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I
was reading a magazine the other day about Madonna’s visit Japan for an
album she was promoting in December, '05. “I love Japanese food and I
probably eat more Japanese food than you do.” She said to Japanese
reporters. Then she added “But above all, I’ve missed the Japanese heated
toilet seats.”
Reading this, I recalled my own first experience with a high-tech
Japanese toilet during my last trip to Tokyo. My wife made an appointment to
get her hair done at an upscale salon in Shinjuku and returning early from
my own retail adventure, I sat patiently in the salon’s lounge pretending to
read Japanese fashion magazines. It wasn’t long before nature called and I
asked where the restroom could be found.
Upon entering this nice bathroom, I froze, staring at a toilet with many
complex buttons, lights, symbols and a digital display which seemed to
indicate this machine with do things to my underside which I did not
understand. It looked more like Captain Kirk’s chair on the Starship
Enterprise than a toilet to me.
I saw the instructional pictures of human behind... and something was
shooting at it! I could not read Japanese and was smart enough not to begin
testing features which would use my private parts as the target. Before
giving up I did test a few buttons which automatically raised the seat and
flushed the toilet. This was clearly not intended for foreign visitors.
I left the high-tech Japanese bathroom without completing my goal and
returned to lounge. I explained to my wife what I had seen but she laughed
at me and explained that is called a “Washlet”, a common Japanese toilet
machine. I couldn’t very well ask her to teach me how it works in this
public setting so I held on until we returned to the safety of our hotel
room.
 About TOTO Ltd. & The Washlet:
TOTO Ltd. is the largest manufacturer of toilets in Japan and not so small in
the US with TOTO USA Inc. Most American’s may associate the name Toto with a
small dog in The Wizard of Oz or a popular 80’s rock band. In the 80’s when
the American rock band Toto toured Japan, they remarked that they were
confused to find their band’s name on public toilets everywhere.
The "Washlet" is a trade name assigned to a now common, technically
advanced toilet. You don't need tissue paper to use a Washlet. Automated
water jets do the cleaning followed by air jets to dry you off. It's not
nearly as simple as it sounds though. Upscale models have control panels
with 10, 20 or 30 buttons and digital displays. Why would anyone need to
have this much control over a toilet? let me tell you why.
 The water jet's position can be controlled as well as the spray pattern.
On some models buttons clearly indicate how the spray should be selected.
One for men, another for women, another for.. well anything. The seat is
raised and closed with other buttons. The seat can be heated. The cleansing
spray can be heated. It goes on and on. About half of all households in
Japan posses one these modern toilets. This isn't a fad. The high tech
toilet is big and catching on in the US. Some latest models can even analyze
your health by measuring the sugar level in your urine. Where will toilet
technology end? |
