Japanese Washlet Toilets, A Game of Thrones

Above, a Japanese washlet toilet. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The Australian's website has a somewhat tongue-in-cheek article on the fascination with the Japanese Toto Washlet toilet. 

If you've never tried one, this may spark your curiosity enough to go to Japan to try one or if you have already tried them, you can relate.

The article starts with:

Who knew you could get quite so attached to a functional item of the usually unmentionable kind. The Toto Washlet toilet, created in 1980 and with many enhancements since, is a fixture in many a hotel bathroom across Japan and once you’ve sat upon the warmed seat of such a throne, as I did across a week’s holiday last month, anything else seems a very poor substitute. 

The duckbill-like seat opens as you approach, in a sort of salute, and politely closes after you are done, with the semblance of a bow. Then it discreetly flushes itself with a murmuring cascade, like the most polite of little waterfalls. The control panel invites hot-air drying, oscillation, warm wash bidet, “odour masking” purification and a few other squiggly symbols that suggest the Toto could pop up slices of toast or play the accordion, if that should be your desire. Certainly it has no need to pass you loo paper after all those targeted sprays and rushes of warm air.

When we went to Japan last October, I had mentioned the washlet toilets to Denise. Once we got there and spent a few days in Japan, I asked her what she thought of them. She wasn't too impressed. Oh, well.

To read more, go here.