I just spent two weeks in Tokyo, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture. Loved the onsen in Shimoda! I was shocked to discover that Japan still does not provide soap in the toilets!
I have been to Japan many, many times and am always so amazed by how clean and unlittered it is. But no soap in the bathrooms is like being in a third-world country — not the world's third-largest economy. With the Olympics in 2020, Japan needs to enter the 21st century. Science has proven that water does not get rid of germs — hands must be washed with soap.
The opinions expressed in this letter to the editor are the writer's own and do not necessarily reflect the policies of The Japan Times.