Who would have thought that a trip to the restroom could be so technologically advanced that you’d think you’re using a toilet on the Starship Enterprise?
In this article, we’ll share 14 amazing Japanese bidets and toilets that provide the ultimate luxury in restroom use, from self-cleaning seats to smartphone-controlled flushing and just about everything in between!
Table of Contents
What is a Japanese toilet?
A Japanese toilet is a distinctive type of toilet that is known worldwide for its advanced engineering and integrated electronics.
These elaborate toilets include ultra-convenient features like self-warming or self-cleaning seats, integrated bidets, and remote controls.
The most famous of the Japanese toilets is the Washlet by Japanese toilet manufacturer TOTO.
Unlike the Western toilet which simply flushes, Washlet toilets include an angled bidet for paper-free cleaning.
This has become the standard for Japanese toilets with over 80% of Japanese households having them.
Read later – Toilet Cleaning in Japan
TOTO Ltd. 株式会社: Japan’s leading bidet toilet producer
An article about Japanese toilets is incomplete without a mention of Japan’s most innovative toilet manufacturer.
TOTO is the company behind many of the amazing toilets featured here and yes, many of these weird and wonderful toilets are available for export and purchase overseas.
TOTO brand profile
| Headquarters | Kitakyushu |
| Founded | 1917 |
| Founder | Kazuchika Okura |
| Products | Toilets Smart toilets Toilet seats Restroom accessories |
| URL | www.totousa.com/ |
| Social Media | www.instagram.com/shiseido/ |
About TOTO
Kazuchika Okura founded Toyo Toki K.K in 1917 after seeing Western toilets and sanitation.
He set up the company and began to produce ceramic toilets to improve the hygiene of Japanese bathrooms and living spaces.
The name Toyo Toki K.K was quickly shortened to TOTO, which stuck as the company name.
TOTO is headquartered in Kitakyushu. Its toilets and electronic hardware are produced in Japan and overseas. TOTO has also acquired other toilet manufacturers, including the German company Pagette, enabling access to European markets.
It has become famous through its various smart toilets including the Washlet toilet-bidet, showing just how clean and convenient a toilet can be.
14 amazing Japanese bidets and toilets
Japan leads the world in remarkable toilet tech and the West is beginning to take notice.
These smart bidet toilets and clever restroom solutions offer the height of convenience and luxury along with much-needed hygiene.
Here are 14 amazing bidets and toilets from Japan that deliver superior toileting.
1. Heated Japanese toilet seats
Japan’s plumbers and electronic engineers have put their minds to solving the problem of freezing cold toilet seats by designing a remarkable self-heating design!
The TOTO Washlet electronic toilet seat with heating ensures that a posterior does not receive a chilly surprise first thing on a winter morning.
Not only will this ‘smart’ toilet seat provide a consistently warm surface to sit on, it also is equipped with a temperature-adjustable warm air dryer to dry you off after your bidet experience!
Everything is controlled by the integrated, wipe-clean remote control to the right of the toilet seat.
2. The Toto Wellness toilet from Japan
If Japan’s leading toilet manufacturer is to be believed, your toilet may soon become your doctor.
The forthcoming ‘Wellness’ series of Japanese bidets and toilets do much more than handle your waste in a sanitary matter.
This ingenious smart toilet, unveiled at CES 2021, is equipped with an array of sensors that can detect concentrations of key substances in stool and urine.
The data generated can be transmitted to a user app that tells the person if there is a potential health problem or provides dietary advice.
3. An audio-equipped Japanese toilet to mask the sound of pee
It is well known that the Japanese are ultra-discrete, so the normal toilet sound has the potential to cause great embarrassment, especially for ladies.
To preserve dignity, some Japanese toilets are equipped with an automated audio speaker that continuously plays the sound of a flushing toilet to mask the sound of taking a pee.
The Keitai Otohime is a popular device that is installed in the toilet for this purpose.
The Otohime not only saves face but saves water too as the sound means that folks don’t have to continually flush the toilet for the sound while they use it!
4. Japanese self-cleaning toilet seats
The Japanese are crazy clean, so it’s no surprise that they lead the world in self-cleaning toilet technology.
Public toilets couldn’t get any more sanitary than this remarkable self-cleaning toilet that not only cleans the seat but hoses down the ENTIRE cubicle!
And this isn’t the only Japanese self-cleaning toilet technology out there.
In Japan, you confidently use the restroom knowing the seat has been cleaned using rotating self-cleansing, or UV sanitizing technologies.
5. Deodorizing toilets from Japan
The Japanese go out of their way to avoid any embarrassment or offense to others, and in a toilet, bad odors can be the most offensive thing of all!
It’s understandable that the toilet technologists who design Japan’s ultra-advanced toilets would want to address the stinky smells that are an inevitable part of restroom use.
Japan has led the way in producing deodorizing toilets, that neutralize odors however stinky.
The action is automated or via an integrated remote control.
Patented Japanese toilet deodorizing technology includes ozone generation, catalysts, powerful suction fans, and automatic aerosol sprays to help folks use the toilet with confidence.
