The Japanese Bathroom: Everyday Differences - Take 7!

Yes, I know that the title of this blog post sounds rather funny; however, the entire Japanese bathroom experience is slightly different here in Japan. And, I'm not even talking about the onsen aspect - as that has a blog post of its own. In addition to multi-flavored Kit Kats, beautiful teacups, and awesome stationary supplies, most of our guests have left Japan wanting to bring back both a Japanese toilet and a Japanese shower room with them. And, I couldn't agree more. I've already started to brainstorm how I will be able to make this happen. The toilet is looking much more promising than the entire shower room. 

I should start out by stating that even though the bathroom culture in Japan seems a bit futuristic, it's the way it is because it originally fit the needs of the Japanese people (and has evolved and modernized from there). Japan is a country that prides itself on creating little waste - especially since it's an island and the waste has nowhere to go. So, water was something that was highly valued, hard to come by, and important to conserve. Hence the creation of public baths (onsens) and then eventually the sharing of bath water among all family members. Many bathtubs now actually connect to the washing machines so that the bath water can be recycled and used to wash clothes. And, many toilets also have sinks on top of them and the water used to wash your hands then fills the toilet bowl for the next person to use.

Japan also has a strong desire to separate clean and dirty, thus the existence of what I call the 'toilet room' and the 'shower room.' And the slippers to be worn only in the toilet room. Seeing a trend? 

~*The Japanese Toilet*~

The Japanese toilet is one that needs to be plugged into a wall, which is the hurdle that most foreigners run into when trying to buy a Japanese toilet for their home. It often involves an electrician needing to add an outlet (and all that is involved in that process). The reasoning for the power is that not only does the Japanese toilet have a heated seat (with several settings), it also has multiple different features (which come with a control panel and lots of buttons). Things like automatic seat opening/closing...just imagine walking into your bathroom and the seat opens automatically; bidet...which includes normal mode, woman mode, and many option for personalization; and, sound...in which the sound of running water begins to play to disguise any unintended sounds. 

I'm not going to lie, the first time I used a Japanese toilet, I was rather intimidated. Not only were there tons of buttons, they were all labeled in Japanese. Just imagine making some kind of ruckus in the airport bathroom less than ten minutes after arriving in Japan. Luckily, the toilet in our bathroom has been labeled in English...so I've had some time to learn and memorize the various buttons and features. And, I've also noticed that in most public places - the 'flush' button is much bigger and/or labeled in English just in case. On one occasion, though, shortly after arriving in Japan, I may have hit the bidet button instead of flush - and ran out of the bathroom as quickly as possible...hoping that no one would immediately enter and realize that I was the one who'd gotten water everywhere! 

Obviously, Japanese toilets at home are usually clean; however, unlike in the United States, public bathrooms in Japan tend to be clean as well! No more having to wait until you get home! And, the toilets in public places are usually equip with all of the features of a home toilet. The one thing that I still don't understand though is the rather huge contrast between these toilets and the squatty potties. They really do seem like two extreme ends of the spectrum in my book! 

I think the Japanese advertisement for toilets are almost as amazing as the toilets themselves. Here are just a few for you to enjoy! The first two teach you how to use the toilet (toilets here actually do come with user manuals) and the third is a commercial in which a father and child (dressed up like germs) are trying to find a place to stay on the toilet...but failing because it's too clean! And if you want even more, Google 'Toto toilets' and check out just how happy every person on the website looks! 

Clip #1

Clip #2

Clip #3

~*The Japanese Shower Room*~

Down the hall from our 'toilet room' is our 'shower room!' It's actually one big wet room and it's amazing. The room has a shower area and a bathtub - and you can get the entire room wet because there is a drain in the middle. And, you don't actually have to stand in the bathtub while taking a shower - which we've forgotten to tell most of our guests until they ask us! I think this would be a dream with children as you would be able to put them in the room and hose them off without making a huge mess! Plus, they would be able to splash as much as they wanted in the bathtub because it wouldn't matter whether the floor got wet. It's also a breeze to clean as you just go in, hose it all down, and give it a good scrub without worrying!

Japan's separation of clean and dirty also carries over into the shower room as well. Typically, one will shower and then soak in the bath. The bath water also tends to be shared by an entire family - because one is clean when entering the bath. I know, this part seems odd to many. 

While we typically only shower, a nice long soak in the bath every once is a while is amazing. The bathtub is also so deep that you literally sink into it. Plus, when filling a bath (which of course you do by hitting a button on a control panel in the living room - and waiting for a pleasant musical tune to play to signal it's ready) - it fills all the way to the top...so much so that when you get in and sit down - the water overflows onto the floor. Our bathtub also comes with a lid - to keep the water warm in case we want to use it again later. Or, we can also turn on a function to warm the water if its gotten too cold.

Unlike in the United States, bath salts are not viewed as dangerous items. In fact, they are very common and the Japanese love their baths to smell wonderful. Lavender, pine, onsen, eucalyptus, you name it - they've got it! The bath salts also turn your bath water bright colors - just to enhance the experience. Who doesn't love a bright purple bath?! 

The shower room also acts as a sauna (you can select sauna mode) and as a drying room (since most Japanese households don't have dryers). You hang you clothes, shut the door, and turn the heat up high and even your jeans can be totally dry in about two hours. For some weird reason, I waited almost a year before I began drying clothes in the shower room...what a lost opportunity! 

I'm sure this blog post has left you wanting to come to Japan just to experience the bathroom culture...or googling Toto toilets to see how you can get one! As the clouds begin to roll in, and the rain begins to fall...I think I'll run myself a bath...as soon as I fold all the clothes currently filling my shower room! :)