Japanese toilet: what he was and how he became

Still some fifty years ago, Japan lay in ruins after the war. However, the wise domestic policy and diligence of its citizens made a miracle: the country literally rose from the ashes and quickly became one of the most economically developed in the world. Specialization of Japan has become technology that has been introduced into all spheres of life, up to the most intimate. So, how are Japanese toilets arranged? Let no one bother this topic, it is quite interesting and very important.

Traditional Japanese dressing room

As you know, the East is a delicate matter. And this applies not only to the worldview and mentality, but also to many adaptations, which Western people have a completely different view. For example, you can take hygienic habits, for example, the installation of a toilet. This is now with the phrase "Japanese toilet" we are something high-tech, but in fact very recently the situation was completely different.

Traditional Japanese toilet is just a hole in the floor, above which you have to squat down to get rid of the need. In this room or in front of it there are always special slippers used to maintain cleanliness. Even now they can be seen if you go to a Japanese public restroom, but in houses it's usually quite different.

So, how did this side of life develop in the Land of the Rising Sun throughout its long history? It is very interesting to see what happened before and how it turned out as it is now.

Evolution of the Japanese toilet

Before the local population began to lead a largely sedentary lifestyle, people used as usual garbage pits, which were also dumped by corpses, food debris, etc. According to the first mention of the toilets in the cities, they were arranged in the form of rectangular Depths through which water flowed, carried away all sewage into the canals that flowed into the rivers. The second type was the so-called kava, which were located on special bridges. There everything was arranged even easier: just holes in the floor above the river. Finally, this kind of toilets disappeared only in the middle of the XX century, and before that they were preserved only in remote parts of the country. Later, in rich houses, another Japanese toilet appeared, which was mobile. It was a wooden box with ash or coal placed inside the adsorbent. The servants moved him around the house to those who needed him, and helped to manage the need. Already in the XIII century there was a separate toilet room with appliances that are now considered traditional. Finally, the next step was the copying of the European type toilet, which the Japanese improved, while simultaneously combining it with the bidet. Now such a toilet can be found in 92% of homes throughout the Land of the Rising Sun.

Curiosity is also caused by toilet paper. Outside cities for the purpose of hygiene, leaves or algae were usually used. More wealthy people could afford to use the device called "mokkan" for this. The fact is that city officials used wooden signs for different purposes. When what was written on them was no longer needed, the top layer was scraped off, so that you could make notes again. After several such treatments, the plates were completely thinned, and then they were used for hygiene and called "moccans". When paper production became cheaper, old habits are a thing of the past. Today, this type of goods involves a huge variety. Toilet paper is made of several layers, with patterns, perfumed, completely soluble in water, etc.

How is everything arranged?

By itself, the toilet, as a rule, is quite ordinary, the focus is only in the toilet seat, connected to the water supply and electricity. It is he who provides all the comfort that the toilet room offers. The need to improve the European toilet is well explained by Inax, which is engaged in the development and production of high-tech covers. According to the representatives of this firm, the toilet is the only place in the Japanese house where a person can be alone with himself. And there he needs to provide maximum comfort. As a result, instead of a plum-lever that is understandable to any person, we have a panel with buttons, next to which not always the inscriptions are duplicated in English, not always the icons. Push them at random is not worth it, it may not end very well. It is best to study the instruction in advance or at least to familiarize yourself with the basic functions that a modern toilet has. Japanese learning is completely useless.

Varieties

A high-tech Japanese toilet can still be divided into several types according to different criteria. First, now there are models that can be controlled by buttons, from the console and even from a special application on the smartphone. Secondly, in order to economize the resources, the toilet bowl can be combined with a sink, so that the water that a person shampoo hands after sending out natural needs will also serve to drain sewage.

Also, of course, the number of functions varies. It can only be a hygienic shower or at once a lot of various features like compulsory purification after each use, backlighting at night and so on. The cost directly depends on this.

Main functions

The first thing that impresses any European is the bidet. The Japanese, who live in small apartments, obviously do not want to spend space on a few hygienic devices, and therefore decided to combine everything needed in one. That is why the Japanese toilet is quite capable of coping with the bidet function. It is possible to set the temperature, direction and intensity of the jet. So, the Japanese female toilet acts much softer. A special hair dryer is also provided.

The second necessary function was the heated seat. The fact is that heating a home is a serious expense for an ordinary Japanese. They prefer to save on this, although in the cold season it sometimes causes serious inconvenience. Nevertheless, the toilet must be warm, so heating the seat is so important.

Opening and closing the lid - automatically or by command - is also a pretty demanded function, you do not have to do it with your hands, which helps keep the cleanliness. Well, certainly in Japanese families infrequently the couple quarrel because of uncompleted or unopened lids.

Another feature, especially evident among young girls, is extreme shyness. Smells and sounds inherent in the process of coping with the need, embarrass, although they are natural. That is why often in the process of using the toilet room you can turn on the music or sounds of water bubbling, as well as forced ventilation in the place of a source of unpleasant odor, that is, in the toilet itself.

Additionally

More advanced and expensive models assume a number of other functions. Those that are controlled by smartphones, can maintain visitor statistics. Also, taking into account the needs of the aging population, modern toilet bowls can collect information about the properties of urine and feces and send them to the nearest medical center for analysis.

There are also built-in sensors for presence and landing. If necessary, they can signal that a person is in the toilet too much time.

Control

This part frightens any European who first encountered a high-tech toilet. But if we talk about the basic set of functions, managing a modern Japanese toilet is not so difficult.

The most noticeable button is usually "stop". It has a square on it, so it's easy to recognize it.

The functions of washing and bidet, as a rule, are depicted in the form of water jets aimed at schematic men and women. Nearby there may be buttons that regulate the temperature and intensity of the jet.

Another key, which is present on the control panel most often, is accompanied by a pattern in the form of notes. As you might guess, when you press it, music or other sounds turn on.

So, managing the basic functions is not so difficult. When it comes to special consoles, displays or applications for smartphones, things can be not so simple, but, fortunately, the Japanese understand the realities of the modern world, so the inscriptions are often duplicated in English.

Cost

It is believed that the luxury of the Japanese toilet is not available to Europeans because of the high cost. However, this is not quite true. Simple caps, which have a basic set of functions, can be purchased for 20-30 thousand rubles. Of course, this is difficult to call a budget solution, but you do not need to work for such a toilet all your life. The upper price threshold of 300-500 thousand for a state-of-the-art cyberunitaz with a maximum set of functions, a self-cleaning surface and antibacterial coating will be provided only by very well-to-do connoisseurs of comfort.

About useful

Absolutely all toilets in Japan are free. Local culture suggests that demanding money for the opportunity to meet needs is like taking a charge for air. So the Japanese toilet can be found in the cities almost at every step and if necessary use it, without having a penny.

There is one more important feature that you should remember about when you are going to visit Japan. It's about special slippers that need to be worn before you go to the bathroom. In no case can you stay in the same shoe that is used to move around the rest of the apartment. Typically, these slippers are located directly in front of the toilet and signed accordingly. Of course, when you return, you must not forget to change your shoes again.