My first Japanese experience

So after flying a ridiculous amount of hours and stopping in a ridiculous number of airports when we finally arrived on Japanese soil we were more than elated to say the least. My first stop was the restroom, a pretty normal occurrence. I did my business and was headed to the sink to wash up and head out to get some food when I realized I didn't know how to wash my hands. The faucet was there, the sink was there, but there was a lone button on the side of the sink that had nothing but kanji to explain itself. With no one else in the restroom to take the lead I pushed the button and waited for water. Nothing. I pushed the button again and waited for water. Nothing. Finally, a lady came out of the stall, walked up to the sink and put her hands under the faucet and water came out! That's all there is to it I guess so I followed suit. I put my hands under the faucet and got water too., how exciting! I then put my hands under the soap dispenser that was on the sink (a style I had never seen before) and no soap. So there I was again, hmmmmm... a lady nursing her daughter saw me struggling and said, "Oh, you have to push up on the bottom of the soap dispenser to get soap." Oh boy did I ever feel like an idiot at this point. Let's chalk it up to sleep deprivation?! Jason begs to differ!  I still don't know what the button on the sink is for, but it is on most sinks here in Japan. I guess I will never know.