10 Things to Know about Using Japanese Toilets

ByRay Proper

Dec 20, 2012

10 Things to Know about Using Japanese Toilets

1. Some toilets have heated seats, which make winter usage much more pleasant.
2. Don’t mess with the buttons unless you are sitting and know what they are for!
3. “Otohime” or sound princess can be used to cover the sound of bodily functions by broadcasting the sound of a toilet flushing through a small, push button speaker system.
4. Some public toilets have automated disposable/clean toilet seat paper covers.  Often you will find chemical cleaning sprays as well.
5. Toilet slippers are meant for just the toilet, as historically in Japan, toilets were located outside of the house.  Do not wear them out of the bathroom!
6. Many home toilets have a wash basin set on top of the toilet water tank.
7. Public toilets may not have towels, paper towels or dryers to dry your hands, BYOH (Bring your own hankerchief.)
8. “Washiki” is the Japanese term used for traditional squat toilets.
9. Broken public toilets in Japan are not common, but public toilets without paper ARE common!  BYOTP!
10. By JSA standards, Japanese toilet paper must dissolve within 100 seconds when placed in water. Beware of clogging with foreign bought toilet paper!

More on Japanese Toilets

Japan’s High-tech Toilet Culture
How to Use a Squat Toilet With Pictures!
How to use a Japanese toilet. This one has pictures of the “buttons” you should know.