6. The TOTO Washlet
The TOTO Washlet shocked the world with its strange appendage that turned a regular toilet into a functional bidet.
This electronic toilet seat ensures you leave the toilet cubicle fully clean, thanks to the integration of an adjustable spray of warm water that is plumbed into the seat.
The Washlet has been around for over 40 years and has been continuously innovated with the latest smart technology.
In addition to the ‘paper-free’ integrated warm-water bidet, the Washlet includes:
- A remote control
- A pre-mist function to keep the bowl clean
- Automatic air deodorizer
- Warm air dryer
- Self-heating seat
- Soft close lid
The set-up of this toilet seat is surprisingly simple, all you need is a water supply and a nearby 120V outlet.
7. Traditional Japanese toilets
Like many other countries in the world, Japan still retains its old-school squat toilets.
They are often little more than a ceramic-lined, flushable hole in the bathroom floor.
However, despite all the advanced toilet technology, the Japanese are not yet ready to jettison their beloved squat toilets.
Squat toilets are thought to provide a healthy way to use the toilet. The squatting position enables the evacuation of stool without the straining that can cause piles and other health problems.
But studies have shown that squat toilets have dirtier surfaces than their Western counterparts, so you may want to give them a miss in a public washroom.
8. Super-smart Japanese toilet remote controls
If you struggle to operate a dual-flush toilet, you’ll be stumped by the crazy controls on Japanese toilets.
Modern toilets in Japan are frequently wired up with smart technology that delivers precision control on just about every aspect of a visit to the restroom.
Remote controls on Japanese toilets and bidets are elaborate with functions that include:
- Bidet nozzle position control
- Spray temperature and force
- Massage or oscillating spray settings
- Deodorization
- Half or full flush
No comfort is spared and according to users, remote-controlled toilets are the ultimate luxury!
9. Japanese toilets with cistern wash basin
These quirky Japanese toilets aren’t for everyone but the eco-friendly, water-saving approach is admirable.
After using these toilets, you can wash your hand in an integrated sink over the cistern.
Don’t worry, the water is clean and fresh, but it runs straight into the toilet bowl to keep your flush going and save water.
It’s a space-saving, efficient, 2-in-1 design that is slowly being adopted by other countries.
10. Weird Japanese talking toilets
The last thing you’d want to encounter after a night out in Tokyo with extra Asahi is a toilet that starts talking to you!
It’s hard to believe, but Japanese toilet pros TOTO have created the world’s first talking toilet, complete with puns.
This chatty toilet even has a lid that moves in time with its male voice.
Its armrest is equipped with numerous buttons so you can press for jokes or the weather forecast.
The TOTO Neo 2 shown in the video is a prototype that is displayed at the Caretta Shiodome mall in Tokyo.
11. A travel toilet bidet from Japan
Yes. You heard it right. In Japan, you can get your hands on a portable bidet to ensure that you’re clean and fresh on the go!
The TOTO Mobile Toilet Shower is a handheld bidet that has a flask of water and an electric motor, so you can apply a cleaning warm water jet when you use the toilet away from home.
The battery-operated Travel Washlet from TOTO comes with a handy tote and wrist strap.
With dimensions of just 3.6 inches by 2.4 inches (6.1 by 9.1 centimeters), you can easily pack it in your backpack or tote. Simply fill it with water in the restroom just before you go!
12. Japanese smartphone-controlled toilet
Smartphones are already notorious for having ten times more microbes on their surfaces than a typical toilet.
But now there is even more reason to ensure you wet-wipe your smartphone before taking that call.
Japanese toilet company Lixil, has developed a smart toilet that is completely app-controlled.
Using the My Satis app, a toilet user can raise the lid, activate the bidet jet, flush, and even stream music using Bluetooth wireless technology.
The Satis toilet can also diarise toilet use, providing data insights on your toilet habits and advice on managing water and energy use.
13. The Japanese triple-jet super flush
If you’re fed up with inadequate eco flushes when you use the toilet, the Japanese have got you covered!
The Satis Integrated Shower Toilet doesn’t just deliver a humble flush, but powers waste away with a proprietary triple vortex flush.
This powerful flush harnesses three jet streams that cover the entire bowl surface with fresh water for a hygienic flush that keeps everything clean.
In addition, this luxury smart toilet bowl is crafted from a special easy-to-clean, and super-smooth ceramic. This stain-repellant surface known as Aqua Ceramic is non-stick meaning you’ll never encounter a soiled bowl.
14. The Japanese auto-flush
Visiting a Japanese toilet is an almost hands-free experience.
Public restrooms have been designed to provide maximum hygiene and ensure that your hands don’t need to be anywhere near the toilet.
Many advanced Japanese toilet seats have integrated pressure sensors that automatically activate a flush when you get up from the toilet.
Japanese bidets and toilets FAQs
What is Toilet Day in Japan?
What are the Good Toilet Awards?
What is a bidet?
Rounding up
Japan is an excellent example of a country that dramatically improved and advanced its sanitation.
The smart toilets are just an example of the value the Japanese place on cleanliness and discretion.
These remarkable toilets deliver a comfortable and hygienic experience that is being successfully exported around the world!
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