Did you know that the Japanese have a certain obsession with bathrooms? Yes, we can see anime with shit, god of the bathroom, golden shit standing out in a Tokyo building and much more. In this article, we'll get to know the shit culture in Japan [unko].
Crap, poop or feces in Japanese is called unko [うんこ], which can also be used to refer to some crap, junk or garbage. A literal word for referring to solid feces, which appear in an unimaginable way somewhere in Japanese culture.
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Unko - Feces in Japan
The Japanese poop is called unko because un is the sound of force when pooping. Also, ko [子] is used as a diminutive. Another word used for feces is daiben [大便] which also means excrement and shit.
In Portuguese, we have the habit of saying bosta and merda to talk about something bad, in Japan, words like kuzo [糞] are used, but rarely does this word refer literally to shit, feces, or excrement. The word to defecate is kusomaru [糞放る].
In Japan, feces are represented in a spiral shape, since it is very common to find motoquinha-style toilets (those with a hole in the ground where one squats), so the expected shape of Japanese feces is really a spiral.
There is a company called UNCO that makes quality clothes, but after a while it started making poop-related products. We can find items such as t-shirts, socks, sneakers with poop marks and crap characters.
What do you think about plushies of the poop emoji? Or better yet, what do you think about eating curry on a plate that looks like a toilet? These are some of the unusual things that can only be found in Japan.
Kin no Unko - Good luck shit
In Japan, there is the "good luck poop" known as kin no unko [金のうんこ]. This golden poop has become a local icon simply because its sound 'un' at the beginning of the word unko corresponds to the sound 'un' of the Japanese word for luck [運].
This golden turd has become so popular that in 2006 an estimated 2.7 million cell phone keychains similar to golden poop were sold. One of the main companies behind the gold turd is Kyoto's Ryukodo.
Koji Fujii, president of the company, came up with the idea to manufacture turds in late 1999. Due to Japan's economic recession and depressed national climate. Koji wanted to offer an inexpensive product that would make people smile. So he got the idea from the toilet.
Some of the kin no unko are made from real porcelain and plated with 24-karat gold. A mini poop keychain can start at 105 yen, while a giant poop on a silky red cloth costs at least 2,100 yen.
The products went viral in 200 when high school girls on school trips started buying them as souvenirs. The kids started a successful product boom, with news coverage from across the country.
In the game The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, we can find a item known as Hestu's Gift, which resembles a Kin no unko. It is unknown whether it's a joke, since to receive this gift, you have to collect all the korok seeds.
Some argue, with fairly believable reasoning, that this is where the ubiquitous and enigmatic smiling poop emoji [?] came from in 2014, constantly used and affectionately called unchi by the Japanese.
Asahi Beer Hall - The poop building
In Sumida, Tokyo, there is a building that stands out called Asahi Beer Hall, but also nicknamed Kin no Unko for its resemblance to poop. Sometimes the structure is also called unko-biru which means poop building.
Of course, this was not the original purpose of the building, since Asahi is one of the most popular beers in Japan. The project was designed by a French designer named Philippe Starck and was completed in 1989.
The building's shape is that of a beer glass, designed to complement the neighboring golden beer mug-shaped building that houses the Asahi Breweries offices. It is considered one of the most recognizable modern structures in Tokyo.
The golden structure on top of the Asahi building represents the burning heart of Asahi beer, and a frothy head. The golden flame weighs 360 tons and was built using ships and underwater construction techniques.
the god of privates
There are more gods in Shintoism than can be counted, and they reside almost everywhere. Feces are also not excluded. There are some japanese gods that have strong connections with the bathroom.
Until recently, it was common to worship deities collectively known as benjo-gami (particular gods), placing religious figures in or under the toilet. Others buried divine figures under the bathroom.
In more traditional times, Japanese farms used to collect human waste to use as fertilizer. From this daily occurrence, the local belief in the bathroom god emerged, also known as kawaya kami.
Because of its agricultural properties, the kawaya kami also played a big role in promoting fertilization. Every new year, rituals were performed, asking the kawaya kami for help in producing a good harvest for the coming year.
In the ritual, rice was eaten, which symbolized something big that the god had left behind (is it faeces?). Often a bathroom was decorated and kept as clean as possible. Maybe this god is why Japanese toilets are so clean.
There are also bathroom ghosts like Hanako-san and Aka-Manto. Stories similar to the bathroom blonde where we need to perform a ritual by repeating words 3 times. When will the bizarre things stop?
Unko for kids
Learning kanji is difficult for anyone, especially young children. To try to alleviate the monotony of studying over 1,000 kanji characters, Japan created the best child-friendly teacher, Professor Unko.
This spotted moustache, using emoji-style poop, was such a hit that his books have sold over 1.83 million copies so far. Who knew a crap book is getting kids to learn Japanese?
To make matters worse, there is an anime called Unko San released in 2009. The anime tells the story of a fairy who can bring luck. Only this fairy is poop, all the characters are poop, even the island is shaped like shit.
Shit Museums in Japan
We're not talking about bad things, but literally shit. There is a Japanese Museum about feces inside the Himeji Literature Museum. Among other exhibits, we find “Excretory Literature”, books on poop and related subjects.
Or rather, there is permanently and literally the Bosta Museum in Tokyo and Yokohama. The museum was originally a temporary idea, but it became a permanent attraction in Odaiba. A colorful place full of feces that receives 100,000 visitors a month.
In this Museum, everything is shaped like shit or a toilet. Balloons, food, toilets with poop inside and lots of colorful and fun things for you to visit. Don't miss the chance to visit the shit museum in Japan!
Those were some fecal highlights from Japan. I hope you enjoyed the article... Thanks for the comments and shares! Finally, watch a video of the shit museum: