Saturday, March 25, 2023
British Herald
Advertisement
  • Home
  • World
    • UK
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Oceania
    • USA
    • Middle East
    • Latin America
  • Politics
  • Business
    • ECONOMY
    • Financial Markets
    • Companies
  • Sport
  • Fintech
  • Videos
  • Coffee Table Book
  • BH Magazine
  • More
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Science & Technology
    • Climate & Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Food and Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture and Lifestyle
    • Articles
    • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
British Herald
  • Home
  • World
    • UK
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Oceania
    • USA
    • Middle East
    • Latin America
  • Politics
  • Business
    • ECONOMY
    • Financial Markets
    • Companies
  • Sport
  • Fintech
  • Videos
  • Coffee Table Book
  • BH Magazine
  • More
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Science & Technology
    • Climate & Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Food and Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture and Lifestyle
    • Articles
    • Opinion
No Result
View All Result
British Herald
Home Sport

Japan’s next restroom revolution? Phasing out squat toilets for Tokyo 2020

Editorial Bureau by Editorial Bureau
February 19, 2020
0
Wales prop Wyn Jones expects France to ‘cheat’ at scrum

Toilets across the ages are put on display at the Toto Museum in Kitakyushu, Japan February 6, 2020. REUTERS/Sakura Murakami

74
SHARES
1.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

TOKYO- On southwestern Japan’s Miyajima island, a short walk from one of the country’s most famous ancient temple sites, there’s a brand new attraction for tourists – a state-of-the art public toilet block nearly as big as a tennis court.

You might also like

Mbappé delivers for France as captain; Lukaku nets hat trick

Casemiro Brazil’s new captain to replace Thiago Silva

French MPs battle over AI video surveillance cameras at Paris Olympics

The 183 square metre facility – created jointly by the local municipality and Toto, Japan’s biggest toilet maker – is just one of hundreds that have been spruced up across the country ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games in Tokyo, removing old-school squat toilets to welcome foreign tourists.

The challenge is dwarfed by that faced by planners for Tokyo’s previous Olympics. Before the 1964 games, only 20% of the city had a sewerage system, pit toilets festooned the city and trucks dubbed ‘honey wagons’ patrolled neighbourhoods to suck human waste into tanks for disposal elsewhere.

But the refurbishment programme for 2020 plugs into a public concept of advanced cleanliness that has become embedded in the Japanese psyche since the 60s, Masakazu Toki, professor emeritus in cultural anthropology at Edogawa University says.

“Japan wanted to become a ‘leading country’ in the eyes of its visitors by making the country pristinely clean,” evident in a campaign to make the streets cleaner ahead of the 1964 Olympics said Toki.

Bullet trains, a strong economy, hygiene – these were all part of the process of creating a new identity “as an advanced nation” of which cleanliness still remains an integral part of the national identity, he added.

This year’s Olympics are no exception.

With a government survey showing roughly 40% of Japan’s public restrooms hosted squat stalls in 2016, the government started a campaign to help municipalities – particularly in popular destinations like Kyoto – fund conversion to sit-down toilets, anticipating Olympics tourists will explore Japan beyond Tokyo.

Statistics from the Japan Tourism Agency show a total of 332 restrooms were refurbished between fiscal 2017 and 2019.

As well as establishing gold-medal hygiene, Japan’s restroom revolution has fostered a toilet culture that has evolved to embrace a popular anime character with buttocks for a head (‘Butt Detective’) and dayglo ‘poop museums’ offering a cute tribute to bathroom visits – as well as restrooms packed with hi-tech gadgetry.

Toto has played a leading role in developing the latter.

Heated seats, lids that open and close automatically, bowls that self-deodorize – these features have become standard in tens of millions of Japanese homes since Toto sold its first buttock-cleansing Washlet toilet seat at the dawn of the 1980s.

At its base in Kitakyushu in southwestern Japan, a museum documents Toto’s progress from squat porcelain to its latest model, a design that squirts water out at different speeds with larger droplets to maximise cleanliness for a princely 604,000 yen (just under $5,500).

During a recent trip, 82-year-old museum visitor Tsunekazu Orii vividly recalled his first encounter with the Washlet in the early 1980s.

“I was taken aback when I first saw it, but there was so much talk about how it would clean you,” he said. “I knew it was going to be the next big thing.”

