Japanology Plus - Toilets

(traditional Japanese music)

- [Narrator] In Japan, toilets
with an electronic bidet

and a heated seat are very common.

Easy cleaning features
are among the innovations

that keep appearing.

The lid of your toilet
may rise automatically

and this is how you flush.

Toilets in Japan date back 2,000 years.

They have evolved with
the passing centuries.

Trends today include toilets
for the elderly and infirm

or for use after a disaster.

This time on "Japanology
Plus," our topic is toilets

and what they mean to the Japanese.

(traditional Japanese music)

(upbeat music)

- Hello, and welcome
to "Japanology Plus."

I'm Peter Barakan.

This probably feels a little bit surreal,

a self flushing toilet.

I'm in a toilet showroom
as you can probably tell.

Over 80% of Japanese households

now have toilets with heated seats,

which even open as you approach
them and electronic bidets,

features that are even
common now in public toilets.

These kinds of high-tech
toilets that you find in Japan

are also becoming popular
with foreign visitors

and they could well be major contributors

to the Japanese economy in the future.

Let's start off today with a
look at the kind of toilets

that you'll find in Japan right now.

- [Narrator] Two million toilets a year

are manufactured in Japan.

90% are sit-down toilets.

10% are squat toilets.

Old fashioned Japanese toilets
are used by crouching down.

Some Japanese consider
sit-down toilets unhygienic

because there is direct
contact with the toilet seat.

So, squat toilets do still exist.

Most sit-down toilets made these days

have numerous features.

The most famous are a heated
seat and built in bidet.

At the push of a button, a nozzle extends

and sprays warm water to wash the user.

The heated seat makes this style of toilet

very comfortable in winter.

Here, the lid lifts
automatically when you approach.

The user doesn't have to touch it.

The toilet also flushes automatically

when the user stands up.

It senses the type of waste

and adjusts the amount of water
for the flush accordingly.

(toilet flushing)

Some toilets have features
that make them easier to clean.

This entire section lifts up,

so that hard to clean
areas can be reached.

(upbeat music)

Some models even spray foam into the bowl

when the seat is raised.

This foam muffles sound
and prevents splashback

when a stream of liquid hits the water.

When you sit down on this toilet,

it automatically plays music.

You can even select the song.

(classical music)

How are such high-tech toilets
used in ordinary households?

In Japan, the toilet is generally

not in the same room as the bath.

People put on special
slippers to use the room

containing the toilet.

It was traditionally
considered an unclean space.

In Japan, reflecting a widespread
preference to cover items,

people often put a soft cover
on the toilet seat and lid.

The toilet, of course,
features a heated seat

and electronic bidet.

The room has a wall
calendar and a bookshelf.

You'll often see flowers
and other knickknacks.

As in other countries,
leafing through a book

or looking at something attractive

makes the toilet a great place to relax

and not just a functional space.

- Surrounded by all this
space age commode technology,

I'm on my way to meet our
guest for today who is,

hello, Mr. Shiohiko Takahashi.

Thank you very much for joining
us on the program today.

- Thank you very much.

- [Narrator] Shiohiko
Takahashi is an architect

and a leading researcher and
designer of attractive toilets.

He has surveyed public
toilets all over Japan.

- Toilet technology in
Japan seems to be far ahead

of anywhere else in the world.

Why do you think that is?

- [English VO] Japan
has hot, humid summers,

so, things can decay pretty quickly.

Avoiding smells and so on is
an important consideration

in daily life.

People try hard to have
clean, hygienic surroundings

at all times.

We are fussy about cleanliness;
that's how we're raised.

A lot of people also
hate being embarrassed.

They're self-conscious.

They really don't like it if
other people can hear anything

when they're relieving themselves.

So toilet manufacturers also
offer sound masking devices.

These help to cover the
sounds that are inevitable

when using the toilet.

This idea has actually
been around for centuries.

- [Peter] Really?

- [Takahashi English VO] Yes.

It was considered improper
for the sound of a lady

relieving herself to be audible to others.

A servant would release a flow
of water to mask the noise.

