JAPANESE POTTIES – “talking dirty”

As promised, I want to say a few words about Japanese potties and also include a few pictures. I’ve wanted to do this for a while, but I don’t usually think of taking a camera into the bathroom with me, and for another, I didn’t want people to think I was weird or kinky. (no snickering please) I finally had the opportunity to be alone when we visited Tivoli Park recently. By the way, if you’re looking for a bathroom, you have to ask for a toilet or toire, otherwise, they might think you want to take a bath. There are usually signs so you can find them. Universal door signs tell you which one to use: a blue figure in pants (male), a red figure in a dress (female), or sometimes both – which are the co-ed potties, which I tend to shy away from, although Stan did wander into one by mistake. He’s more careful now. . .

There are plenty of public potties in Japan – usually in an outside building or part of a building that is unheated, and there will usually be traditional “Japanese” potties, “Western” potties, and sometimes “Handicapped” potties. I always head for the latter two because these will have an actual stool to sit on. Most public toilets also have what looks like a urinal on the wall, and I’m not sure what that’s for, unless it’s for little boys who come in with their mothers. All the other potties are behind stall doors, so you have to peek to be sure you’re getting the right kind, if there are no door signs.

As I mentioned in a previous entry, the traditional Japanese potty looks like a urinal placed on the floor. The end toward the wall has a hooded end, so you use it by squatting over the end closest to the hood. Both kinds of business are done here in this position. See why I avoid this type of potty? My knees are not strong enough to hold me in this position for very long, and I really don’t enjoy the possibility of peeing (or whatever) on my shoes. The Japanese believe this is a much cleaner way to potty because no part of your body touches the equipment. Hmm – maybe so, but judging by the wet floor around the traditional potty, not everyone has great aim, so the cleanliness is compromised, in my book. Some Western potties will provide a wet cloth to wipe off the seat because of the cleanliness issue.

Also, there is not always toilet paper, so I have learned to take a small package of tissues with me. The sink water to wash your hands is usually only cold and there are rarely towels with which to dry. Usually there is soap. Once in a great while, there will be hand-dryers, but most people carry a little towel in their pocket with which to dry their hands. There are sometimes fresh flowers in vases, in the women’s restrooms – always in the rest stops along the expressway.

The really nice surprise is that because bathrooms are almost always in unheated spaces (this being winter, of course), the Western potties frequently have heated seats! The first time this happened was a chilly morning in the train station. I just assumed that the lady before me had sat for a long time. The next time it happened I noticed that the potty was plugged in to an electrical outlet. I could get spoiled to this, but we don’t have this option in our home.

Although I didn’t get pictures, when we stayed at the New Sanno in Tokyo (a military-owned hotel), the Western toilets in the lobby not only had heated seats, but several buttons one could use while sitting. One was for a bidet (spraying water up for cleaning oneself), one was for making a flushing noise (not a real flush, but for what I call a “courtesy” flush) and another for the self-clean function. All these fancy Japanese toilets are self-cleaning. The colors are interesting, too. Usually they are pink or pale aqua. The apparatus for flushing is usually in a different place than what we are used to. Sometimes on the floor, sometimes on an adjoining wall – not usually on the tank, so it takes me a while to figure it out. I just think I’ve learned them all, when we go somewhere else and there is yet another different style of flusher.

Of course this is my perspective of women’s restrooms. Stan says that on the train, there is a window in the men’s room door, so you can see if it’s occupied. So much for privacy . . . I’ve never noticed, but I guess I will now. The women’s doors are not like that, and always lock.

So that’s it for potty talk. Now you will be prepared for when you come see us!