The Far East Water Closet

My writing topic today isn't the most refined of choices, however I feel the need to voice some opinions on the "WC Woes" of living in the Far East.

I waited an extra couple minutes in line the other day for the dignified use of a Western style toilet. We were at a highway rest stop in the Shikuoza prefecture – somewhere between Tokyo and Kyoto – and there were only 3 Western stalls amongst the 20 or so available. I guess as you get farther away from metropolitan areas, the "regular potty" to "squatty potty" ratio becomes less favorable for folks who don't like the risk of peeing on themselves.

As I was enjoying my stately tinkle (the wait was worth it!), I realized there was a sign within the stall re: how to use a Western style toilet. The sign also appeared to be an afterthought since it was merely a laminated piece of paper, taped to the wall. This leads me to believe they were having problems with people mounting the toilets incorrectly (again, we were pretty far away from Tokyo). I found it funny enough to take a picture, however then felt a bit slighted: I really could have used illustrative direction when using the standard Japanese squatty potty for the first time.

Exhibit A: Japanese direction on how to use a Western toilet

As for why the floor toilet is rather prevalent in an otherwise civilized country, I haven't quite figured it out. Some tell me that it's so there is less skin contact with surfaces. Others comment on the biology of it, but that gets into even ickier territory, so I will stop there. It's their thing; I'm in their country, so it is what it is.

Exhibit B: A standard Japanese toilet, for those who have not yet been enlightened.

If you do use a Western style toilet in Japan, you will of course find that it has been overengineered, much like other products here. It has controls for heat (which I am thankful for in the winter since our home lacks central heating), water sprays and musical notes to mask embarrassing toots (really). The picture below has a nice addition of English words to aid in selection, however my first encounter was purely in Kanji and I therefore was stuck in a restaurant bathroom for several extra minutes while I figured out where the flush mechanism was, whilst water sprayed amok.

Exhibit C: The fusion of Japan engineering with a Western toilet.

So, to conclude, I kind of just shake my head at the whole thing and am thankful that most homes are fitted with regular toilets. I leave you with my friends chicken and frog to share in their toilet joy…

Exhibit D: A typical Japanese commercial from the leader in Japanese toilets: Toto