Self-consciousness is
deeply rooted in Japan.

- [Narrator] So, a
self-conscious aristocracy

played a part in the
development of toilets in Japan.

- [Takahashi VO] The food culture
of Japan is a factor too.

Japanese people have a diverse diet

with lots of vegetables and fiber.

That tends to result in softer stools

than with a typical Western diet,

at least that's what some people say.

- [Peter] Really?

- [Takahashi VO] Anyway, for centuries,

the Japanese just used
paper to wipe themselves.

- [Narrator] An experiment demonstrates

why an electronic bidet was adopted.

Here, we have a plastic
board with scratches.

Paint stands in for a soft stool.

First, the paint is wiped
away using toilet paper.

It's very difficult to
wipe off all the paint

due to its runny consistency.

In the scratched areas, it clings.

Now, a squirt gun standing
in for the electronic bidet

is used to clean the board.

It washes away most of the paint.

With soft stools, water
cleansing is more efficient

and hygienic than paper wiping.

That is what drove the
development of high-tech toilets

with an electronic bidet.

- Japanese toilets also feature,

this is not mechanical, but on the walls,

people will put up posters
with mechanical formulas

or the periodic, the
chemical tables, you know,

stuff for kids to learn.

I mean, you kind of
wonder how much time

are people spending in the toilet?

- [Takahashi VO] We use the
toilet roughly five times a day.

In today's Japan, men live
to the age of 80 on average.

That works out at 150,000 to
200,000 visits to the toilet.

Convert that to time

and it's 8 to 11
months spent on the toilet.

It would be a shame not to make the toilet

a nice place to be.

So, as well as improving
the toilet itself,

we want to consider the
environment around the toilet.

People have thought of
various improvements.

The family tends to
gather in the living room.

It's a busy place.

But once you're in the toilet,

you're alone; it's a
totally private space.

It's also a small space, so
what can you do in there?

Read a book, memorize equations.

For a few moments, it's
like your very own room.

That makes it important.

- [Narrator] The history
of toilets in Japan

dates back over 2,000 years.

The toilets that emerged in those days

were platforms placed over streams.

By about 1,000 years ago,
a growing urban population

made the use of streams impractical.

So, the aristocracy began using a new type

of toilet from China.

Portable boxes served as chamber pots.

After the box was used,

the waste would be buried
somewhere outdoors.

But the common people would
simply relieve themselves

in any empty space or by the road

and that led to frequent
outbreaks of disease.

This state of affairs
changed in the 13th century

when it was noticed that human
waste made good fertilizer

and could dramatically
increase crop yields.

It was a major discovery

and it prompted the
invention of a Japanese style

of bucket latrine.

Beneath the toilet was a
bucket to collect night soil,

as it is sometimes called in English,

which would then be used as fertilizer.

By the 17th century,

the reuse of night soil was
a thriving business activity.

Landlords of townhouses
for urban residents

would sell their tenants'
night soil to farmers.

This created a human
waste processing cycle

between city and country

and greatly improved sanitary conditions.

When Japan opened up in the 19th century,

Western style toilets arrived.

Made of ceramic, they
were much easier to clean

than wooden Japanese toilets
and thus, more sanitary.

Ceramic versions of Japanese-style

squat toilets soon appeared.

Later, squat-style bucket latrine toilets

became the mainstream.

Japan's 20th century economic boom

brought modern sewers
and chemical fertilizer.

Latrines for night soil
were gradually replaced

by Western-style flush toilet.

Then in the bubble years of the 1980s,

toilets with heated seat

and electronic bidet became widespread.

Originally invented in the
U.S. for medical purposes,

this design was improved
and applied to toilets

for general use and
became standard in Japan.

- We're at a public junior
high school in Tokyo

and we've come to inspect their toilets.

The idea of looking at school toilets

is not something that I
would normally think of.

Why are we here?

- [Takahashi VO] Recently,
there have been great

improvements in school toilets,
including the ones here.

So, I thought you'd like to see them.

School toilets in the past
were dark, dirty and smelly.

A lot of students really
didn't like using them.

