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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

#41
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 also used to think of Japanese toilets as weird , and overly complex for the task (that may be partially true) but after buying a 35 dollar bidet attachment for my apartment toilet, using any other bathroom feels barbaric. I've resorted to carrying moist wipes when out of town, but even those are a far cry from the efficiency and cleanliness afforded by a washlet/bidet. I would love for the rest of the country to g…

After experiencing an electronic bidet in Japan for the first time during a holiday, I returned home wondering how on earth did I manage without it. I was sold. I bought a YoYo 770 for 800$ as soon as it appeared in Europe.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#44

Sorry to sound 'negative', but... I don't know if this is the way the future is going to pan out - water is an increasingly scarce resource and, as it is, we waste a gallon or so of water to lift one's leavings up and over the u-bend. Of all people Bill Gates is probably the expert on what toilets will really be like in the future, allegedly water, toilets, sanitation and health is something he is most interested in.…

I suppose it depends on where you live. If you live in Arizona it might end up being an issue due to the energy cost of processing the water for reuse. However, if you live in Chicago you aren't going to have a shortage of water anytime soon.

I don't really get these water shortage scares people talk about. I can see how it is an issue in remote/poor areas around the world, but a country like the US has nothing to worry about. If fresh water reserves get low we can always desalinate seawater. There are engineering challenges and energy costs to do that, but both are solvable issues. No one is going to die from thirst.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#45

In the spirit of too much information that is this thread. I was given a lavette bottle after giving birth, and I've continued using it quite often. http://www.amazon.com/Lavette-Bottle-Perineal-Irrigation-DYN... It's an even cheaper alternative to the cold water attachment, it's portable, and you can fill it with warm water.

This seems interesting. It looks like a regular sports bottle. The comments on that item suggest there are more and smaller holes than a single large opening, for a better flow for this application. Is that the only difference?

How does one use it? Is there a straw inside that draws from the bottom of the bottle? Do you need to position it upright, or upside down?

These two seem more natural to use, If you didn't have your bottle already, would one of these be more interesting?

http://www.amazon.com/Hygienna-Solo-Portable-Cleaning-Soluti... http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Bidet-BB-20-Portable/dp/B004IW5IT...

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#46

Sorry to sound 'negative', but... I don't know if this is the way the future is going to pan out - water is an increasingly scarce resource and, as it is, we waste a gallon or so of water to lift one's leavings up and over the u-bend. Of all people Bill Gates is probably the expert on what toilets will really be like in the future, allegedly water, toilets, sanitation and health is something he is most interested in.…

A lot of the Japanese toilets have water saving mechanisms where the water that fills the toilet is used for a small sink on the top of the toilet to wash your hands.

I agree that there are more ways that we should be conserving water, and we are beginning to see more toilets with a small or large flush function (which almost all Japanese toilets have as well).

As for your question about the noise function in Japanese toilets, fancy bathrooms sometimes have a noise function to cover up the noise of using the bathroom. Most normally it is a recording of a toilet flushing, but some other more "luxurious" ones have little jingles that play when you hit a button.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#48
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…

> 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 bathrooms because of all the pre-existing pipes, so to do the job right, they'll probably have to rip off all the walls. Once the electricians are done, you probably have to hire a bathroom remodeler to fix everything up, because again not many licensed people are keen on working on the bathroom unless they specialize in it.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#49
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 don't eat with my ..., just sayin'. But it's fine with me if you want to wash it.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#50

I remember my first visit to a Japanese toilet. I noticed all the buttons after I finished my business and stood up. Wow! What do these do? I bent over the toilet bowl and pushed a button at random...

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.
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