Latest news with #toilet
New York Times
29-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
The Rise of the Japanese Toilet
In 1982, a peculiar commercial aired on televisions across Japan. An actress in a pink floral dress and an updo drops paint on her hand and futilely attempts to wipe it off with toilet paper. She looks into the camera and asks: 'Everyone, if your hands get dirty, you wash them, right?' 'It's the same for your bottom,' she continues. 'Bottoms deserve to be washed, too.' The commercial was advertising the Washlet, a new type of toilet seat with a then-unheard-of function: a small wand that extended from the back of the rim and sprayed water up. After its release, Toto, the Washlet's maker, was deluged with calls and letters from viewers shocked by the concept. They were also angry that it was broadcast during evening prime time, when many were sitting down for dinner. Four decades later, Japan has overwhelmingly accepted Toto's innovation. Washlet-style bidets, sold by Toto and a few smaller rivals, are a common feature in Japan's offices and public restrooms and account for more than 80 percent of all household toilets, according to government surveys. Toto now sees a similar shift emerging in the United States. After decades of trying to persuade leery American consumers of the merits of bidets, Toto Washlets have become something of a social phenomenon — popping up on social media tours of five-star hotels and celebrity homes. The comedian Ali Wong devoted a segment of her 2024 Netflix special to Toto's 'magical Japanese toilet.' In 2022, the rapper Drake gifted four Totos to the artist DJ Khaled. An industry report last year showed that more than two in five renovating homeowners in the United States are choosing to install toilets with specialty features, including bidet toilet seats. Toto's profits in its Americas housing equipment business have grown more than eightfold over the past five years — and the company has its sights on expanding even more. 'I could have never imagined how popular Washlets would become overseas,' said Shinya Tamura, a former Washlet engineer who was recently appointed Toto's president. But as was the case with Washlets in Japan, 'once the fire is lit, they tend to hit a J curve,' he said. Toto was founded in 1917 in Kitakyushu, an industrial port city at the tip of Japan's southernmost main island. Like many Japanese companies, Toto excelled at adopting and refining overseas technologies, such as Western-style seated flush toilets, for the Japanese market. In the 1960s, Toto noticed a little-known bidet-like device being used in the medical industry in the United States. It began redeveloping the device in Japan, enlisting more than 300 employees to test and optimize aspects like the water stream's flow, angle and temperature. The Toto Washlet first appeared in 1980. At the time, the product had three primary functions: washing, drying and a heated seat. It was expensive, costing the equivalent of about $2,000 in today's currency, and early models were known to sometimes spray inspectors in the face. The Japanese public was slow to warm to the devices. It took Toto 18 years to sell its first 10 million Washlets. But Toto added features — deodorizing in 1992 and automatic flushing and lid opening in 2003 — and sales picked up. In current models, the water spray is kept at a precise 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit, a temperature the company describes as 'warm but not surprising.' Toto sold another 10 million Washlets between 2019 and mid-2022 and has maintained a similar pace of sales since. Its all-time Washlet sales now exceed 60 million. The rise of Toto Washlets makes sense in the cultural context of Japan, said Masako Shirakura, an industry analyst and an executive member of the Japan Toilet Association. In contrast to Western countries, where toilets are sometimes mocked and generally accepted as being dirty, toilets tend to be more respected in Japan, Ms. Shirakura said. This traces back to a belief in Japan that gods or spirits reside in all things, even household objects like toilets, she said. Japan has also built a brand of capitalism, Ms. Shirakura said, that seeks to transform even minor inconveniences of modern life into business opportunities. This is evident in heated toilet seats, self-filling bathtubs and notebooks with ringed spines that flatten to avoid poking one's hands while writing. 'Japan has a very strong culture of endlessly challenging these types of things, and that's why it has been able to evolve and perfect things like Washlets,' Ms. Shirakura said. Toto-style bidet toilets first spread to Japan's neighbors, including South Korea and Taiwan. After they expanded to China in 1994, the country quickly became Toto's top overseas market, but sales outside Asia remained elusive. When Toto began selling Washlets in the United States in 1989, it encountered many of the same hurdles it faced early on in Japan. The company was shut out of magazines and upscale malls that were reluctant to run advertisements for toilets, said Mr. Tamura, the president of Toto. He recalls a 2007 backlash in New York from a Washlet billboard in Times Square displaying a row of naked backsides. By the late 2010s, Toto had built an American sales network for its Washlets, using local business partnerships, listings on Amazon and Costco store shelves. However, it was having to rely