The idea for the washlet came from abroad, and the first toilet seat with integrated bidet was produced in Switzerland by Closomat in 1957. However, as the model was introduced in 1997, it is now likely to be inferior to the latest model by Toto, Neorest. The Toto product Washlet Zoe is listed in Guinness World Records as the world's most sophisticated toilet, with seven functions. The modern toilet in Japan, in English sometimes called Super Toilet, and commonly known in Japanese as Washlet ( ウォシュレット, Woshuretto) or as warm-water cleaning toilet seat ( 温水洗浄便座, onsui senjō benza) has many features. There are also permanently installed extensions available to convert a squat toilet into a sitting-style washlet. Adapters that sit on top of the Japanese toilet to convert it to a functional sit-down toilet are much more common. This hybrid seems to be common only in rural areas for the benefit of resident foreigners. Often, the lever is pushed to the "small" setting to provide a continuous masking noise for privacy, as discussed below.Ī combination squat/sitting toilet also exists, where a seat can be flipped down over a squat toilet, and the toilet can be used essentially the same way as the Western style. The former is for urine (in Japanese, literally "small excretion") and the latter for feces ("large excretion"). The difference is in the amount of water used. Many Japanese toilets have two kinds of flush: "small" (小) and "large" (大). The flush is often operated in the same manner as a Western toilet, though some have pull handles or pedals instead. All other fixtures, such as the water tank, piping, and flushing mechanism, may be identical to those of a Western toilet.įlushing causes water to push the waste matter from the trough into a collecting reservoir which is then emptied, with the waste carried off into the sewer system. A shallow trough collects the waste, instead of a large water-filled bowl as in a Western toilet. The user squats over the toilet, facing the hemispherical hood, i.e., the wall in the back of the toilet in the picture seen on the right. Most squat toilets in Japan are made of porcelain, although in some cases (as on trains) stainless steel is used instead. A squat toilet essentially looks like a miniature urinal set horizontally into the floor. A squat toilet differs from a sitting toilet in both construction and method of employment. The traditional Japanese-style ( 和式, washiki ) toilet is the squat toilet. After World War II, modern Western-type flush toilets and urinals became common. There are two styles of toilets commonly found in Japan the oldest type is a simple squat toilet, which is still common in public conveniences. The Japan Toilet Association celebrates an unofficial Toilet Day on November 10, because in Japan the numbers 11/10 (for the month and the day) can be read as ii-to(ire), which also means "Good Toilet". A potty, either for small children or for the elderly or infirm, is called omaru (sometimes written 御虎子). The toilet itself-that is, the bowl or in-floor receptacle, the water tank, et cetera-is called benki (便器). Japanese has many other words for places reserved for excretory functions, including kawaya (厠) and habakari (憚り), but most are rare or archaic. In many children's games, a child who is tagged "out" is sent to a special place, such as the middle of a circle, called the benjo. It is often used in elementary schools, public swimming baths, and other such public places, and is not especially impolite, although some may prefer to use a more refined word. The plain word for toilet is benjo ( 便所, "place of convenience" or "place of excrement"), from the word ben ( 便) meaning "convenience" or "excrement", and this word is fairly common. "powder room"), on signs in department stores and supermarkets, as well as accompanying the public toilet pictogram. (However, in Canada, "washroom" is equivalent to US "restroom.") It is also common to see another loan translation, keshōshitsu ( 化粧室, lit. This is similar to the usage in US English of "washroom", which literally means a room where something is washed, and "toilet", which literally refers to the act of self-cleaning. The word toire ( トイレ) is an abbreviated form of the English language word "toilet", and is used both for the toilet itself and for the room where it is located.Ī common euphemism is otearai ( お手洗い, lit.
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