Toilets

And now, a series of topics that I wrote, but was not able to post before returning home.


Okay, to be frank, the toilets in Japan are amazing. In public stalls you are give the utmost privacy and at home you’re likely to have a seat that will even wash and dry your butt for you. Plus they’re heated during the winter and that’s a luxury I wish could be carried over with me to America.

There are two types of toilets in Japan: Western style and Japanese style. Western style is most used in modern public buildings, but train stations and public parks seem to favor Japanese style. I’m not sure the hows or whys of this phenomenon, but it sure is interesting. Japanese toilets are squat toilets and basically holes in the floor.

Japanese toilet

Public Restrooms:

If you’re lucky, you can encounter a really nice restroom with heated toilet seat, buttons, and all! There’s usually a button that makes the sound of flushing to hide the tinkling sound in the girls’ bathroom (labeled “to conserve water”) along with stall walls that go from floor to ceiling to give you privacy. That’s not always the case, though. Some restrooms I’ve been to have been absolutely hideous, making my skin crawl afterward. If you’re traveling in Japan, be certain to always keep a small towel and some hand sanitizer with you at all times—the Japanese may be neat freaks, but they’re not germaphobes, so it’s usually hit or miss if there’s soap by the sink.

Floor-to-ceiling coverage

The seat is heated during the winter

Conserve water!

Home Bathrooms:

The toilet itself is in a different room completely than the bathtub and sink due to (I believe) Shinto and Buddhist taboos on purity and uncleanliness. The rooms are rather small and you need a separate pair of slippers to enter.

The slippers are super important!