Toilets in Japan

When you come to Japan for the first time, you’ll encounter many strange things, like square watermelons (which are grown inside wooden frames), avocado flavored Doritos and Colonel Sanders standing outside every KFC to greet you as you go in. You’ll also discover some really interesting toilets, some of which are good (when they clean your butt for you after you’re done), while others present challenges for gaijin. The biggest problem is figuring out how to use a 和式トイレ washiki toire or Japanese-style toilet, which you squat over rather than sit on, and the first time you use one you never know which direction to face, how to balance without falling over, etc. While Japanese still prefer the seatless toilets in public (since you can do your business without touching anything delicate), they’re on their way out in homes, as Japanese style toilets aren’t that pleasant or easy to use, especially for the elderly. If you’d like to learn more about Japanese toilets, we just happen to have a photobook on the subject in stock today.

Japanese toilets can present challenges to foreigners.