an apartment big enough to fit a washing machine, let alone a dryer. Until recently, I had a crappy little washing machine and had to haul my wet clothes to the coin laundry to dry. It was a pain in the neck and often I’d get there only to find that there were no available machines. I’d have to sit around and wait for others to finish. This morning, I saw a segment on one of the morning shows which I thought was very interesting. Sanyo has developed a system where washing machines at coin laundries acorss the country are connected to a network and people can check to see if there are available machines. I took a screen shot of the page (above) but you can check it out in real time. First go here to search for a coin laundry near you. Click on the button at the top right and choose your area from the pulldown menu, click search. A list of shops will display. Click on the button to see detailed info and scroll down to see whether there are any machines in use or not. In addition, you can get a mail alert when your washing cycle is done so you don’t have to hang around the laundry.
Great idea, but only in Japan. Leave your clothes washing around here, and they’ll be stolen. I left mine for 30 mins and came back and they were gone. Wasn’t even anything designer or worth stealing. Just my socks, jocks and tshirts general laundry load. Yes it may have been accidental, but you’d have thought if it was, when they came back for their load they return mine. I kept asking at the laundry, but my clothes never turned up. My motorbike got stolen the same week from the front of my place too. Now there is someone riding around on my bike wearing my clothes. But, I have moved on. *sob* .. FYI, there are also a heap of Japanese coin laundrys with webcams accessible over the internet. So maybe you can keep an eye on your clothes from your local manga kissa.
It’s a serious misperception that there is little theft in Japan. In fact, there is considerable theft which isn’t reported, just like your stolen clothes, because it is too insignificant to bother with.
I learned early on that people in Tokyo will steal *anything* if they feel they can get away with it, even relatively crappy items. Besides having no less than 5 bicycles stolen, I had an old black canvas bag which my husband were using to put records we bought in taken. The bag was beat up and empty so we left it in a bike basket while we went into a shop. Sure enough, someone took it.
I would never leave anything unattended anywhere in Tokyo and that includes old items that most thieves in other countries wouldn’t bother with.
As for laundry, I just hang it out to dry. I used to have a dryer but it was useless and eventually got so poor at drying that it took 4 hours to do anything.
I’m always amazed at how my rather insignificant posts quickly change to a serious discussion about Japan.
But anyways,
Dylan, too bad about your clothes and bike. Maybe it was some homeless dude and your clothes saved his life in the winter? Maybe the guy who stole your bike made a quick getaway from the mob and as a result lived to raise his two starving kids? All negatives has a positive somewhere out there :-D
Shari, you know I don’t know where the idea that Japan is a safe place came from but it is definitely perpetuated by foreigners since most Japanese I know have no illusions about the safety in this country. Having said that I feel safer here than in any other country. Except maybe Singapore.
If it would be that much safe then why is the place where I am living so much controlled with lots of cameras and door men and etc. even for a realtively cheaper place…
Something must be not so safe…
I didn’t know people steal clothes from laundry. Whatever for?
Good thing mine weren’t stolen. But then again, knowing me, I would have kicked up a fuss and demand that the occupants who shared the same washing machines and dryers surrender their cupboards to inspection if I had lost anything.
;-)