It's not just the Japanese language and culture that differs from other countries. There are thousands of everyday elements that are wildly different in Japan. Today we are going to examine something quite interesting, the toilet and toilet in Japan.
There are thousands of curiosities and differences between a Western toilet and a Japanese toilet. For starters, the toilet and bathing place are in separate places, you will rarely find a toilet along with a shower and hot tub.
And who hasn't dreamed of having a bathtub at home? Luxury item, only the rich have it. In Japan hot tub is so common, you will hardly find a home without a hot tub. That's why we didn't even talk about the toilets.
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The Japanese toilet
75% of homes in Japan has an electronic toilet. They are designed to increase comfort, privacy and cleanliness. They cost between 500$ to 5.000$, it's not expensive if you compare these simple Brazilian vases with nothing.
The Japanese vases also have 2 powerful jets, one of them is for cleaning your butt, the other called Bidet is for cleaning the front of women. It is possible to control the speed of the jet, the force of the water.
In almost every house in Japan it is possible to change the temperature of the water, even in the toilets, and of course, in the ofuro (bath). It's not just the water, even the toilet seats heat up.
Toilets also often have their own Deodorizer to purify the air. Some bathrooms also have the “Noisemaker” that creates noises or music so you can take a shit in peace, and have your privacy. They also self-clean.
The toilets also usually open and close the seat by itself, those who don't, when closing the lid it goes down slowly and pleasantly without knocking and making noise.
Toilets often have a timer used to save energy. For example, you can set your seat to be nice and warm in the morning, and cool while you're at work. Some also have a button capable of flushing your toilet automatically.
Some also install panels and remote controls to control the temperature of the bathtub and toilet in any room in the house.
There are special toilets used by doctors that are even connected to the internet to collect information… It is also worth noting that toilet paper is thrown into the toilet; there are no garbage bins in Japanese restrooms.
Baths taken in the ofuro involve a millenary culture, for this there is a small removable shower head that replaces the shower we are used to. It can be placed at different heights and used by hand.
How to use the Electronic Toilet in Japan
Using the toilet in Japan seems to be a difficult task, to help tourists and the curious, let's learn some tips so you can use the toilet in Japan safely. It is worth remembering that not all bathrooms are the same and not always electronic.
Some toilets have the controller next to the seat and in some public restrooms, they are on the nearby wall. Most toilets have the function of spraying a jet of water to wash the intimate aR34T5ea, with the buttons you can control the water temperature and its power.
Some restrooms have options to play ambient or flushing sound effects to disguise the noise...
The first thing you should do when you find a toilet is use it (obviously). Then you must decide if you want to use the traditional toilet paper or the water jet, despite being scary it is quiet.
Some bathrooms also have the option to dry after using the bidet, otherwise just use the toilet paper and throw it into the toilet and flush. There is no secret to using the Japanese toilet, the only thing that changes is that it has buttons to control and heat the water jet.
electronic toilet vocabulary
Below we will see a list of words that you will find on the buttons on the panels of these electronic toilets.
| Japanese | START | Romaji | Portuguese |
| お尻 | おしり | oshiri → butt | wash back, butt. |
| ビデ | -- | esperar | bidet. |
| やわらか | -- | yawaraka | gentler wash. |
| 止 | とまる | took | to stop. |
| 停止 | ていし | teshi | to stop. |
| 乾燥 | かんそう | kansou | dry. |
| 水勢 | すいせい | suisei | water pressure. |
| 弱 | よわい | yowai | weak. |
| 強 | つよい | tsuyoi | strong. |
| 音量 | おんりょう | onryou | volume (sound). |
| 音停止 | おとていし | ototeishi | stop sound. |
| 流す | ながす | nagasu | discharge. |
| パワー脱臭 | パワーだっしゅう | pawaa dasshuu | deodorizing power. |
Now you won't have any more problems using the Japanese toilet. Any embarrassing situation, just press the button marked in red with the symbols (止) or (■) and the jet stops. Some toilets have 2 flushing options. (大) for a large and strong flush, and (小) for a small and light flush that saves water.
Washiki Toire - Motoquinha Japanese Style Bathroom
For a tourist to travel to a country on the other side of the world is already a great adventure. You will surely see new things and have new experiences, so just imagine you arriving in Japan and going to the bathroom to do your business, and right away seeing a hole in the ground? There are similar toilets in some places in Brazil, which consist of just a hole, but the ones in Japan go even further as you can see in the photo.
It may seem strange and funny, because I think everyone expects to find those High Tech toilets that open by themselves and warm up, in addition to the famous bidet. However, these traditional squat toilets are easily found in public places, train stations, and elsewhere.
It is a toilet that is located on the floor that to be used you have to squat, if you think the position is bad and are afraid of falling, rest assured because most of them have walls or a pipe next to you to support yourself. If you still do not want to use this type of bathroom, in most public places you will find the traditional toilet.
Private High Tech x Washiki
But why use the washiki toilet if you have a high tech toilet? Washiki is more hygienic as you don't have to touch the toilet, while the purpose of the High Tech toilet is more comfort.
In homes, it is not common to find a washiki-style toilet, and many public places are replacing these hole toilets with regular ones equipped with technology that allows you to clean the seat before sitting down or to put a disposable toilet seat cover on it. Apart from that, both types of Japanese toilets can have automatic flushing or different flushing levels.
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bathroom phrases
Where is the bathroom?
トイレはどこですか？ Toire wa dokodesu ka?
I'm going to the bathroom.
トイレに行きます。 toire ni ikimasu;
Are you busy.
忙しいです。 isogashīdesu;
I want to go to the bathroom.
私はトイレに行きたいです。 Watashi wa toire ni ikitaidesu;
Japanese toilet videos
To finish the article, let's leave some videos about the toilets in Japan. If you liked the article, share it and leave your comments. Thank you very much and until next time!