mostly on word-of-mouth marketing, and demand lagged. Toto's annual sales in its Americas housing equipment business were stuck under $300 million — less than half of its Chinese proceeds at the time. The company saw a big shift when the Covid-19 pandemic started in 2020. During nationwide lockdowns, Americans struggling to get toilet paper began flocking to Washlets. In 2020, Toto Washlet sales in North America nearly doubled from the year prior. That boom has carried forward, even after toilet paper stocks have replenished, Mr. Tamura said. Toto has also benefited from record numbers of tourists descending on Japan and becoming converts. Ryan Gregory, a biology professor at the University of Guelph in Canada, experienced Washlets for the first time during a recent trip to Japan. Initially, he was apprehensive. 'It's not a region of your anatomy that you're used to having sprayed for most of us,' Mr. Gregory said. 'I think fairly quickly you realize that North American toilets are vastly inferior.' After leaving Japan, Mr. Gregory bought two Toto Washlets for his home. The Washlets have become a hit with visiting friends and family, he said: 'Now it's very much the case that anywhere we go it's like, 'Ugh it's not even heated, what are we doing here?'' More recently, Toto, like many international businesses, has had to navigate the whiplash of President Trump's trade policies. Toto manufactures most of the Washlets it sells in the United States in Thailand and Malaysia, countries that Mr. Trump has threatened with additional tariffs of more than 20 percent. Mr. Trump's tariffs, if enacted, would most likely force Toto to raise its prices in the United States, Mr. Tamura said. Even so, he said, Toto sees plenty of room for growth, since Washlet-style bidets still account for only about 2.5 percent of American toilets. 'Even with tariffs, the United States will be the biggest growth market for us,' Mr. Tamura said, adding that Toto is not changing its target of more than doubling its Washlet sales in the United States by the end of 2027. He shared another personal goal: 'As revenge, I kind of want to try Times Square again.'
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Yahoo
Carnival Cruise Line shares strict bathroom warning
Cruise lines have signs, videos, songs and warnings all designed to stop passengers from flushing things down the toilet. They start with the obvious ones like diapers and feminine hygiene products, which you're also not supposed to flush at home, but some people probably do. They also include items that nobody considers flushable, like keys, various toys, bananas and wallets. Those items should not need to be on the list, but they have likely been flushed often enough that the cruise line wants to call them is, however, a large grey area when it comes to the differences between cruise-ship plumbing and at-home plumbing. People at home can generally use whatever toilet paper they want: two-ply, three-ply or even four-ply (which may not exist). And Wet Wipes, both the brand name ones and the generic ones, can be flushed. On a cruise ship, however, that's not the case, and many people don't realize this. Cruise passengers should flush only the terrible, cheap, thin, scratchy toilet paper the cruise line provides or they risk a major problem. . One Carnival Cruise Line passenger attacked Brand Ambassador John Heald regarding the bathroom situation on its cruise ships. "Wet Wipes are what many of us use John! Where do we put them? Why doesn't Carnival provide those scented disposable bags that are used for diapers or dog poop so we can put the used ones in them for the cleaners to take away?" they asked. Now, never mind that the room stewards probably aren't too eager to have to do that. There are deeper reasons the cruise line does not allow any sort of wet wipe. "If you flush wet wipes down the toilet, then it will block your toilet and the toilets in the cabin section, too, sometimes 20 plus. Please do not flush anything down the toilet except the paper we provide. The end," Heald simple answer should end the discussion — but it likely won't since the original poster made clear they did not believe that wet wipes are not safe to use. He cites a post that incited his post, which is not seen on Heald's page. "The author is a charter member of the cruise boards and a marine engineer. He clearly says that wet wipes break down almost immediately and will not clog the ship's toilet systems," they passengers seemed eager to share their own bathroom habits. "Very easy to fix this issue," wrote Trudy Lepera. "Wipe with toilet paper like you normally would, then at end when toilet tissue is pretty much clean when wiping, then use your wet one so you can feel clean more, and wrap the wet one that has no visible poo on it because remember it's just at the end you use the wet one ... wrap it with tissue and throw it in the trash." Others say the cruise line has already provided for disposal. "You can also use the little bags they provide for ladies monthly use products," posted Darleen Davis Cherry. "They are provided in the cabin bathrooms and if you run out, you just ask your steward for more. Simple." Amy Martin wasn't that nice about her her solution. "Dear Miss Entitlement, go to Dollar Tree and buy a roll of dog poo bags. It's not that hard to solve this issue," she wrote. Stezy Butcher has no tolerance for people who break these