Toilets in Japan
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| Mine first: I have a fairly American-like toilet, but not quite. You can turn the handle towards you for "no. 1" or turn it away for "no. 2". One direction uses only a little water for the flush, while the other really clears things out with a good flood. The handle is even marked with arrows and the kanji symbols for "small" and "big". Other than that, a neat design feature is that when you flush, the (clean) water that refills the top tank of the toilet runs out of a spout and into a drain/sink in the top of the tank (see picture). This lets you give your hands a quick rinsing off without wasting water or having to go to the sink. Pretty simple idea really. |
my toilet |
Yuki's next: I was at Yuki's house for dinner and went to the restroom. WOW! It was like walking into Captain Kirk's bathroom. The toilet has the sink thingy on the top, but it also has a remote control and a fancy seat. It will wash your backside and then somehow blow dry it for you, too. I not sure what all else goes on, but I think the seat is heated, as well. Now the funny thing is that when I say remote control, I mean remote control. It actually comes off the wall if you want and you can flush from another room. Why you'd want to do that I'll let you ponder on. Yuki doesn't have a cool animal-print toilet paper holder like I do though. |
Yuki's toilet |
Yuki's remote |
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Everywhere else now: Those were two examples of what they call "Western-style toilets" and if you come here, make sure that you find a hotel that has them. Otherwise you get a "squatter", which is the "real" Japanese toilet. You see the picture, so there's not much to tell about the toilet itself. How exactly you use one is up to you. Notice it is actually even with floor and not particularly deep. There are no handles to hold on to, and you certainly don't want your hands or clothes touching all over the floor, so it can be a real feat of coordination trying to use one. "Squatter" is a good name. They're found at City Hall, all schools have them, most public restrooms have them, and many apartments have them, as do many homes. Like I said, these are the standards here. Odd. |
The squatter at City Hall |
