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Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

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Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#101

Post by sjtrny »

rikacomet wrote: post #88
enscr wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- Plus squatting is a better posture for properly emptying yourself. Although sitting for longer than 5 minutes is painful and gets worse with age.

Yeah, that drawback can be seen as a JUST motivation for not taking your time in the toilet always. Even 5 minutes saved one time, is equal to 10-15 minutes everyday. 70-100 minutes a week and around 60-90 hours a year to put that into perspective.

I find my time on the toilet quite productive, it's usually when I have Eureka moments.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#102

Post by chx »

Toto makes travel washlets. Imagining travel without one is like trying to remember how we used to code before Google and Stackoverflow: yes we did it, for sure, but I just can't fathom how. It's also a relatively cheap and easy way to get acquianted with this nice facet of civilization. There are other travel washlets, not made by Toto, skip those. Search eBay for toto travel washlet, less than $100 shipped.

I had a particularly bad day at a London client onsite and out of sheer desperation Googled for travel washlet (I have one normal at home and was missing it badly), not that I had any idea how you would even construct one but lo and behold, there it is.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#103

Post by chaostheory »

radley wrote: post #70
chaostheory wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Japanese toilets are simply better. For some bizarre reason we've resisted adopting them here. It boggles the mind. That's not true. One major reason we don't adopt them is the cost of installation. If you have an existing house, chances are there's not an electrical outlet next to the toilet. Why is is important? Because Japanese toilets require power. Why does this suck? Electricians are not keen on working on ba…

Often that's just drywall - very cheap and easy to replace.

As I've already mentioned, it's the labor that's expensive in either time or money since there are pipes behind the drywall that you're going to rip apart. Also some people put tile over their drywall, the very people more likely to buy an expensive Japanese toilet. We're talking a few thousand dollars.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#104

Post by chaostheory »

brandon272 wrote: post #62
chaostheory wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Japanese toilets are simply better. For some bizarre reason we've resisted adopting them here. It boggles the mind. That's not true. One major reason we don't adopt them is the cost of installation. If you have an existing house, chances are there's not an electrical outlet next to the toilet. Why is is important? Because Japanese toilets require power. Why does this suck? Electricians are not keen on working on ba…

None of which is true when building a new home. But they still don't put them in new homes either.

Yeah there aren't very many new homes in places like the Bay Area or Manhattan either

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#105

Post by chaostheory »

XorNot wrote: post #86
chaostheory wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Japanese toilets are simply better. For some bizarre reason we've resisted adopting them here. It boggles the mind. That's not true. One major reason we don't adopt them is the cost of installation. If you have an existing house, chances are there's not an electrical outlet next to the toilet. Why is is important? Because Japanese toilets require power. Why does this suck? Electricians are not keen on working on ba…

Most bathrooms do have electrical outlets though - for shavers and things. Conduit is fairly low profile - and if you have a false ceiling then its very easy.

First, the outlet for the shaver and blow dryer are far enough from the toilet that you'll need an extension cord that crosses your sink which isn't going to work. Second I've never seen a false ceiling in a residential bathroom. Not that having one would make it a lot safer. The bathroom is not a place for a hack. You really need to do it the right way or not at all.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#106

Post by ekianjo »

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #100
ekianjo wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Water consumption by agriculture and industry dwarfs that for personal use. Yeah, but Japan does not need to make their own crops. It's very much a policy that can debated. Surfaces for agriculture in Japan are very well, mainly composed of small-time farmers, and that kind of activity only exists because it's heavily subsidized by the government, and the country applies huge tariffs and trade protections to preven…

Neglecting your domestic agriculture industry kind of sucks if war comes around or some other problem with imports arises, since it takes awhile to regrow your capacity to replace imports (and everyone starves in the meantime). Food security is worth some subsidies, at least, just as a back up in case there is a problem with trade.

