Toilets in Japan
[1] In Japan, these bidets are commonly called washlets, a brand name of Toto Ltd., and they may include many advanced features rarely seen outside of Asia.
The basic feature set commonly found on washlets consists of anal hygiene, bidet washing, seat warming, and deodorization.
Japanese has many other words for places reserved for excretory functions, including kawaya (厠) and habakari (憚り), but most are rare or archaic.
As of 2002[update], almost half of all private homes in Japan have such a toilet, exceeding the number of households with a personal computer.
The most basic feature is the integrated bidet, a nozzle the size of a pencil that comes out from underneath the toilet seat and squirts water.
[15] High-end washlets allow selection of vibrating and pulsating jets of water, claimed by manufacturers to be beneficial for constipation and hemorrhoids.
Additional features may include a heated seat, which may be adjustable from 30 °C (86 °F) to 40 °C (104 °F), an automatic lid equipped with a proximity sensor, which opens and closes based on the location of the user; and an air dryer and deodorizer.
[10] Japanese toilets with washlets increasingly have features intended to reduce the frequency with which manual cleaning is required.
[19][20] Still others will spray a small amount of mild detergent, this has the added benefit of breaking the surface tension of the water, preventing urine or solid waste from splashing during use.
In January 2017, The Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association, a consortium of companies producing plumbing products including Toto Ltd., Panasonic, and Toshiba, has agreed to unify the iconography used on the often baffling control panels for Japanese toilets.
[25] The toilet manufacturers plan to implement the eight new pictogram on models released from 2017 onward, with a view to the system becoming an international standard.
[10] Toto, NAiS (a division of Panasonic), and other companies also produce portable, battery-operated travel washlets, which must be filled with warm water before use.
The repetitive use of a "type water jet on a high-pressure setting for an enema, can weaken the capability for self-evacuation of the Washlet user, which can lead to more serious constipation.
[29][30] There have been claims of benefit in preventing urinary tract infections and also concerns that washlet use can cause increased risk of urinary tract infection, aggravate vaginal flora when the bidet feature is used, and cause cross-contamination from the wand or water tank, but the effects appear to be minimal and neither a substantial risk nor of measurable benefit for healthy adults.
To cover the sound of bodily functions, many women used to flush public toilets continuously while using them, wasting a large amount of water in the process.
Some older public toilet buildings lack doors, meaning that men using the urinals are in full view of people walking past.
In addition, parks, temples, traditional Japanese restaurants, and older buildings typically only have squat toilets.
Some public toilets are fitted with powerful hand dryers to reduce the volume of waste generated from paper towels.
[38] Shigeru Ban designed restrooms that are surrounded by transparent tinted glass, which allows a person to evaluate the interior before entering.
Some toilet rooms are equipped with a bookshelf, in others people may enter with a newspaper, and some are even filled with character goods and posters.
In January 2017, the Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association agreed to standardize the iconography used on control panels of Japanese toilets, in an attempt to reduce confusion for foreign visitors.
Hence, the introduction of toilets with a water jet cleaner and blow dryer allows such persons to clean themselves without assistance.
In Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, the UK, and many other countries, high current electrical outlets installed in close proximity to water, or where persons may be wet, are prohibited by codes due to possible health and safety concerns.
A possible ritual site, that may also have been a toilet using flowing water, dating back to the early 3rd century was found in Sakurai, Nara.
[48] Another cesspit analyzed by archaeologists in detail was found at the site of the Fujiwara Palace in Kashihara, Nara, the first location of the imperial city from 694 to 710.
[48] However, historically, pit toilets were more common, as they were easier to build and allowed the reuse of the feces as fertilizer[53]—very important in a country where Buddhism and its associated mostly vegetarian, pescetarian lifestyle acted to reduce dependence on livestock for food.
However, the construction of sewers increased only after World War II to cope with the waste products of the growing population centers.
[14][58] Western-style toilets and urinals started to appear in Japan at the beginning of the 20th century, but only after World War II did their use become more widespread, due to the influence of the American occupation.
Specific places where night soil continued to be recycled required conscious political leadership, such as the Shinkyō Commune in Nara Prefecture.
Based on toilets with a built-in bidet from Switzerland and the US, the world's largest sanitary equipment company, Toto, introduced the Washlet in 1980.
