How to Use a Japanese Washing Machine

Washing your clothes is a pretty important, basic skill, one that you might often take for granted.  Honestly, wouldn’t it suck so bad to have to wear dirty clothes all the time?  Eventually the smells from your clothing’s everyday use would get so bad that you’d offend everyone around you.  You’d be ousted from social events: no friends, no family, no girlfriends, no boyfriends.  You’d end up becoming a hermit living in a far-off, dark cavern somewhere.  I’m pretty sure most people don’t want that.  So I think having clean clothes is essential.  But what if you can’t make heads or tails of the washing machine you’re trying to use?

Being in Japan it’s more than highly likely that your washing machine will be written in kanji and hiragana.    Using appliances in Japan doesn’t require you to read one lick of kanji.  Think about similarities first.  How is this machine similar to my machine back home?  It may not be surprising, but the washing machines are really all that different from country to country.  Use those similarities to your advantage and you’ll get by just fine.  Just remember there are foreigners who do it everyday, ones who don’t know any more Japanese than you do.

However, if you’re really concerned about it, not to worry, I decided to make a short video to show you exactly what to do.  My washing machine is just one of maybe thousands of models, but if you know the basic concepts, you’ll be able to get the job done.

Happy washing!

Donald Ash