Posted on by H&P Adventures

Spending a penny…

This subject just has to have a page of its own – Japanese toilets!!

There is the traditional Japanese toilet where you squat to do your business

But as Michelle discovered while queuing at the Shizuoka stadium even the Japanese don’t like using these and were prepared to leave the three Japanese toilets empty and wait for the one western style!
Very posh public loos!
In case you’re not a regular squatter there is proper way to use them…. squat facing away from the door, towards the toilet bowl, and if the flush is located near the floor you touch it with your foot!!
Just in case you don’t remember!!

Then there are the western style toilets which the Japanese have taken to a whole new level!

First off there is the notice to show you how to use it….

And this one came with English!
In one very posh service stop they even had an overhead electronic sign to indicate which cubicles were free, mother and baby, Japanese or Western!

Then there are the different styles…

The one with the control panel on the side
And the one with the control panel on the wall!

Now let’s have a look at those panels and all the options one has….

First of all one can be pleasantly surprised when one sits down to find that the seat is heated, then just as equally perturbed as you feel a jet of warm air and hear some water spraying below you…. The spraying water is to help clean the bowl – if you do number twos!!

If you want to avoid the embarrassment of having others hear you answer the call of this beauty allows you to play music and you can change the volume!
And when you have finished your business you can press おしり (oshiri, bum) for a jet stream of water right where it’s needed;
やわらか (yawaraka) will give you a more ‘gentle’ cleanse! For he ladies, if you’d like the front cleaned, ビデ is the one to choose – but you knew that from the picture!. やわらか (yawaraka) will give you a more ‘gentle’ cleanse. Some toilets also give you the option to make the jets of water weak 弱
or strong 弱. When you’ve finished washing or accidentally pressed the wrong button, hit abort with 止 (stop) – it’s usually red or yellow as in the this case!

Then it comes to flushing…. Some have a little lever on the side which you can move forward or backward, depending on whether you need a little flush or a full flush. Some will automatically flush themselves when you stand up or take too long to do it yourself! You might find that the flush button is on the wall!

This one came with instructions and an umbrella holder!
This one had a tap on the top that allowed you to wash your hands while it refilled the cistern! Pure genius!

Who knew you’d need a manual for a toilet?

I started this page this morning because we have been fascinated by the whole toilet experience then today I had two experiences you might chuckle at…..

Turned round to see this guy smiling at me in a laminated photograph above the cistern, creepy!

At lunch time this was the bathroom at the restaurant – just had to take a picture of it – spotlessly clean, very pretty room!

Having taken the picture I did what I had to do then turned round to flush….. No handle on the side, no button on the wall…. I pushed the button on the panel which I thought was the flush and yes, I could hear water in the loo! Just to be sure I lifted the lid to check…. Disaster!!!

The sprayer at the back of the bowl soaked me and the floor 🤣 At least I knew what the stop button looked like to stop it and then, suddenly, the toilet flushed itself and I tidied up the mess and sheepishly sidled back to our table.

11 Replies to “Spending a penny…”

  1. Ah Hazel. You crack me up!!
    Can’t believe the sophisticated Japanese only charge you a penny for these experiences.
    Should I ever visit Japan I will be cutting back on the cranberry juice that’s for sure. Couldn’t cope with that pressure. Sometimes squeezing round the door is enough.

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