Japan’s High-Tech Toilets – Do We Really Need Them?

While the Japanese may still have a lot of work to do if they want to win a home Rugby World Cup, they seem to have no problem building their toilets. And we are not talking about just any loo. After all, it’s Japan, the land of cells alive systems that have completely changed the way we look at freezing. Japan is also the homeland of the Henn-na Hotel, a facility run entirely by robot hotel staff that checks in guests with a fully mechanized dinosaur at reception. Or you must have heard of the round drum set keyboards the Google team in Japan invented – it’s supposed to be faster and more reliable than any other keyboard on the planet. Unfortunately, it is only available in Japan in the Japanese language at the moment. Definitely waiting on that one to be hit by globalization and reach our stores! But I digress. We were talking about the spectacular Japanese loos. What’s so spectacular about these toilets? For starters, they are high-tech and they come with a lot of functions you never knew you actually needed.

Take A Warm Seat

You know those sleepless nights when you end up on the toilet with your phone in your hand, playing some games or just going through strangers Facebook photos at 2 am, because why not? Don’t try to hide it, we all do it! You must also be familiar with the chills you usually get when spending too much time on your cold throne. The Japanese have found a way to fix this! Picture a warm seat waiting for you every time, no matter what season or time of the day or night. Or how about a toilet that will automatically greet you by opening itself as you get near it? If you’re freaked out at the thought that a futuristic toilet would guess your intentions, you are definitely going to have a problem with the rest of the features on these Japanese toilets.

There are no less than 15 different buttons each responsible for a different function. When you’re in a hurry to catch a plane in an airport, the last thing you need is to play the guessing game and try to figure out which button to press to make the nasty go away. Looking at a panel full of spraying symbols going left and right is enough to confuse anyone. When your main goal is to flush the damn thing, but all you can do is press tons of buttons and cause the loo to make the strangest sounds, you are prone to have an unforgettable experience – and not the good kind.

It’s Intimidating – Should It Be?

Most would agree that going to the loo should be kept simple and stress-free. All you need is a single button to push and make all your worries go away. However, the Japanese seem to have gotten used to the extra complications as these out-of-this-world toilets are becoming more popular. Since hygiene plays such an important role for the Japanese people with washlest found in people’s homes, public toilets and hotels all around, the latest toilet gadget truly comes as no surprise to the 126 million tech-enthusiasts in the country. However, these toilets can get pricey. If you’re not willing to pay a little over $230 for one, you will certainly hate the idea of paying $9,300 for one – the price tag for some of the most expensive futuristic toilets you can currently find in Japan!

The half a billion visitors that visited Japan for the World Rugby Cup held between 20 September and 2 November in 12 different venues may have wished they had known about the crazy toilets waiting for them here before booking their flights. Some of them might have changed their minds and watches the Cup on their wide-angle smart TVs and placed their bets online just like the Aussies do. The next time you plan a trip to Japan for a big sports event, remember there are many sites online for rugby aficionados – they’ve got everythin