One of the famous fables of Japan is the toilets. I've received many requests to outline this amazing phenomenon.
Toilets are one of those things that you thought could never get upgraded. Leonardo's idea of a toilet is pretty much the same thing as it is today. But in Japan they have gone much further. We've heard stories of singing toilets or heated toilets and I'm here to tell you that ITS ALL TRUE. In the Simpsons, they even had a toilet that thanked you for your...whatever.
Up until the end of WWII the Japanese used the hole in the floor concept for their toilet system. I personally have standards so I will wait until I find some kind of alternative. However girls usually don't have that kind of luxury. The balancing act that you need to pull this off takes practice. And to be honest, I would rather avoid the possible mess that can happen. In most places, today, you will find a western style toilet.
As you saw in my video from a few days ago, the Japanese, like Europeans, s
eparate the toilet from the shower/bathroom. It would be more accurate to call it a Water Closet. Inside the first thing you will see are a pair of slippers. Usually made of a rubber material, they are toilet slippers. My guess is so that your feet don't get cold on the tile floor or some have told me its to avoid slipping on some water that may have splashed out of the bowl. Now, I've never seen any water on the floor but you never know. Maybe it's so that any questionable excrement that may be on the toilet floor is simply not tracked through the house.
Now, on the toilet itself, there is a sink. This sink has no taps on it. When you flush the toilet the water starts to to fill the toilet tank and you can wash your hands with it. At first, I did find it a little strange but if you think about it, it totally removes the need of putting in a sink in the room and saves space. We put a little soap dispenser near the sink and there you go.
On a side note, in Europe they have the big button and little button. I once had to explain it to someone so I'll expla
in it here. The big button is for big toilet experiences and the little button is for little toilet experiences, thus regulating the amount of water being spent. In Japan they have the same idea. They use the Kanji 大 for big and 小 for small. I have no idea why we don't have this in Canada.
Unfortunately, in our new place our toilet has not been upgraded to any of the modern conveniences. In our last place, the toilet seat could be adjusted up to 40°C. That was nice in the winter. If anyone wants to start a business with me selling these things to Canadians let me know. But this is nothing compared to some of the newer models. In Japan you have to buy toilet seats in electronic stores.
Now for some higher levels.
This first toilet is the first kind of basic upgrade to the heated toilet.
The options that this one offers is not only heated seat but cleansing. Cleansing means that when you press the button that looks like a little bum, a nozzle comes out from the back of the bowl and gives it a little shower. Now the stream is very exact and leaves you with a very fresh feeling. I think the idea freaks some people out but I personally hate the..not fresh feeling that one can get after a...you get the idea. Sometimes no further wiping is required. The lights on the side are for the options of energy saver, heated seat, heated water, and cleaning the nozzle.
This next toilet is one of the first series of upgrades to the standard one shown above. Rather than having the remote on the toilet, it's on the wall for better control of the options and deeper contemplation of what you want. This one offers a control for the intensity of the water cleaning you. One of the buttons is to clean your bum and the other is for bidet, which cleans the whole general area. Some toilets come with a drying option.
Other options vary dramatically. Some play music to cover the sound of anything you may do, others have proximity sensors that lift the seat cover when you approach.
Ones with deodorizers are cool because they spray just a little bit of something that smells nice on your bum. Also, the latest models store the times when the toilet is used and have a power-saving mode that warms the toilet seat only during times when the toilet is likely to be used based on historic usage patterns. Some toilets also glow in the dark or may even have air conditioning below the rim for hot summer days.
On the news recently, they announced a new toilet with sensors in it to assess the quality of your urine based on blood sugar and other levels. Overall, toilet seats can run from $100 to $800.
Now these are not the only toilets I've seen in the world that were special. Last summer, I was in Switzerland in a place called St. Gallen and at the train station I found this.
Up until the end of WWII the Japanese used the hole in the floor concept for their toilet system. I personally have standards so I will wait until I find some kind of alternative. However girls usually don't have that kind of luxury. The balancing act that you need to pull this off takes practice. And to be honest, I would rather avoid the possible mess that can happen. In most places, today, you will find a western style toilet.
As you saw in my video from a few days ago, the Japanese, like Europeans, s
eparate the toilet from the shower/bathroom. It would be more accurate to call it a Water Closet. Inside the first thing you will see are a pair of slippers. Usually made of a rubber material, they are toilet slippers. My guess is so that your feet don't get cold on the tile floor or some have told me its to avoid slipping on some water that may have splashed out of the bowl. Now, I've never seen any water on the floor but you never know. Maybe it's so that any questionable excrement that may be on the toilet floor is simply not tracked through the house.
Now, on the toilet itself, there is a sink. This sink has no taps on it. When you flush the toilet the water starts to to fill the toilet tank and you can wash your hands with it. At first, I did find it a little strange but if you think about it, it totally removes the need of putting in a sink in the room and saves space. We put a little soap dispenser near the sink and there you go.On a side note, in Europe they have the big button and little button. I once had to explain it to someone so I'll expla
in it here. The big button is for big toilet experiences and the little button is for little toilet experiences, thus regulating the amount of water being spent. In Japan they have the same idea. They use the Kanji 大 for big and 小 for small. I have no idea why we don't have this in Canada.Unfortunately, in our new place our toilet has not been upgraded to any of the modern conveniences. In our last place, the toilet seat could be adjusted up to 40°C. That was nice in the winter. If anyone wants to start a business with me selling these things to Canadians let me know. But this is nothing compared to some of the newer models. In Japan you have to buy toilet seats in electronic stores.
Now for some higher levels.This first toilet is the first kind of basic upgrade to the heated toilet.
The options that this one offers is not only heated seat but cleansing. Cleansing means that when you press the button that looks like a little bum, a nozzle comes out from the back of the bowl and gives it a little shower. Now the stream is very exact and leaves you with a very fresh feeling. I think the idea freaks some people out but I personally hate the..not fresh feeling that one can get after a...you get the idea. Sometimes no further wiping is required. The lights on the side are for the options of energy saver, heated seat, heated water, and cleaning the nozzle.
This next toilet is one of the first series of upgrades to the standard one shown above. Rather than having the remote on the toilet, it's on the wall for better control of the options and deeper contemplation of what you want. This one offers a control for the intensity of the water cleaning you. One of the buttons is to clean your bum and the other is for bidet, which cleans the whole general area. Some toilets come with a drying option.
Other options vary dramatically. Some play music to cover the sound of anything you may do, others have proximity sensors that lift the seat cover when you approach.
Ones with deodorizers are cool because they spray just a little bit of something that smells nice on your bum. Also, the latest models store the times when the toilet is used and have a power-saving mode that warms the toilet seat only during times when the toilet is likely to be used based on historic usage patterns. Some toilets also glow in the dark or may even have air conditioning below the rim for hot summer days.On the news recently, they announced a new toilet with sensors in it to assess the quality of your urine based on blood sugar and other levels. Overall, toilet seats can run from $100 to $800.
Now these are not the only toilets I've seen in the world that were special. Last summer, I was in Switzerland in a place called St. Gallen and at the train station I found this.
A true toilet story Mike, I approve. I have no idea why we don't have the number one and number two options on our toilets seems like common practice in the rest of the world. Although The Japanese have taken the toilet experience to next level...buying toilet seats in electronic stores? Japanese people should travel to rural Russian where you basically crap into a hole in the ground and there are feces EVERYWHERE.
ReplyDeleteEugenia