If my foreign friends would ask me the currently best Japanese electric product, I shall tell them without any hesitation the so called Washlet (Toto) or Shower toilet (Inax). Hybrid automobile, digital camera or plasma TV? No. They may be made by other country people. But these toilets are currently the symbol of amenity culture in Japan beside the Ohuro (bath room). I would ask them to try to use the washing toilet while they travel in Japan as these toilets are not publicized at all outside this country. Unfortunately, explanations of the remote controller are mostly Japanese unlike other Japanese electric products. These days, even the inexpensive business hotel has to offer a simple version of washing toilet. Otherwise they lose many of their customers.
I use the newest version of Satis showertoilet in this weekend house. It is fantastic. The toilet cover is automatically open if you enter the toilet room. If you do not like automatic system, you can shut off all except the showertoilet part. Toilet itself has a light bulb somewhere so that you do not need to turn on the toilet room light. This is particularly useful in midnight, when I am half asleep, not to be woke up by bright light. Toilet seat is preheated to a body temperature, and the toilet seat is sensitive to the body weight that turns on a fan to inhale all the smelling air. The remote controller button can flush the water with different volume depending on urine or excrement. Even if you forget to flush, the water will be flushed anyway after the body weight is released from the toilet seat. The toilet cover will close automatically after you leave the toilet room in order to save the electricity of heating the toilet seat.
The main use of these toilets is obviously washing or showering the anus by warm water. The water temperature, stream strength is precisely controlled. Water stream has the ability of massage. After washing, the warm air to dry can be followed or one may simply use toilet paper. The whole technology is just amazing to me. I know that people first feel strong psychological barrier to use it, but they will quickly be adapated to it.
In my childhood, the toilet in Japanese house was the worst place to visit. It was also a frightening place.
Now the toilet in my house at my age is the best place to visit and I often stay longer than necessary. To add one more sentence, I am very much impressed by beautiful water stream that come twice and the nice sound of water stream afterward. It is really a beautiful product by appearance, function and sound.
Even in the Kyoto or Okinawa laboratories, toilets are equipped with these electrically controlled toilets.
The appearance is not special.
The toilet has a light bulb. The washing nozule is hidden within the toilet.
Controller of the toilet. Top left, toilet cover & seat manual open; Right top, water flush volume controller, big (excretion) and small (urine);
Detailed controller