> Neglecting your domestic agriculture industry kind of sucks if war comes around or some other problem with imports arises,

If war comes around, ANYWAY a country like Japan will be f*ed to sustain its agriculture, with no access to commodities from outside and energy resources like petrol, fertilizers and so on. It is in the best interest of countries like Japan to sustain peace with neighboring countries and have strong trade ties with multiple partners so that a crisis with a single one would not cut off their supplies entirely.

> Food security is worth some subsidies, at least, just as a back up in case there is a problem with trade.

I disagree, because the cost of closing your borders is way, way higher than embracing global trade and benefiting from commodities that can be produced more efficiently and cheaply in other countries, even in the remote case of conflict. And if at all, this should be a choice made by the consumer, not by the government.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#107

Post by girvo »

gtaylor wrote: post #18
enko wrote: post #3

After using the toilet, do you wash your hands, or just wipe them? You've just demonstrated why washing toilets are superior. I cannot understand our misplaced, hollow pride in not adopting something which simply works better. I've even heard some especially crazy people try to say the japanese toilets are "perverted" - the hold tradition has on some people is just insane. Japanese toilets are simply better. For some…

I gave in and ordered a bidet a year ago. Not wanting to commit to some of the expensive options, I opted for the $25 Astor Bidet: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003TPGPUW/ Installation involved adding a T-adapter to my sink's cold water line. The whole setup takes about 5-10 minutes if you know what you're doing, or about 30 if you don't. Even if you know nothing about plumbing, you can install this thing with so…

Woah, neat! My girlfriends whinges about using too much toilet paper (which... well, she does. Way too much) and I've always loved the washlet style things, so this is awesome! Thanks heaps for the link :)

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#108

Post by prawn »

Aloisius wrote: post #69
w00kie wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All Japanese models have a pressure sensor built into the seat so that no water comes out unless someone is actually sitting on the toilet.

That was decidedly not the case when I first visited Japan in 2001. The jet of water that hit the door to the bathroom was quite wet by the time I figured out how to shut the toilet off.

A bidet in a London hotel around 2003 managed to hit me in the eye. I was a clear metre from the bowl. A mistake you make once and then not again!

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#109

Post by m_mueller »

ekianjo wrote: post #106
seanmcdirmid wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Neglecting your domestic agriculture industry kind of sucks if war comes around or some other problem with imports arises, since it takes awhile to regrow your capacity to replace imports (and everyone starves in the meantime). Food security is worth some subsidies, at least, just as a back up in case there is a problem with trade.

> Neglecting your domestic agriculture industry kind of sucks if war comes around or some other problem with imports arises, If war comes around, ANYWAY a country like Japan will be f *ed to sustain its agriculture, with no access to commodities from outside and energy resources like petrol, fertilizers and so on. It is in the best interest of countries like Japan to sustain peace with neighboring countries and have…

Japan and Germany are mainly in such a position because they lost a war - their territory would look very different otherwise. That doesn't mean that in (currently still very hypothetical) case of war, they wouldn't try to gain us much territory as quickly as possible - it would basically be a necessity. On the other hand, (potential) nuclear warfare has pretty much changed the game. It seems to me 'warfare' between industrialized nations is now everything about cold wars and alliances with nuclear capable countries. In case of Japan, food will never be a problem as long as they keep being allied to the US.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#110

Post by silencio »

hudibras wrote: post #95
wting wrote: post #68

Another thing that gets overlooked is the built-in faucet at the top to rinse off hands such that every tank of water gets used twice: http://demenglog.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/toilet-seat-...

And another thing that gets overlooked is that the toilet is always in a separate room from the rest of the bathroom (washbasin and tub). It seems weird at first that you have to go down the hall into a phonebooth-sized compartment to do your business. But then you go back to visit family in America and can't stop noticing that you poop 3 feet away from where you brush your teeth...

I actually have that in my apartment in SF. It may be because it's a three bedroom place with only one bath though. It's nice because someone can use the toilet while the shower is in use, but then you have to walk to the kitchen to wash your hands....wish someone had the foresight to add the faucet-top toilet ;)
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