A Turbulent Year for the Hand Drier

It’s funny how a silly insignificant thing like a bathroom hand drier can symbolize the year’s events, but after the year we’ve all experienced it shouldn’t be too out of the ordinary. Over the last year Capitalism took us on a roller coaster, Wall Street put our retirement funds through the spin cycle, we’ve been facing a global pandemic scare, and the U of M football team had a losing season. (Sadly, UM’s season might be the most disheartening of the bunch…)

In all of that, the hand drier in my office bathroom has served a vital role in reminding me of the topsy-turvy nature of today’s problems.

Last Fall as the recession loomed near, our company here in Japan took aggressive cost-cutting actions leaving no stone unturned. Even the hand drier’s fell victim to the cost cutting as their power was soon cut. A few cents here, a few cents there…it had been the nature of the reaction to the recession. No matter how insignificant, save a penny…errrr…Yen anywhere possible.

After nearly ten months of using my pants as a towel, things have recently changed. Thanks to the H5N1 influenza the power to the driers is back on. The old dusty plastic bags have been removed and the driers are plugged back in. There are now signs reminding and encouraging everyone to wash their hands thoroughly for 30 seconds before drying them with the word インフルエンザ , or INFLUENZA, written in bold-faced print in the middle of the sign.

I think I’ll continue using my pants as I’ve now learned those driers aren’t all that helpful or necessary, but it also begs the question, ‘I wonder if turning the power back on will somehow re-boot the UM football team this year?’