Toilet wars

[thomas]

High-tech royal flush: Japanese betting on 'smart toilets'

"Japan's toilet wars started in February, when Matsushita engineers here introduced a toilet seat equipped with electrodes that send a mild electric charge through the user's buttocks, yielding a digital measurement of body-fat ratio.

Unimpressed, engineers from a rival company, Inax, counterattacked in April with a toilet that glows in the dark and whirs up its lid after an infrared sensor detects a human being. When in use, the toilet plays any of six soundtracks, including chirping birds, rushing water, tinkling wind chimes or the strumming of a traditional Japanese harp."

=> http://www.iht.com/articles/73169.html

[Twisted]

Any place i can order these? The glow in the dark feature rocks. Not sure if it's useful though. :cool:

[thomas]

A glowing toilet seat is very useful, especially after a few beer. Facilitates the landing approach. As background music I'd suggest Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyrie" or Haendel's "Water Music".

[Olivia]

:D
hahaha! what is that???
unbelievable...!
i guess i'd feel embarassed to use the toilet...

[Namashibori]

Originally posted by thomas
"When in use, the toilet plays any of six soundtracks, including chirping birds, rushing water, tinkling wind chimes or the strumming of a traditional Japanese harp."
Muahahahaahahahahaa!
:D

[Olivia]

even though it's hilarious, i can't believe how they can invest money on R&D on toilet seats while the country is going through a decade-recession... it's like that article from bbc that thomas posted in another thread - 'the golden recession'.

[deborah gormley]

this is hilarious, lol:clap: great stuff, I seen a program recently where 4 male children had requested a voice activated toilet seat be instalded as their Mother always shouted at the kids, and so it was fitted to the bathroom, and the kids just shouted "up" and the seat raised up on command, "Mum" was so pleased, hahaha:clap: :happy:

[moyashi]

Toilets are serious business over here.

@ sounds "rushing water"
Why do women have to listen to a flushy sound when they use the toilet? My old company would see 2-3 flushes per lady ???

Another mystery!

[deborah gormley]

2-3 flushes per lady ??? Another mystery. lolol "a mystery that cant be revealed on the forum" lol:clap:
and here's another mystery, "why do men require a newspaper just to visit the toilet and then leave it there for the ladies to pick it up?" lolol hmmmm:happy: :)

[moyashi]

Newspapers for me require to much space to read in a small room. So I read a book instead. ( Japanese toilets are split off from the bathtubs. )

On average men probably spend why more time in the can than women. Number 1 is quicker but number 2 requires reading time. Hmmm, why's that? Lol ...easier to concentrate? Or maybe it just takes more time to clean out the tube. This requirement for time probably is just that women don't wish to be caught, I've only caught my wife once or twice in 5 years, thereby quickness has progressed to a DNA level. Also, men use 2 different positions so the seating position is more of a novelty.

hmmm, does that help?

[thomas]

Interesting thread. We also have a pile of manga in the bathroom. :)

[deborah gormley]

:clap: :clap: lol, well explained moyashi:happy: now I'll forgive the husband, after all its all about the novelty factor!! lol
@ ladiesquickness has progressed to a DNA level. thats brilliant, I'v never heard of it being discribed as that, but your so right, its almost an art form lol:)

[moyashi]

Do women read while on the thrown?

[tosh]

Wagner? ....That's very good Thomas. Um..."noise cancellation technology". This should be incorporated into the toilets. The flatulently challenged (is that a word?) will be very thankful. In fact, noise cancellation technology should be part of the building code for every major city.

[thomas]

Originally posted by tosh
In fact, noise cancellation technology should be part of the building code for every major city.

Couldn't agree more. Then again, it would be better to use Verdi instead of Wagner, lol.

[moyashi]

Flight of the Valkeryies ;)

[tosh]

....Either/or.....(warau).

[moyashi]

hmmm, what was that scene ... I do believe the movie was "All the right stuff" the one about the astronauts. One was reading a mag and the other was like humming a tune ...

:p

[deborah gormley]

@ moashiDo women read while on the thrown? lol, I have never met a woman yet who has the time,lol, maybe single ladies without homes to keep or without children to run around after might have the time and the security of knowing she would not be disturbed,:bluush:

I'v read it somewhere that in private houses in Japan they have an oblong shaped toilet, more hygenic but difficult for westeners to use? and that they have toilet slippers that are used when useing the toilet facility, are these both accurate? or just a story? HELP! lol:bluush: (now I feel silly) ;)

[samuraitora]

see...I go away for a while and come back to you all with your heads in the toilet...LOL

[deborah gormley]

@ samuritoria lolol, now thats what was missing "YOU!" welcome back:bow:

[miki]

do you mean "squat toilet"???
there're quite a number of "squat toilets" in other asian countries, such as china, taiwan, asean countries..... some of my friends were quite shocked when we went taiwan few years way back... coz most of the toilets are squat toilets... that was a BIG culture shock for us.. ha!
not too sure about Japan though...
(haven't been there...)

[Luxpyre]

Flight of the Valkaries. Very fitting. I would buy it just for the reactions of visitors here in the US! I could just imagine the wide eyes and gaping mouths of people coming out of the bathroom!

I read in the bathroom too. When you just can't put that book down, just take it with you!

I studied abroad in Israel a few years ago, and in a few places there were squat toilets that everyone refered to as "Turkish Toilettes". Are these similar (if anyone knows) or even the same as the Japanese version?

[thomas]

Oh, they call them Turkish toilets, that's interesting. In Central Europe we call them Italian toilets, as they were/are widely used in Southern Europe. I couldn't find any difference between Italian/Japanese/Arabic squat toilets, to us "Westerners" they're all equally uncomfortable.
:)

[moyashi]

Hmmm, most places with the space offer both in Japan with the proper designations on the door. Western! ... Nothing for Japanese style.

The squatters are baisically floor level. Houses and some places tend to raise the floor about 10-15cm. oblong shape about 40-50cm long (NO, I haven't measured one yet!) with like a half bowel shape splash cover at the end you're supposed to face. ERrr, I think that's what it's for.

haha, I almost peed my pants trying to figure out which way to point and decided that 1.) there's a splash guard 2.) I needed something to grab to maintain my balance. I've heard though of the unfortunates who've actually sat on the cold porcelain. ugh

[deborah gormley]

lol,, now thats not a very nice thought,lol
Thanks you lot, now I think I know, what type of toilet this is , and I think I would perfer the average one with its comfie seat ect, :blush:

[Hoyu]

Somebody needs to get off the "Pot" here and sober up a bit.

ROTFLOL :D

[Luxpyre]

Actually, I saw a variation on this in Peru too, behind someones house. It was almost like an outhouse stile squat toilet, just a hole in the ground with two footprints in the cement where you are supposed to put your feet. I was pretty young at the time and found the thing a little unnerving.

[moyashi]

Foot print types sort of still exist. A few years back I was visiting with my ex-girlfriend her cousin's house. The toilet was an out house, that used wood planks to stand on over a pretty decent size hole. I thought, the boards were gonna gonna crack under my weight.

I'm pretty sure that these portable types are the exception but the porcelin types with no running water do exists. They have a plastic lid to cover the hole of darkness.

Funny thing is that most families have stories of so and so falling into one of these toilets or at least dropping one leg in pretty deep.

Recently though, most houses have progressed to the unhealtier European chair types.

Japan has come a long way since WWII and has certainly become King of the Throne so to say ... haha

[thomas]

Guys, we nearly missed "Toilet Day":

Toilet Day brings loos out of the closet

=> http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/getarticle.pl5?fl20021110a3.htm

"Superbowl Sunday"