Washlet, what a nice toilet?!

Ah...my American friend said it is hard to find a "washlet" in the U.S? Is that true? Washlet is the brand name of TOTO, but generally Japanese call all toilets of this type  washlets. I have to tell you that the old style Japanese toilets are very uncomfortable. (You can see them in Katamari Damacy.) I do not like them, I won't talk about the details. Unfortunately they can still be found in old buildings. But basically it was because of such inconveniences and uncomfortable situations that we had a toilet revolution in Japan. (exaggeration!?).

Maybe in the last 15 years or so, the Japanese toilet situation has changed dramatically. Many Japanese have traded their home toilets in for a washlet, or at least a heated seat. I suppose all new houses, and apartments will have a seat-heater or a washelet toilet. And you will easily find washlets at most modern hotels or other public places too. Actually at my job, the toilets have all the functions; washlet, seat-heater, a sounds button to absorb bodily noises and it also provides music to relieve yourself.

And now toilets have become even more sophisticated in Japan. Look at this TOTO Japan site. Their new tankless toilet has a washlet (you may choose the washing way), a seat-heater, filtered air with ion plus automatic fragrance, a room heater, a sensor to open the cover, a remote control to open the seat, and you can even choose between the sound of a brook or four classical tunes (Bach, Chopin, etc,.) These are good but that toilet has a lot of buttons, it's troublesome unless you know how to control it..... Ha, that's going too far, you think?  What happens during a power failure? Access denied?

Anyway INAX is another big bathroom system maker in Japan. This guy made joke about Mac and INAX. Ha he apologized.

Comments

[Mari]

Hi There
Ah I have to admit, Japanese women waste many water in toilet to cover the sound. Yes I agree. Actually not in toilet. Japanese tend to waste water, as if water has not limit. I don't like such way in Japan

[Claire （クレア）]

Mari-san, on google, I found many websites that sell TOTO, INAX, Panasonic, and other washlets. 本当にびっくりして！I did not know there were so many different kinds of washlets. They are pretty costly, but they have so many features!

Luxury plumbing fixtures are becoming common in America. There are fancy showrooms with all kinds of different bathtubs, sinks, and faucets, but not so many toilets. I wish Japanese-style bathtubs were more available. If I could win the lottery, I would like to have an ofuro in my house!

It is fairly common now to see Toto fixtures in commercial places like restaurants and buildings (well, not washlets!).

Of course, America leads the world in wastefulness with annoying devices that automatically flush whenever you move and automatic one-time-use toilet seat covers. Visitors to O'Hare Airport in Chicago will encounter both of these. 何てもったいない！

[Mari]

Hi there.
Yes I heard Inax tried to export washlet long time ago, but they gave up, and of course TOTO is doing hard but it is hard to find washlet in the US. Useless? American people have such impression for washlet? Yes Claire, that Japanese women way is Mottainai. Only Japanese care it? So that sound sytem is useless too? I could not go abroad recently, but how about Europe?

[AzianBrewer]

AzianBrewer actually worked with a guy who's father was a salesperson for TOTO USA.....His place is like a museum of TOTO.

[Claire （クレア）]

http://www.sandman.com/intimst.html>This href> is one of the few places I know of that you can get washlets in the US, without doing a google search.

Surprisingly, I have not seen washlets for sale in any of the stores around the Japanese markets.

I was surprised to learn that in Japan, women often flush while using the WC to cover up any sounds. From this, Toto came up with the idea to put a button on the washlet to make the flush sound so water would not be wasted. Mottainai, ne?

[abraxis]

There was a ryokan I stayed at in Kyoto that had washlets. I was there in early Feburary so it was very nice to have that heated seat in the middle of the night.

Toto used to run this commercial late night with a frog and a chicken testing out the latest washlet...

Hilarious!