(Content and photos syndicated via Reuters)

Tags: restroomsquat toiletstokyo 2020
Share30Tweet19
Editorial Bureau

Editorial Bureau

Recommended For You

Mbappé delivers for France as captain; Lukaku nets hat trick

March 25, 2023
Kylian Mbappé

In a commanding display, Mbappé led France to a resounding 4-0 victory over the Netherlands in their European Championship qualifier. Mbappe scored two goals, including a stunning individual...

Read more

Casemiro Brazil’s new captain to replace Thiago Silva

March 25, 2023
Casemiro named as Brazil's captain

Manchester United midfielder Casemiro named as Brazil's new captain. Succeeding Chelsea's Thiago Silva. Casemiro is an important part of the Brazilian national team over the years. Since his...

Read more

French MPs battle over AI video surveillance cameras at Paris Olympics

March 24, 2023
Paris Olympics

Opponents are fuming at the French government's plan to trial AI video surveillance cameras at the 2024 Paris Olympics, stating that they consider it an unnecessary and dangerous...

Read more

Messi mania grips Argentina in 1st match as World Cup Champions

March 25, 2023
Lionel Messi

Buenos Aires was gripped by Messi mania on Thursday as the Argentina national team, led by Lionel Messi, beat Panama 2-0 in a friendly match that essentially celebrated...

Read more

Ronaldo breaks record of most capped player in International football

March 24, 2023
Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo became the most-capped man in history on Thursday, when he made his 197th international start. Cristiano Ronaldo established record of most capped on Thursday when he...

Read more
No Result
View All Result
Gordon Moore, the titan of Silicon Valley

Gordon Moore, the titan of Silicon Valley, dies at 94

March 25, 2023
Joe Biden

Joe Biden Warns Iran After Deadly Strikes in Syria

March 25, 2023
Joe Biden

China “Hasn’t Yet” Delivered Arms To Russia : Joe Biden

March 25, 2023

Tags

amazon australia boris johnson brexit britain British Herald CHINA Coronavirus coronavirus cases coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 COVID-19 Vaccine daily roundup Donald Trump Dubai expo 2020 england European Union facebook France germany Hong Kong india iran israel italy japan joe biden lockdown London new zealand north korea Rishi Sunak russia south korea spain T20 T20 World Cup taiwan thailand trending Trump turkey UK Ukraine usa
British Herald

Top News in World: Read Latest News on Sports, Business, Entertainment, Blogs and Opinions from leading columnists.

CATEGORIES

  • Africa
  • Articles
  • Asia
  • Brand Feature
  • Business
  • Climate & Environment
  • Companies
  • Crypto
  • Culture and Lifestyle
  • Daily Roundup
  • Economics
  • ECONOMY
  • edel
  • Entertainment
  • Europe
  • Fashion
  • Finance
  • Financial Markets
  • Fintech
  • Health
  • IN UK 01
  • IN UK 02
  • Investing
  • Latin America
  • Market
  • Middle East
  • nsp
  • Oceania
  • Opinion
  • Pharma/BioTech
  • Politics
  • Reviews
  • Science & Technology
  • Sport
  • Sustainability
  • Tech
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • UK
  • Uncategorized
  • USA
  • Videos
  • World

BROWSE BY TAGS

amazon australia boris johnson brexit britain British Herald CHINA Coronavirus coronavirus cases coronavirus outbreak COVID-19 COVID-19 Vaccine daily roundup Donald Trump Dubai expo 2020 england European Union facebook France germany Hong Kong india iran israel italy japan joe biden lockdown London new zealand north korea Rishi Sunak russia south korea spain T20 T20 World Cup taiwan thailand trending Trump turkey UK Ukraine usa

Herald Media Network Limited (UK). 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World
    • UK
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Oceania
    • USA
    • Middle East
    • Latin America
  • Politics
  • Business
    • ECONOMY
    • Financial Markets
    • Companies
  • Sport
  • Fintech
  • Videos
  • Coffee Table Book
  • BH Magazine
  • More
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Science & Technology
    • Climate & Environment
    • Sustainability
    • Food and Travel
    • Fashion
    • Culture and Lifestyle
    • Articles
    • Opinion

Herald Media Network Limited (UK). 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Are you sure want to unlock this post?
Unlock left : 0
Are you sure want to cancel subscription?