Japan's toilets are fabled around the world. These seemingly high-tech contraptions are experienced with wonder and awe by visitors, and desired by admirers from afar.
I'm referring to the most common and conventional toilets that have all the bells and whistles. The ones that people go 'ooooh' when experiencing for the first time. As a side note there are two other types of toilets you will encounter in Japan - Urinals and the old fashioned squat toilets.
I am not a fan
Most people would think 'what's not to like?' and that may be the case for many - particularly ladies as most of my gripes are specific to being a man and having man habits.
Let's break these mystical toilets down by their features, and I'll tell you the pro's and con's.
Auto opening Lid
When you enter the room, the toilet invitingly opens it's lid for you. Great because you don't have to touch the lid and you can sit straight down (if you are planning on sitting), otherwise the console has controls for it anyway. The lid doesn't close automatically though.
As a guy, if I need to pee, I still have to press a button on the console to lift the seat. It's not a fast process. If you charge into the bathroom because you really need to go and you accidentally hit the wrong button and inadvertently close the lid instead, you have to wait an age for the lid to finish closing and then both lid and seat to reopen. I could sit to pee I suppose, but I'll get onto the issues with that (along with standing to pee) later on.
Verdict - Dubious in it's usefulness. Nice if you are only ever sitting, annoying if you are often standing.
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| Japanese toilet rooms |
Heated Seat
Sitting on a freezing cold toilet seat in the depths of winter isn't the most pleasant thing, So a heated seat that takes the chill off is a nice quality of life improvement.
On the other hand, if I sit on a warm toilet seat I cannot but think that the toilet had a very recent occupant who was stationed there for quite some time, and I don't know about you, but that grosses me out a little.
Verdict - Great if you don't associate the warmth with someone else recently taking a long dump.
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| Japanese toilet bowl shape |
Bowl Shape
The actual bowl is shaped different to what I am used to. The bowl is basically a big shallow shelf with a tiny deep section as opposed to just a deep bowl with a decent amount of water in.
My research has found they are shaped like this for a few reasons. Firstly, to accommodate the bidet nozzles and so that the spray doesn't hit and splash in standing water. Secondly, the part filled with water is small for water usage efficiency to use less water per flush. And thirdly, to prevent splashback that you may have experienced when dropping the kids off at the pool in a western style toilet.
Once again the issue with this is when standing to pee. You have to aim into the pool of water which is noisy. If you aim at the bowl sides to keep the noise down like you would in a western toilet there is a good chance pee will be splashed back at you. I learned this pretty quickly. Depending on the individual toilet there may be a sweet spot that you can aim for.
The solution to the above is of course for guys to sit down to pee. In fact, many non-gendered toilets in small restaurants and the like will have a sign telling guys to sit down. My problem with sitting down though, is if the shelf is very shallow - like it is on the new toilet the in-laws just has installed, then my Johnson actually sits on and touches the shelf which is a bit gross, and certainly not something I want at a public toilet.
Verdict - The shape is necessary for the Bidets, but would just prefer a deeper bowl shape for all other reasons.
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| Japanese toilet control panel |
Bidet
OK this is actually the best feature and I don't even use it much.
Do you remember Covid when everyone was panic buying toilet paper? Well with a bidet you don't need quite as much - you'll be dripping wet though so you'll use paper to dry yourself but at least you won't be irritating your skin by overzealous cleaning. Some toilets even have a blow dryer inside that helps.
The majority of the buttons on the Toilet's control panel are for the bidet. Options can vary but most will allow you to choose either a front or back wash, and to be able to adjust the water power. The front and back options are usually clearly depicted by the pictures on the buttons - to use simply press the one you need. Then press the + or - buttons to adjust the power if needed and then when finished press the stop button, the one often with a red square pictured on it.
Verdict - Even if you don't think you would use it, it's one of those things that it's far better to have and not need than the reverse. You will end up using it, and thinking westerners are barbarians for not having them.
Auto flush
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| Cistern wash basin |
Sink on top
Having a little sink on top of the cistern that has water coming out of a tap whenever you flush is one of those things that nearly everyone who has never seen before has the same thought: 'why don't we have that in XYZ country?'
It seems like a good idea. It's using water that is going to be used anyway to fill up the cistern for the next flush, so it's doing no harm.
It's just not doing a lot of good either. Imagine the scene: You have just finished your business and you stand up. The auto flush kicks in and starts the flush whilst you are still pulling your pants up. You turn around to rinse your hands under the little tap - but the seat/lid is kind of in the way so you have to hit the button to close it and wait. The flush is almost finished and even if there was somewhere for there to be a soap dispenser, there is no way you have the time to get some soap and rinse it off properly. At best you can get your fingers wet and accidentally splash some water on the floor that people will think is your pee. If you maintain even reasonable hand hygiene, you'll have to wash your hands properly elsewhere, and in the case of my in-laws house, that means an entirely different room as the toilets are like toilet stalls.
Verdict - Pointless and of no value.
Honorable mentions
These aren't really features, but things I want to rant about.
Control panel - It seems the layouts, buttons and diagrams on the controls panels are not consistent across models and brands. Some, like the ones we have at home are straightforward to use just by looking at the buttons. Others are not so - we were at the aquarium the other day and I couldn't figure out how to flush the damned thing, even after using my translate app to check all the buttons because the icons weren't obvious either. Turns out this particular model, despite having an electronic control panel with all the buttons did not have flush on it. I had to turn the little old fashioned flush handle on the toilet itself! Using a toilet shouldn't be so hard.
Slippers - If you have averagely large European sized feet (like 11 US) the slippers will be a little awkward for you in Japan. When I enter the toilets at home, I have to put on the toilet slippers to go 3 feet to the toilet. No problem if the slippers fit. Instead, I manage to shove 3 toes in so I can then awkwardly shuffle my way in. Coming out is worse. Because you want to leave the slippers facing forward for the next person, and the room is so narrow, you have to back out all the way, including when opening the door (whilst ducking so you don't smash your hand on the low door frame) so you can leave the slippers in the right place. It's all supposedly for hygiene, but the slippers get worn by everyone, even with sweaty summer bare feet, and they get washed a whole lot less than my feet so the hygiene angle, although it seems logical as to their use, in practice I am not so sure.
Lights - It's very common in older Japanese homes to have the light switches for the toilet outside of the room. A google search on this suggests it's more convenient that you are not entering a dark room, and also for electrical safety (that argument disappears once you install an electronic toilet in there). I find it very inconvenient, particular when it's not right outside the door, and on a panel of a few switches where they are not in any logical position in relation to each other. It's also far too easy to leave the light on - you come out of the toilet, and before you get to the light switch a few meters away someone talks to you or the phone rings and off you go before you've turned out the light - and because you've already left the room and shut the door it's not immediately apparent that you have done so.
Also it's a great prank for children to turn off the light when they know you are in the toilet and there is nothing you can do about it.
In closing
Despite my ranting I hope you have learned something about Japanese toilets! I am now firmly in the camp of preferring a conventional western toilet, though a bidet add-on would be nice!
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