Japan, A View from the Bath

Acknowledgments

vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The list of people to whom I owe thanks for making this book possible is too long to include here and I would inevitably miss a few who deserve to be on it. Nevertheless, I must thank my wife, Mizue, and our children for their patience, support, and understanding while I was doing the research and writing. A special thanks is also necessary to Mieko Funakoshi, Toshiaki and Hisako Handa, Iwao and Nobuko Hidaka, Hiroko Saiki, Koji and Yoshiko Naribayashi, Masaharu Igashima, Sachiko Nangu, the Kao Corporation , and Toto Corporation's Aqua Library. Finally I want to thank all of those wonderful people who graciously gave of their time to answer my questions. Those men and women with whom I shared so many wonderful baths, experiences, and hours of conversation about bathing have become special friends. ...