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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

#91

Post by ekianjo »

comicjk wrote: post #84
ekianjo wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the European sailors that shipwrecked in Japan sit around scratching their fleas and scoffing at the Japs' grotesque habit of bathing every day... gross Well on a ship you certainly can't wash yourself every day. And even in Europe, there was a lack of running water to wash yourself as often as you wanted. Japan has tons of rivers everywhere and is one of the richest country in terms of river water - and you can ad…

Water consumption by agriculture and industry dwarfs that for personal use. Stats for Japan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_...

> 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 prevent importing food from other countries around (at the expense of Japanese taxpayers and consumers).

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#92

Post by joyeuse6701 »

veidr wrote: post #2

This is one of those things that long-time expats that live in Japan often take back with them when they leave. Another is the practice of removing your (utterly filthy, inevitably) outdoor shoes when you enter the house. I read Shogun as a kid (great book, for a little kid) and going back home to the USA and using the toilet there always reminds me of the scenes where the European sailors that shipwrecked in Japan s…

Mmm, reading that now actually. I'm enjoying it, and I could easily see that if I was younger I'd be enamored by it.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#93

Post by enscr »

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.

For some, it's not an option.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#94

Post by ekianjo »

veidr wrote: post #72
ekianjo wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Japanese toilets are simply better. For some bizarre reason we've resisted adopting them here. It boggles the mind. They are not cheap in Japan, by the way. If you buy a new apartment they are included by default(these companies work like Mafia to secure contracts with new apartment complex builders), but new ones you buy directly from TOTO are like... "what?" when you see their prices.

A specific data point: the (pretty good) Japanese toilet I have retails for about $2,600.00 US. http://item.rakuten.co.jp/sumailab/ces9896px/?scid=af_pc_etc...

Yup - and I think it's overpriced. If it was a consumers' market this would be way cheaper, but in Japan it's very much a B2B thing, therefore you don't get good prices if you want to buy your own.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#95

Post by hudibras »

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...

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#96

Post by ekianjo »

azatris wrote: post #36
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've used a Japanese toilet and for me the hand washing facility attached to it is meaningless as I do not understand why would anyone ever wash their hands with cold water. Especially I do not understand people who simply wash their hands by dipping them into cold water for a second. But maybe the culture of washing hands with warm water and soap is merely in North Europe. And maybe I am illusioned by the effectiven…

> why would anyone ever wash their hands with cold water.

Well it depends on the time of the year. In winter, you certainly don't use them that much because water is freezing cold. But as soon as it turns april-may, water becomes lukewarm or even relatively hot in summer months (summers are excruciatingly hot in Japan), so then it's not an issue anymore.

> And maybe I am illusioned by the effectiveness of warm water.

Do you mean warm water is more effective at washing ? There's actually no basis for that. Surfactants matter more than temperature.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#98

Post by rdl »

ekianjo wrote: post #94
veidr wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A specific data point: the (pretty good) Japanese toilet I have retails for about $2,600.00 US. http://item.rakuten.co.jp/sumailab/ces9896px/?scid=af_pc_etc...

Yup - and I think it's overpriced. If it was a consumers' market this would be way cheaper, but in Japan it's very much a B2B thing, therefore you don't get good prices if you want to buy your own.

YC company to make a self-powered washing toilet (maybe using the water flow to turn a generator?)

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#99

Post by seanmcdirmid »

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...

Have you ever tried a Chinese shower that is combined with a squat toilet? You have to be careful to not walk into the toilet when you are showering.

Re: Japanese Toilets: The Future Called 30 Years Ago

#100

Post by seanmcdirmid »

ekianjo wrote: post #91
comicjk wrote: post #84

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Water consumption by agriculture and industry dwarfs that for personal use. Stats for Japan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_supply_and_sanitation_in_...

> 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.

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