Daibutsu, Kamakura

Daibutsu, Kamakura
Daibutsu in Kamakura, June 2010. There were thousands of school kids visiting that day. It was still great fun.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Are you ready for the toilet of the future?

Wikipedia Commons

Are you ready for the toilet of the future? - Innovation- msnbc.com

Not Japan, but America. Japan already has the toilets of the future. This article from MSNBC talks about how futuristic toilets from Japan are starting to trickle (pun intended) into America and the impressions some American's have of these technological toilets.

From the article:
“You walk into a bathroom in Tokyo and the toilets are like the captain’s chair on the Starship Enterprise,” says Kim Terca.

Terca says she found Japan’s smart toilets both “hilarious” and somewhat perplexing, since not all toilets offer the same snazzy features — including a special deodorizing feature that she says she never figured out.

Mary, a 53-year-old business consultant from Manhattan, says the special sound effects were what threw her for a loop. “I went to see my client and had to use the bathroom and as soon as I sat down, there was this sound,” she says. “In retrospect, I realized it was a rainforest or some nature sound to give you your privacy, but at the time it sounded like applause." (MSNBC)

I had my own interesting experience with a Japanese toilet during one of my visits several years ago. While sitting on the toilet I accidentally pressed one of the buttons on the panel and I received quite a wet surprise.

12 comments:

  1. We had nice hi-tech Japanese toilets like those in my office in NY. I miss those heated seats.

    ... I wonder who *hasn't* had that wet surprise experience you describe. One of the very first things I did the first time I was in Japan was experience the wonders (and horrible surprises!) of playing around with the buttons on the toilet.

    Now, if only they didn't write things in katakana French (doubly befuddling for an English speaker who doesn't know what a ビデ is)...

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  2. The first time I saw those toilets I told myself "don't touch the buttons" but I was careless once. :)

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  3. Hi! This is an interesting point of view! I actually never used the shower stuff... I somehow feel unclean... but now almost all places in Japan use this kind of toilet. It is hard to find the place where uses the regular toilet, you know!!!

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  4. I wonder if most Japanese use that feature?

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  5. Once you try it, there is no going back.

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  6. Really? I am a little nervous to try that feature. I had a brief experience the one time but that was it.

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  7. You know if you installed some cameras and imposed this on really drunk people without their knowledge it would be priceless!

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  8. That would definitely be something an American would do. If these toilets do become more common in America, you can bet somebody will do that and put it on YouTube.

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  9. The main problem with these types of toilets is adding electrical to the toilet seat.

    Japanese have smaller bottoms than Americans do, so their seats can be more functional than what we have in the USA.

    Not all Japanese homes have this type of seat, although many do. Some have seats covered with cloth so the cold does not hit the person's bottom.

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  10. I love the heated seat.

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  11. Not only would they put it on YouTube but I bet you and I would be the first to comment on it - lol

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