rules. "This should be right up there with smoking in your room. If you get caught, it should be a fine," she posted. More on travel: Low-cost airline to pull all Hawaii flights amid low demand Government issues new travel advisory on popular beach destination Another country just issued a new visa requirement for visitors Monique Schaefer tried to be a voice of reason. "I am often shocked by people's ignorance," she wrote. "Living in an older home, I had to explain to my permanent guest that flushable wipes cannot be flushed in this house. I've had so many plumbers tell me the nightmares of clearing clogged pipes because of flushable wipes and other flushable sanitary products. Just use the provided and put the other stuff in the trash." (The Arena Group will earn a commission if you book a cruise.) , or email Amy Post at or call or text her at 386-383-2472.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Moment baffled Man Utd fan gets trapped in toilet in Bilbao and is left soaked by self-cleaning system
MAN, loo, disunited - a Red Devils fan saw a Bilbao toilet turn into an escape room - before he was drenched by its self-cleaning device. The soggy supporter suffered a double whammy as he matched United's Europa League final loss to Spurs with his own undignified de-throning. 3 3 The man went viral for his unexpected mishap as he posted a clip of his own cubicle quandary. It all stemmed from Bilbao City Council installing a host of automatic public restrooms. Once a toilet user leaves a stall, the system is activated. Pressurized water and disinfectants gush in to clean the interior. Or that's the theory. On this occasion the travelling fan had his own ideas - or lack of them. He can be seen in his own video looking bemused as he's soaked while still inside the cubicle. At one stage he couldn't hold it in any more as he yelled out: 'What the f***? What is going on? "Oh my God, what the f***? All I wanted was a p***." He did attempt to avoid more showery carnage to his clothes - by trying to evade the water jets. But he ended up hopping onto a step with sodden pants as he confirmed: 'My legs just got p****d off wet!' Son Heung-min hit in head by TROPHY as Tottenham celebrate Europa League victory over Man Utd United's 1-0 defeat to fellow Prem flops Spurs might have distracted him from his personal misfortune when he finally made it out of Spain. But unlike the Red Devils he did win something in midweek - online fame. He even made it the smallest room with a review - as he posted his verdict: "Weirdest toilet ever." Admittedly the fan didn't give the toilet any stars - but he did add two emojis, albeit of the crying with laughter variety. TikTok users sympathised, with one saying: "HAHAHAHAHA the car wash... You have to leave before... although I'm also scared being from Bilbao." Another told him what he must surely now know: "You're supposed to get out mate, those bathrooms are programmed to get cleaned after usage." It all took place in a cubicle - so it didn't count as a Europa Leek Urinal. In contrast, it was in a cauldron, the San Memes, and in the Europa League final, where United went down the pan - blowing their last chance to offset a dreadful Prem season.
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Daily Mail
People are only just realising there's a hidden feature in airplane bathrooms that they never knew existed
A surprising hidden feature in some plane toilet has left passengers with their 'mind blown'. The little-known item was exposed in a video shared to Instagram by traveller @helenespassport. In the video, the traveller films herself in the plane toilet as she prepares to throw a bit of tissue in the bin. But instead of pushing down the lid of the small countertop bin to throw away her rubbish, she uses a small pedal on the floor of the cubicle to operate the bin's lid. Helene says: 'Mind-blown! There's actually a button to open the trash bin in an airplane bathroom. Who knew?' In her caption video, she adds: 'Most people have no idea this exists. Ever struggled to throw something away in an airplane bathroom? 'Instead of awkwardly pushing the flap, look for the [hidden] button. On several planes, the trash bin has a small button or latch. 'It's not always as obvious as this one and it can be a bit more hidden, which is why so many people end up pushing the wrong spot!' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Helene Jansen | Adventure travel (@helenespassport) In the video, the traveller films herself in the plane toilet as she prepares to throw a bit of tissue in the bin. But instead of pushing down the lid of the small countertop bin to throw away her rubbish, she uses a small pedal on the floor of the cubicle to operate the bin's lid But while Helene was impressed by the 'hidden' feature, she warns: 'This is unfortunately not on all planes, but totally should be.' And the commenters seemed to agree. 'Lazycrazytravelers' says: 'Very few aircrafts have this option. But they should all have it!' While another user adds: 'I've been on dozens of planes [since I saw this] and I'm convinced these pedals don't exist.'
CBC
11-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
New study shows smartphone use in bathrooms could lead to hemorrhoids: Dr. Peter Lin
Could your smartphone be contributing to an uncomfortable problem? Dr. Peter Lin talks about a new study that shows why scrolling on the toilet isn't the best idea.
