I'd heard a little about the toilets and restrooms in Japan before I arrived, but I didn't think my bathroom experiences would be so luxurious. I find these very basic necessities to be amazingly advanced.
From my first need to go upon arrival at Tokyo's Haneda Airport, I opened the floor-to-ceiling door leading into a spacious stall that secluded me from the people, noise and action outside its seemingly noise-proof walls. A sturdy hook in the inner sanctum provided a place to hang my shoulder bag, and there was room to prop my carry-on upright. Travel weary but anxious to find out what the complicated, push-button wall panel next to my "seat" could do, I pulled my pants down to try out my first Japanese toire (pronounced almost just like our English word for "toilet," without the "t" ending).
Firstly, my bum was met by a warm, padded seat. Upon closer look, you can spot cords connecting to the bowl, and to the side, you'll find push-button wall selection instructions I'd never seen in stalls anywhere in the U.S. or Europe.
At the airport, the wall mount is in English as well, so you know what button you're pushing, whether that be for the bidet's spray, a toilet-cleaning mist dispenser, or drowning-out sounds -- simulated rushing of water to stump those outside of your stall into thinking a waterfall is cascading through the walls of your private chamber.
I instantly thought of my little sister, who would be in heaven in that stall: she likes to have noise to distract herself (or those who she believes might overhear) while she takes care of business. The sound is pleasant, too, like a beautiful mountain stream rushing over rocks.
My first ever hoteru (hotel) room located in the Royal Park Hotel (directly adjacent to Haneda Airport and so convenient) had an even more complicated set of push-button choices. Would I test out each of the buttons? Not at that early stage in the game. "Flush" was really all I needed. (I'd never gotten the gist -- or should I say "mist" -- of a bidet.)
Going in public
Even rest stop toilets can be equipped with a complicated set of instructions for your potty-going experience.
And they're so kirei (clean)! There were no bathroom caretakers outside collecting coins for managing the lavatory's appearance, so I wondered how the interior of the stalls were kept so invitingly pleasant and spotless. Instructions and labels were in Japanese, English, and Braille. De-luxe.
Comfy at home
After moving into my first home here in Japan, I've come to love that my two bathrooms each provide me a warm place to put my rear. It gets cold where I'm at, so sitting down on a padded, heated seat in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning is a comfort.
I don't have bidet or other fancy toilet options at home, but I wouldn't use them much anyway. The warm toilet seat is plenty and a far cry from any cold seat out in the rest of the world. (One question I ask myself however is, in the heat of summer, will I choose not to have warmth to greet my butt? Will I "unplug" my toilets?)
The shower's advanced, too
No, there aren't any complex button panels on the wall near toilets at home, but the showers - both located in adjoining anterooms - are a different story.
It took several tries before I was able to get my bathroom fans -- which run for 24 hours circulating the air and removing moisture whether I push buttons or not -- to come on. Before I strip to get into the shower or bath, I push the "red" (more like a rose pink) button. This changes the cool, room temperature air flow to warm.
Stepping out of the shower to towel off in winter, this feature is much adored. It also doubles as a clothes-drying device when I hang shirts or other items on my shower rod. It runs on a timer I can set, from 30 minutes to ten hours. I keep it at 1.5 hours to ensure the shower room is completely dry after I step out. So far, I've encountered no mold.
There are two drains in the master bathroom -- one outside the tub, and one inside -- and a mirror that allows an inhabitant to look at their torso while bathing or dressing. (I try not to, but it must be a thing.)
A colleague told me that Japanese people don't use shower curtains, after I had ordered and hung mine in the master bath. I'm not Japanese, and I do use mine. It keeps water from splashing all over the room and directs it into the tub drain. I don't always believe what other foreigners tell me about Japan.
The Japanese toilet and bath can be complicated, but they're comforting. Sometimes it's the little things that make your day better. The Japanese people must know this.
Even my toilet paper holder makes more sense than those I've lost parts out of back home, when the metal roll in the middle comes apart and the spring ends up behind the toilet or elsewhere. Here, there are two plastic roll holders that pop up and take hold when you place a new roll inside. There's also a toilet paper cover that comes down over the roll, so all you see peeking out is one sheet.
Recently I heard that the Japanese toilet manufacturer Toto sells their products in the U.S. If I ever move back (or to anywhere else in the world), I will be sure to invest in getting a toilet that makes both me and my bum happy.
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We dog/house/cat sit for a family across town from time to time, they have one of those Toto toilet seats, and it is a pleasant experience for sure. Who needs TP when you have one of these? It even has a sensor that detects when you walk into the room and automatically raises the seat for you and lights the bowl so you don’t miss your landing when it’s dark. Whatcha think?