Land of the Rising Buns

A Primer on the Restrooms of Japan

by Jon Thompson

Any discussion of length about Japanese society will inevitably bring up the clash of cultures, that of traditional versus modern, that is so prevalent in Japan today. Whether it is seeing kimono-clad white-face geishas strolling alongside 21st century salaryman in Kyoto, or the juxtaposition of a glass and steel skyscraper across the street from a thousand year old Shinto shrine – nowhere but Japan is this divide so evident.

It should be no surprise then that the restrooms of Japan follow suit. A visiting westerner may be equally alarmed by encountering a “hole in the ground” squat toilet or washiki toire as they are by the ultra-futuristic restrooms with auto-sensing lights, heated seats and pressure-controllable bidet sprays. Regardless of what you find, rest assured there is nothing to be afraid of.

Initial apprehension of the notorious squat toilets proved needless after my first experience. I had been warned about protecting the contents of your pockets from sliding out, so I secured the miscellany of yen, keys, papers and whatnot and dove right in. Unlike squat toilets of most of Asia, in Japan you face the wall when going, a technique which may “save face” if you fail to lock the stall door properly. While not as uncomfortable as you may think, you will not want to spend any more time than necessary in this position. Feel free to skip the reading material.

A few words of caution before we go any further. In Japan, toilet paper is never an assumed amenity and paper towels or hand dryers are even rarer. You can usually tell right away if toilet paper will be present. You should be wary of remote, older restrooms usually further out of the city. Fortunately, on the crowded city street many businesses have hawkers handing out tissue packets with flyers for their store. Grab these whenever you can as they will definitely come in handy. It is a pretty safe bet that anyone you meet will have several of these in their purse or bag for just such an emergency. As for the lack of paper towels; this can be attributed to the Japanese custom of carrying a saika or small handkerchief-type towel with them at all times. After a proper handwashing, just whip out your saika and you’re good to go. Unaccustomed westerners will have to drip-dry.

It is also worth noting that you may sometimes encounter slippers on the restroom floor when entering, particularly if you are in a private residence or more intimate surrounding such as a hotel or nice restaurant. These slippers are for you and they are for the restroom only. They must not leave the restroom. I cannot imagine the horror if you were to come back into a tatami mat room wearing slippers from the restroom. Forget any embarrassment you may have endured from accidently leaving your fly down – this would be infinitely worse.

You are in for a special treat, whether you like it or not, if you haven’t experienced any of the popular Toto brand (from what I could tell, Toto must have a monopoly on restroom hardware in Japan) toilet seat fixtures yet. Don’t be alarmed by the plethora of buttons and lights on the armrest. The icons are pretty self-explanatory. For instance, the button with a butt on it and a spray of water shooting up into it… well it does exactly that. You may be a little nervous when you first push the button and hear the strange mechanical whirring as the nozzle extends. But I must say, after using on of these you may never want to use toilet paper again (except at homecoming, am I right kids?). Most models have a female wash as well and varying degrees of pressure. You can count on a nice toasty seat when you see one of these devices, as all of them are electricly heated – sometimes also with adjustable controls. The ultra-advanced models have a special button which makes recorded flushing noises in order to cover up any embarassing noises which may be coming from your direction. Despite sometimes being ill-received by American patrons, Toto is working hard to expand these devices into the American market.

So you see, you have nothing to fear. Japanese restrooms are among the most modern in the world, usually with plenty of conveniences and moderate to impeccable in cleanliness. In many city centers, amazing advanced self-cleaning public restrooms are popping up (like those recently installed in downtown Seattle) to well-received praises. The Japanese’ demand for convenience and cleanliness can only have an even more positive impact on the future of public restrooms in Japan. As it stands now, a public restroom is nearly always nearby – making relief always in site in the land of the rising sun.

Jon Thompson is the co-founder and creator of Restroom Ratings. He is an acclaimed speaker on public restrooms in the United States and is available to speak at your next high school pep rally or corporate team-building event.