Toilets!!

  Juso, Osaka, Japan
Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Yup, that's right. This post is about toilets. I have been fascinated with them since I got here and I continue to be fascinated with them. Toilets in Japan range from holes in the ground to fancy heated seats. It's like nothing I've ever seen. Let's take a look at a few examples...shall we??

Toilet handle

Toilet handle 2

These two pictures are taken from a public toilet and they show the "arm" that extends on the right side of the toilet. Now, don't get too excited, most toilets don't have this but I have seen it a few times. So many buttons!! Apparently one of them actually warms the toilet seat for you but I just don't touch them b/c I'm afraid of what will happen!

full shot of a public toilet

Here's a picture of the whole toilet that those arms were taken from. Like I said, pretty crazy!! I believe this toilet was in a restaurant and luckily, as a girl I can get away with taking my bag into the bathroom therefore it is very easy to sneak my camera in without looking too strange. KJ laughs but I tell him that people at home would be amazed with this stuff!

The back of a futuristic looking toilet

This was another toilet from a different restaurant. This time, the top of the toilet was separated from the bottom. Maybe one of you technical guys can explain to me how that works! Anyway, as you can see, there are buttons again (like the arm) but this time they are at the top and much more sleek looking. Oh, and by the way. This whole contraption was actually mounted on the side wall next to the toilet hence the reason for the toilet paper.

the toilet from above

Here's the bottom of the toilet. Very simple, basic, and sleek. Oh, and the lid would automatically open and close due to a sensor. Or, you could override it and just open it or push it down like I did cause it freaked me out!!

sink in a bathroom with a washer AND dryer!!

Now, you can't tell me this is not cool....this nifty sink not only washes you hands but dries them!! Ingenious!! Japan is not a fan of paper towels so instead of providing dryers they just provide....nothing. Which sucks for those of us who like to wash our hands in the bathroom! You are expected to carry around your own towel...weird, just weird. But every once in awhile you get lucky and come across a sink/dryer. Amazing!!

Our bathroom

Ok, and one more just cause it's funny. As you all may remember, one of my first e-mails was about our toilet that exploded. After about 3 hours in our apartment, the plumbers had cleaned up the mess but in doing so had removed the toilet from the floor. They were still not sure how to prevent this from happening again so they were outside doing who knows what when I snuck in and took a quick photo. They were not too keen on me hanging out with them while they were working so I had to be fast! Well, that's my whirlwind tour of the toilets. Hope you enjoyed it and learned something!!