> Still, it doesn't have a hot water input valve.  In fact I've never seen a
> hot water input valve outside of UKland.  Why is that?  We're not renowned
> as being the 'cleanest' nation in the world - but at least our shirt
collars
> are grease-free!
>

And I never heard about a hot water input valve either...
Washing machines in the rest of Europe (German, Austria, Italy) use
electricity to heat the cold water to your desired temperature.
Having these machines in Japan will require a higher voltage than 100 volts,
and they are far too expensive here.