Even today, partly because
of self-consciousness,

research indicates that 40% of students

don't want to defecate at school.

Students find defecating
especially embarrassing.

If they do defecate,

they may even end up
being shunned or teased.

So, a lot of young people
don't want to use the toilets

at school, but now great
improvements are changing that.

Of course, all administrators
see the educational

and health value of better toilets.

So, there was widespread
acknowledgement

of the need to improve them.

- All right, let's go and
see what kind of improvements

have been made and we
have Kawakami-San here

who's a teacher at the school,

who's gonna show us the works.

- [Kawakami English VO]
Thank you, yes.

Let me show you.

This way, please.

- [Narrator] First stop, the boys' toilet.

- [Kawakami English VO] The urinals
are along a curved wall,

so that when boys urinate,

what they're doing is somewhat shielded

from the eyes of other boys

and there is a privacy wall here, too.

Students who have that privacy
feel less self-conscious.

- How did you decide on the design?

- [Kawakami VO] This school
was rebuilt eight years ago.

We took that chance to survey students.

Teachers and architects
then discussed the results.

- And what's your impression
of the toilets at this school?

- [Male Student 1 English VO]
They're very clean.

- [Takahashi VO] Are these
toilets less embarrassing

to use now?

- [Male Student 1 VO] Yes, much less.

- [Takahashi VO] How come?

- [Male Student 1 VO] Because nobody
else can see when you go.

There's that new wall and everything.

- [Narrator] Now on to the girls' toilet.

- [Kawakami VO] Here, the
sinks are on a circular island.

If they are in a row, girls are conscious

of other girls looking
at them in the mirror.

This arrangement makes
each mirror more private.

Girls can relax as they fix
their hair, for example,

and there's a bench here
where the students can sit

during breaks between classes

and have their own conversations
without adults listening,

without boys listening.

The toilet bench becomes a leisure space.

- How do the toilets here compare

with the ones in your primary schools?

- [Female Student 1 VO]
These are much better.

Girls hang out there during breaks to talk

and we do our hair and things like that.

- I'm glad they have benches
in the boys' toilets as well,

but this is amazing.

When I was a kid, there
was nothing like this.

- [Takahashi VO] Not
when I was a kid, either.

School toilets are a very important space

in the education of children,

not just a place to relieve themselves,

but also to socialize.

Toilets in office buildings
and shopping complexes

have also been improved.

Nowadays, toilets in office buildings

are where people go to
gather their thoughts,

a place where they can
psych themselves up.

A toilet is a toilet,

but it's not just where
you relieve yourself,

it's a place where you
reset yourself mentally.

That's one thing you can use it for.

At shopping complexes
and department stores,

good toilets are an important
factor in drawing customers.

Good toilets can boost sales,
they have lots of benefits.

In the old days, people didn't
like to talk about toilets.

Now, they are much more in the spotlight.

Renovating toilets to make them appealing

has turned them into
important lifestyle spaces.

- Interesting, really.

Times do change, don't they?

(traditional Japanese beats)

- Hi, I'm Matt Alt, and on
today's episode of "Plus One,"

we're focusing on the topic of toilets

by turns, mundane and fascinating,

and I brought a special guest, Kyle.

- Hey, Matt!

- A student of Japanese culture.

- Always.

- So Kyle, let me ask,

are you a frequent user of
Japanese public restrooms?

- You know what, I've actually never used

a Japanese style toilet before.

- Well, I've got great news for you.

- Okay.
- We have a public restroom

here and it has Japanese
style facilities, so--

- Today might be that day.

- It might be,

let's check it out.
- Okay, let's go.

- [Narrator] Matt and
Kyle are at a rest area

along an expressway in
Kanagawa Prefecture.

- Fortunately, we have
an expert to guide us.

- Oh, really?

- Mr. Ito, nice to meet you.

- [Mr. Ito English VO]
Nice to meet you, too.

This way, please.

Here is our men's toilet.

- [Matt] Ah, and Japanese patterns.

- [Kyle] Oh, yeah, this is
a cool picture right here.

