Toilet Time

When people think of Japan, they think of Bullet Trains, advanced mobile phones, quality cars, and cutting edge flat screen TVs. Of course, all these products are amazing and worthy of the praise heaped upon them. However, when people visit Japan for the first time, the biggest impression for many is that of the modern Japanese toilet. Japan is unrivalled in the field of toilet technology. Even Madonna recently stated that one of the things she likes most about Japan is the heated toilet seats. For a fuller history of the Japanese toilet, please click on this link.

Traditional Japanese toilets are little more than holes in the ground. However, over the past few decades, Western style toilets have become more and more common and are replacing their Japanese counterparts. As with most things adopted from the West, Japan has reinvented the Western toilet and tailored it to their own needs.

I must admit that I was initially taken aback by the complexity of the Japanised Western style toilet. Our current model has a wall mounted control unit with 18 different buttons which covers the basic range of toilet functions, from bidet to blow drying. If you are really feeling ambitious, you can open the control panel cover to access the other buttons, bringing the number of buttons to use up to 33. It goes without saying that the toilet opens, closes, and flushes automatically using inbuilt sensors.

Toilets made by Toto, the largest Japanese toilet manufacturer, have recently been in the news for catching fire. However, you'll be glad to know that my buttocks are unburnt and I am in no need of a trip to the plastic surgeon.

Recent developments in the world of Japanese toilets include memory card slots that enable you to play your favourite music whilst going about your business. Anyway, for those readers in the US and Europe, don't be surprised to find yourself sitting on a Toto toilet soon as they have ambitious plans to explore new markets.