Touring the High Tech Toilets of Japan

What will you think of me when I tell you that the most fascinating thing about Tokyo, where I'm spending the week, is its toilets? No, it's not some weird personal fetish. Japan is a country that's made an experience out of going to the bathroom. The toilet bowls in this country have features that you're unlikely to see anywhere else.

The first thing you notice when you sit down is the temperature of the seat (pleasantly warmed to somewhere between 84 and 104 degrees). For those of you who've never enjoyed a heated toilet seat, you're missing one of life's great pleasures.

Then there's the environmental element. Many of the toilets have two different flush controls depending on the consistency of what it is you're flushing. Of course they have the requisite built-in bidet, a spray of water used for cleansing your bottom. Some have an air dry as well.

One of the toilets I visited lets you play loud or soft flushing sounds. Apparently this became popular because Japanese women were embarrassed by the human sounds that emanated when using a public toilet. The faux flushing sound is like the white noise of the bathroom. The toilets also dispense deodorizers should you feel the need.

The king of luxury toilets in Japan (and now in the U.S.) is Toto. Their top of the line model Washlet (a smart toilet seat) has a built-in wireless remote control for your bathroom LCD, an automatic seat opener that senses your arrival, a wash and air dry for you bottom, and a massager all built in to the toilet seat. See CleanisHappy.com for a tour.

The funny part of Japanese bathroom visits is that when you're not using one of these high tech toilets you're often using a squat hole. A true yin-yang. Don't get me wrong, I've spent lots of time outside of the toilets in Tokyo, but I always take my camera with me when I have to go.