- Oh, wow.
- Wow.

- Very stylish.
- This is amazing.

- [Matt] So, what's the
overall concept here?

- [Ito VO] In centuries past,

this city at Sugi was a staging post.

So, we drew on that
history for the design.

Here are the urinals.

- Ah, yes.

It's very--

- [Kyle] It's very clean,
very modern, very Japanese.

- [Interpreter] These
partitions block the view

of adjoining urinals.

- Well, let's test it out.
- Let's give it a try here.

Nope, I can't see you.
- Yeah, no, you can't see.

- I can't see.
- Can't see you,

I don't want to look, hey,
I can peer over here?

No, it's definitely.
(Kyle laughs)

I noticed...what are these lanterns I see?

- [Ito VO] These indicate
which stalls are free,

red lamps mean in use, white means free.

- Very cool, very cool
- very cool, very Japanese.

- So, can we see inside?

Oh.
- Oh, wow.

- There it is, Kyle.
- There it is.

- The famed squatting
style Japanese toilets.

Are you familiar with
this system of toilet?

- To be honest, no, I've never used one.

- It's pretty simple, you
know, all you have to do is,

is just kind of squat over this.

- [Kyle] Which direction
do you need to be facing?

- You want to face, this is the front.

- Okay.
- This is the front,

the little splash guard here,

so to speak.
- Okay, that makes sense.

- These are actually, I
think, a lot more hygienic

than Western ones
- yeah, you're not touching

anything
- 'cause you're not touching

anything, exactly, so.
- Yeah.

- Let's see.

Yes, yes.
- Yes.

Oh, wow, even a, what is that,
a potty chair for a baby?

- [Kyle] Yeah.

- [Matt] Excellent.

- [Ito English VO] This was
an idea to help serve

foreign visitors at the
time of the Tokyo Olympics

and Paralympics in 2020.

It provides multilingual instructions.

- [Kyle] Oh, that's--

- Wow, it even shows how not to use it.

This is a very international toilet.

- Yes.

- [Ito VO] We've made every effort

to make it as comfortable
as possible for everyone.

- [Narrator] Now, it's
onto a public convenience

in Saitama Prefecture.

We're going to see a multi-purpose toilet

that is intended for anyone to use.

- Oh, wow.

- [Kyle] Wow.

- [Matt] This is like
the size of my bedroom.

- [Kyle] Yeah.

- [Satoru Kubota English VO]
The space is big enough

to accommodate a wheelchair user.

- What is this?

Have you ever seen
anything like this before?

- No, never.

- It's a kind of strange looking sink.

- [Satoru Kubota English VO] This is
actually a fixture that

enables people with a colostomy
bag to dispose of waste.

That's what it's used for.

- Right, right, right.

And what is this?

This is interesting.

- I've never seen anything like that.

- [Kubota VO] A fitting
board for changing clothes.

- [Matt] Oh, for changing your clothes.

- [Kubota VO]] Not just
your own, your child's,

for example, or a woman
could change laddered tights

and so on.

- Interesting.

- Wow, yeah.

- [Narrator] Next stop,
the toilet of the commuter

rail station in Chiba.

Why is it surrounded by a black fence?

A railway employee will explain.

- Oh.

(Matt and Kyle laugh)

Well, this is a toilet.

- [Kyle] It's certainly a toilet,

I don't know if it's a bathroom.

- [Interpreter] A toilet
in the great outdoors.

- Oh, wow.
- Oh yeah.

- And this is something I
didn't see from far away,

but this is a glass enclosure here.

- Yes.

- [Attendant English VO] Open the
curtain, enjoy nature.

- Oh wow, you can customize it.

- Oh, there's a curtain.

Why?
- Why?

- Why did you build this?

- [Attendant VO] Two years
ago, there was an art event

in the area around Ichihara City.

This toilet was built as
one of the installations.

- Okay, now I get to sit down here.

- [Matt] How do you feel, buddy?

- From this view, you can't see,

you're totally in the forest.

There's no signs of
civilization from this angle.

