This symbol is all over Japan:
Yes, that is the international symbol for “spray your butt.”
And for the ladies:
Spray your ladyparts while wearing a bike helmet.
This button is either the dry cycle or a close up of ramen noodles.
Toilet shy? No problem—your Japanese toilet also provides a soundtrack to cover embarrassing noises. Press the button with the musical notes for your choice of rushing water, white noise, or a thunderstorm interspersed with bird chirps.
Oh, and the seat is heated.
Are these fancy toilets in 5 star hotels? No, these are run of the mill toilets found in parks, hostels and train stations.
Notice I said parks and train stations because this is important. Toilets are everywhere in Japan. They’re clean! They’re free! I would love them even without the thunderstorm sound tracks.
With all these clean, free public toilets, you’re going to have to follow some rules.
Toilets are for sitting, not for standing on backwards.
Squat toilets are also available, if that’s your preference. Just be sure to aim at the shark fin, but don’t sit on it.
No flashing anything other than toilet paper.
Here’s how to make the flash magic happen.
If that doesn’t work use your ghost hand.
Place your baby in a chair and stare at her while you go. Note, this option only for women, since the men’s rooms did not have baby changing or other child care facilities. (Hmmm, perhaps the country of perfect bathrooms is not so perfect when it comes to women’s equality….)
Picnic at the Cathedral 
When you gotta go, you gotta go.
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I have a bladder the size of a lentil. I always have to go so Japan was a Utopia to me.
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👍👍
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Interesting options.
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I confess I did play a few stressful games of “Where the heck is the flusher?” but mostly the variety of options were pleasing.
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That water pressure button looks tempting…could one leave it on high for the next user?
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Of course you could leave the spay on high for the next user. That, along with the musical choices, could double as a miniature public fountain.
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Oh man, the baby seat is ingenious. Obviously though it should be in both men’s and women’s restrooms! Still sometimes a problem in France for changing tables.
A lot of these rules seem like maybe they’re for people coming from other cultures with squat toilets. Seems like if you’ve never used a sit toilet you could make the mistake of thinking you’re supposed to squat on it.
Btw my parents had toilets like these installed in their home when they redid their bathrooms—heated seats, front and back spray… no background noise though. The heated seats were nice though seem a bit unnecessary in Texas…
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The gender imbalance when it comes to child care is quite obvious in Japan, and not only in the bathrooms. Disappointing to hear it can also be an issue in France.
Once I’ve finally save enough to redo my bathroom I want those toilets your parents have, though I’m skeptical that the vintage plumbing in my building could handle it.
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>men’s rooms did (do) not have baby changing or other child care facilities
Actually, many Men’s Rooms in Japan do have baby seats and diaper changing tables.
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Good to know, thanks. I asked my husband to check and he only saw one baby seat during our trip. Perhaps we wasn’t looking hard enough.
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LOL. Just think of the reactions if the buttons weren’t labeled.
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All those tourist dudes accidentally hitting the lady button and getting a surprise spray on their twigs and berries….
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😲😲😲🚽🚽🚽
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I will never ever get used to the idea of a warm loo seat. It feels far too much like someone has just vacated it.
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Good point. I tried not to think a whole lot about the potential for rogue butt spray that escaped the toilet bowl.
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You gotta love toilet humour. Even when it’s unintentional!
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With me, toilet humor is always intentional 🙂
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Hah!
Coincidentally, I happened last night to catch up a TV airing of the comedy Why Him? (Bryan Cranston, Megan Mullally etc) which not only featured copious, and intentional, toilet humour but also had Japanese toilets as a major star!
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Oh my, now *that* was a fun youtube hole to fall down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiSjPHjwboI
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😄
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My favourite toilets. Whenever I go to Japan I think of bringing one back with me.
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If the flight attendants would allow, I’d bring one in carry on. After all, you’re allowed on “personal item”.
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In seoul, you have to throw the used toilet paper in garbage container. Yea, That’s why the Japanese have their signage…
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That makes sense but now I want to see what the toiled signs look like in Seoul…
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