Japanese bathrooms! The low-down and why you find slippers there

One of the surprising events to foreigners in Japan is a custom of taking off shoes in a house.
They usually come into houses with their shoes. But Japanese are reluctant to do so. They think it is not good behavior and they need change shoes to slippers if provided in museums and art galleries.
Japanese think dirtiness of shoes back makes flooring unclean.
Slippers for bathrooms in Japanese houses or shops which people wear from their shoes or bare feet surprise foreigners as well.

Moreover there are various kinds of accessories in Japanese bathrooms, such as a toilet rug, a cover for a toilet seat, a holder for toilet papers and slippers. They make foreigners wonder too. Toilets in other countries are simple accommodated with minimum goods.

The toilet culture between Japan and other countries has several differences.

●Free public toilet!
It’s natural in Japan and is took as granted. However foreigners are moved by free toilets since Europe toilets require money. For example, in France, a pay toilet needs in average 50 cents per one use. Tourists spots in Europe, like Venice, are payed one euro

●Kids toilet
Foreigners can be amazed by toilets only for children. They are located mainly in large shopping mall. They have two merits, one is not creating long line in lady’s toilets and another is suitable size for kids. It is hard for you to find out kids toilets abroad.

●Otohime
You might see Otohime function which can cover excretion sound with flushing sound. It is not only Japanese that minding excretion sound in toilets. Foreigners are impressed by the unique innovation.

●Talkative toilet?
Some foreigners could be surprised by automated toilet voice which is “This toilet is automatically flushing”. If they experience it for the first time, they will turn around thinking where the voice comes from. I suggest English automated voice is interesting if provided.

●The quality of toilet paper
Japanese toilet papers are made softer and comfortable to your skin compared with other countries. Foreigners have a good reputation about Japanese hip-friendly toilet papers.

●Flushable toilet papers
It’s not allowed in some Asian countries to throw away papers into a toilet. Since a drain diameter is small or flushable toilet papers cannot be made, papers after use are just into trash cans in some countries. Japanese toilets accept flushable papers, isn’t it so convenient?

●Toilet seats
They are set in all toilets in Japan. Women tend to feel uncomfortable a little when they use unseated toilet in Europe where it happens many times. It is sometimes said that placed toilet seats are stolen in public toilets in overseas.

●TOTO’s “Washlet”
It’s a toilet seat with bidet function. A lot of foreigners want to go back to their home with Washlet. It’s not so common in other countries. It receives high reputations

Foreigners are impressed with other many stuffs, like a changing clothes space, an emergency bell and toilets for babies.

Let’s break into Japanese toilet