Japanese household bathrooms are very different from what you might find in a typical American home. They are far more multi-functional and high-tech. For example, the bathroom is divided into three sections: there's a shower/bath area and a toilet area, which are separately accessible from a sink and vanity area. Consequently, three people can use the same bathroom at the same time!
The shower and bath area is a thing of wonder. There's a deep bathtub that is heated continuously with controls that can be activated from different parts of the house. I want one of those!
In this video, a young girl shows how the different parts of the bathroom function. It's part of a series of videos in which she introduces Westerners to Japanese bedrooms, toilets, and kids' homework, among other aspects of modern Japanese life.
-via Core77
I fill-up 1gal containers all the time, it just takes longer. I set them in the sink, turn on the water, and do other things while they fill-up. It does take 2-3 times as long, but I don't do things like fill-up the sink that often, and the higher pressure spray means a lot more bubbles than normal, too. Anything huge, like a bucket, I fill-up in my bathtub now. Works nicely.