- [Attendant VO] The toilet
has a lovely view of flowers,

lots of greenery and beautiful
leaves in the autumn,

a year-round appeal.

- So, we saw a lot of toilets today, Kyle,

- We did.
- What do you think?

- I thought it was really amazing.

I didn't know, not just the toilets,

but like, the bathrooms like this existed.

I think it's really a good
merging of Japanese culture.

You know, you have the technology aspect

and then you also have the scenery,

the nature aspect.
- Yeah.

Well, thanks for coming out.

- Thanks for inviting me.

Thank you.
- No problem.

And next time you come to Japan,

keep an eye out for different
bathrooms like this.

You never know when
you're gonna need to go.

See you next time.

- [Narrator] There is now
a growing demand in Japan

for nursing care toilets,

mobile flush toilets that can
be brought to the bedside.

Installation is simple,

you just connect a
narrow hose to the drain.

It can be moved around
and set up anywhere.

Even some people with limited mobility

can easily and quickly get
onto it without assistance.

- [Yoshinori Kuwahara English VO] Of course,
there are conventional bedpans,

but they get dirty

and you can't flush away
the waste each time.

Our toilets can be used
exactly like a regular toilet.

That's quite a big plus for
people receiving nursing care

and their caregivers.

It reduces concerns for everyone.

So, this kind of toilet has
acquired a great reputation.

(toilet flushing)

- [Narrator] This mobile flush toilet

that can be stationed at the bedside

took 10 years to develop.

The key innovation was a
system to break up solid waste

finely enough to pass down a narrow hose.

Japan's population
continues to age rapidly.

Demand for nursing care toilets is rising.

These are chemical toilets
for use after a disaster.

Simply unpack the seat, place it on a box

and it's ready for use.

This toilet was developed to address

any shortage of toilets after a disaster

when long waits for use may
lead to urinary infections.

An easy personal toilet
product was needed.

This consists of a frame seat assembly

and a cardboard box for a receptacle.

This toilet contains sawdust
instead of treatment chemicals

and uses microbial action
to break down waste.

Designed for settings where
no electricity is available,

the user mixes the waste with the sawdust.

The toilet can handle up
to two weeks worth of waste

from a family of five.

Another type of disaster toilet

is placed directly over a manhole.

This addresses two challenges,

toilet shortages and waste disposal.

First, a chair for the toilet
is placed over the manhole.

The design allows the waste to drop

directly down into the sewer.

Set up a tent around the chair

and the manhole toilet is complete.

A growing number of
companies and municipalities

are installing manholes
specifically for use

as a disaster toilet.

In Japan, new designs
continue to be developed

to make the toilet experience
more comfortable for everyone.

- Ooh, goes down quite a long way.

- [Takahashi VO] You might
think we've gone far enough

with features, but I think

there's still room for development.

Think about how many
toilets we need around town

as we go about our lives.

If convenience stores
had nice, clean toilets,

more people could go out walking
because in a Japanese city,

there's a convenience store
every few hundred meters.

We should put accessible,
universal design toilets

in every convenience store.

Then, the elderly and disabled
could use those toilets, too.

That's the kind of
society I'd like to see.

- Well, sometimes you need
to dive into a toilet,

you know, just because nature calls,

but there may be other times.

I mean, when you're in a big city

and you can get stressed out,

sometimes it's a small,
quiet, enclosed space,

you know, it has its appeal, I think.

- [Takahashi VO] The toilet is
the ultimate private space.

There's no one watching you there,

you can do what you need to do.

That's the appeal.

It's the same at home.

People use their toilet as a quiet space

with books and flowers and so on.

It's a place for quiet reflection,

a bit like Rodin's "The Thinker."

The toilet is a source of new ideas.

[chuckles]

Home toilets tend to reflect
the taste of that household.

It's much more than just
a matter of functionality.

I believe that good toilets
help people to enjoy life more.

- Thank you very much.

- [Takahashi VO] Thank you.

(traditional Japanese music)

- [Narrator] Next time, bridges,

which need to be tough
to withstand floods.

We look at the history of bridges

and techniques used to help
them cope with disaster.