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Why aren't we all using Japanese toilets?

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Re: Why aren't we all using Japanese toilets?

#141

Post by theThirdMan »

s_henry_paulson wrote: post #128
eob wrote: post #18

Americans, by and large, are quite bizarre when it comes to discussing anything that takes place below the belt. When I mentioned working at Google, I have had multiple people say to me, "I heard the founders at Google are OBSESSED with toilets and import special models from Japan." As if one has to be stark raving mad to use a modern toilet from Japan, instead of the old fashioned toilet which was probably imported…

From what I read on the internet 25-40% of people out there seem to stand up to wipe.. and I have to believe that's largely due to people never discussing how they use the restroom.

Is there an easier way to wipe?

Re: Why aren't we all using Japanese toilets?

#142

Post by ChuckMcM »

aptimpropriety wrote: post #9

Every one of these articles gets the pitch of these toilets completely wrong - for every person, and in every scenario, these are not universally better. Consider the following experiment: Smear some mud on your arm. Now, using a jet stream the power of a squirt gun and very low precision, wash it all off in 10 seconds. Not so easy. Then - imagine if you put mud on a place with hair! Not only will it not be clean wit…

This is pretty insightful. I used them at Google as well and discovered similar variabilities. Doing some A/B testing (trust me testing on the toilet is encouraged there :-) I did find that I used less paper, but not 'no' paper. And it wasn't just for 'drying purposes' it was to insure everything had been taken care of.

Another observation was that you got better with the wash over time. Once familiarized with the placement controls of the unit and the 'feel' (sorry) of the action you could achieve better results. There was some interesting speculation on what a 'complete' fix might entail, and one of the hardware engineers put a 'watts up' meters in line with the seat to get a read on its actual usage (about .037 kwH per month),

My take away was that it was an improvement but not a $1,500 improvement (or $4,500 if I wanted to do it to all three toilets in my house). It also increases water usage, albeit modestly, which is sort of anti-california but that was before I talked with the toilet guys who said the water saving toilets only save water on urine flushes since it it typical for solid matter to require more than one flush cycle. (it still saves water but still).

Re: Why aren't we all using Japanese toilets?

#143

Post by teejaygreen »

hnriot wrote: post #136

I wouldn't want a bidet like contraption, it's just massive overkill for something that humans have turned into a big deal. People seemed to manage for hundreds of centuries just fine without computerized toilets. Utterly ridiculous and a good example of the first world having gone crazy. These are just extortion, taking advantage of a cultural "issue" in a first world country like Japan. I can't believe hn are even…

I wouldn't want a car like contraption, it's just massive overkill for something that humans have turned into a big deal. People seemed to manage for hundreds of centuries just fine without motorized horses. Utterly ridiculous and a good example of the first world having gone crazy. These are just extortion, taking advantage of a cultural "issue" in a first world country like America.

I can't believe hn are even discussing this.

Re: Why aren't we all using Japanese toilets?

#144

Post by reedlaw »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #48
ComputerGuru wrote: post #34

$15 in parts from your local hardware store gets you the basic tools you need to build a water-powered hygiene system. All you need is the "spray head" with flexible hose [0], plus the adaptor to make a kitchen part fit the bathroom piping (for some reason, kitchen and bathroom have non-interchangeable parts). You hang it on a hook next to the toilet, and you use it to clean yourself. I cannot live without these, and…

This is how they do it in Thailand, at least. Basically, imagine the sprayer in your kitchen sink attached to your toilet. In areas without (edit: running) water, they'll have a bucket of clean water nearby with some sort of cup to use. I've heard this is pretty common in SE Asia.

Can someone point me to a product (preferably on Amazon) that's exactly like the sprayers in Thailand? One that can be screwed into a toilet's water supply, not a kitchen sink's.

Re: Why aren't we all using Japanese toilets?

#145

Post by chopsueyar »

pdenya wrote: post #44
patio11 wrote: post #5

Toto's primary sales channel is "If you build a house or office in Japan and don't specifically talk to your architect/contractor about your post-bowel movement preferences we will take the liberty of using the most current model Toto has available and then invoice you cost plus labor plus 50%." Toto does not have that relationship with the person responsible for picking your toilet. Why does Toto have that relations…

Minus the necessity of the wreath, I assume construction managers in the US are equally willing to accept free drinks and an extra $100/per bathroom. Does this not work in the US because it can't be a reasonable default in those types of situations?

Just the toilet seat is $750 (Disclosure: This is on my Christmas wishlist)!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011YSEUC/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...

Although it does come with a remote (with LCD display), water temperature adjustment, volume control (for your iDevice), warm air-dryer, and air deodorizer.

Re: Why aren't we all using Japanese toilets?

#146

Post by evolve2k »

Toilet habits form early and then are hard to change I'm thinking one idea for creating a market would be to pick a city and then subsidize the toilets to be installed in child care centers and primary schools. Get kids used to the experience and benefit from the 'yeah I remember we had them at school' affect later.

Re: Why aren't we all using Japanese toilets?

#147

Post by baseh »

swampthing wrote: post #27
radley wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- It's like washing your hands vs. wiping them off with a paper towel. You should wipe clean first, then you water clean. - The sprayer is manually controlled: when you're done using and flushing, then you wash & dry. It doesn't just stick out the whole time.

Got it, thanks. I can see how it'd be cleaner, but I suspect most people are in blissful denial as to their filthy ways :) Is there a cover for the sprayer, so that it's protected from splatter while you're excreting?

I am not sure of the exact bidet mentioned in the article.

But yes, the SPRAYER is protected from the SPLATTER by a plastic housing. It(the sprayer) kind of lowers to spray only when you turn the knob.

This is the one that I have and it works suprisingly well: http://www.amazon.com/LUXE-Bidet-Vi-110-Non-Electric-Mechani...

Having said that, The plastic cover housing of the sprayer itself might get soiled in cases of extreme explosion (i.e after mexican lunches etc haha) in which case I had to use some TP to clean the mess up.

I found this bidet (mentioned above) the easiest to use.

- Easy to install (5 - 10 min) - Small footprint (doesnt include the cover so a lot cheaper) and fits most of the commodes - Pretty much no touch mechanism - turn knob and you are done ( drying with TP optional)

Re: Why aren't we all using Japanese toilets?

#148

Post by otakucode »

jadc wrote: post #13
MrFoof wrote: post #2

The US is a notoriously price-sensitive market. For a lot of folks, they wouldn't consider paying $1000+ for a toilet when the most basic American Standard can be found for about $125. A lot of people would find it hard to justify an order of magnitude price increase. I know Boston has a Toto showroom in its North End, but I really cant consider it due to the rules of my apartment building.

According to the article, there are devices that could be attached to existing toilet seats that cost 100$ or less. If they do work well (article claims that they have good reviews), then cost is not an issue.

I would love a Toto toilet... but I cannot comprehend the price. We're talking about some tubes and pipes. That's doesn't cost $1000. Why someone can't produce their $1200 washlet for $50 is beyond me.

Re: Why aren't we all using Japanese toilets?

#150

Post by zampano »

What I really miss from Japan are the toilets with a sink on top of the water container on the back (something like this: http://f00.inventorspot.com/images/profile-toilet.jpg). You flush the toilet and the water refilling the container comes out of a faucet for you to wash your hands real quick and the water going down the drain fills the container up for the next flush. It seems so simple and helps save a tiny bit of water every trip to the bathroom. Now if only Japanese bathrooms started providing their own soap so I wouldn't have to bring my own everywhere...
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