That flushing sound....
 

This one was new to me. A few days ago here, one of the magic toilet seats I used somewhere had a button that, when pressed, repeatedly generated the sound of a toilet being flushed (without actually flushing it, of course).

Japanese toilet seat engineering continues to lead the world!

Any other new useless improvements that I should be checking out on my last few days of this trip?

Perhaps you were in the wrong bathroom. My sources tell me that the recorded flush sound has been a common feature of high-end ladies loos for many years.

It's not "useless" - it's actually saving the environment. How? It seems that some women use the sound of a flushing toilet to cover up the noises that accompany some bodily functions.

Replacing the flush sound recording with a sound clip from "When Harry Met Sally", could make for an entertaining Japanese TV show...

It's a "modesty" button. There's a widespread habit of people (not just Japan, BTW) flushing the toilet to mask the noise of their farts. This practice, of course, wastes water. So, to have the same effect without the waste, the latest premium models have a "modesty" button.

Definitely not a habit of Japanese men. Once they're ensconced in the stall, hey are happy to share their soundtrack with the world.

At the urinal, I wish they'd fart more to cover the sound of the elaborate hawk and spit routine.

I hope you have an opportunity to experience a toilet with an automatic lid opener...it'll surprise your pants off!

oh yes. and not just high-end places, it*s a random bonus feature that can turn up anywhere

as jib71 and ninja138 have said, it does save water as it stymies a real need [for some] to flush in order to mask their body*s propensity to call attention to itself. and who knows how many trees and human-hours unblocking toilets are saved as only a light layer of paper might be used to lessen splashbacks rather than an excessively heavy layer to dampen those tell-tale noises of impact [the commonly used western equivalent to electronic flushing sounds :td:].

I think this issue of the general sonority of Japanese men deserves its own thread. Starting with the "isshhh" used when getting off a chair, to the extra-loud sneezing with much theatrics.

One time I was coming back into Japan, happily esconced in the Narita Express. The guy across the aisle pulls out an onigiri, eats half of it, and spends the next 57 minutes making that incredibly irritating smacking sound. Can't imagine how this guy gets any sleep after a 9 course kaiseki meal.

And I just thought it was just a side effect of that article in the Japanese constitution which requires every piece of machinery in the entire country to talk to you (but only provide useless information).

Haven't seen the toilet seat cover which snaps to attention yet, that sounds like something out of an episode of Gomer Pyle.

Have mjm show you one of the bathrooms in the Roppongi Hills Residences. After a month there, going back to the US where you have to actually lift the lid and flush all by yourself seems like quite the tragedy.

;)

The thing that has always struck me about those is the Beep Beep Bbbbbbbbbbb.....

just before and as it shuts. Under normal circumstances, i.e. non-post bear visitation days, I am already channel surfing back in the living room before hearing the warning beeps preceding shutdown.

It is almost as if it is warning those subject to day dreaming (i.e the most definitely ponderous but not necessarily sonorous, although certainly those oblivious to the malodorous) that they are about to become encapsulated.

Woow! That would definitely be something. Does it come with a remote control one can hang in the key chain, or attach to ones trousers?

Whatever you do, don't just push the buttons and see what happens, when the lid is up. :)

The device is called Otohime, made by Toto, the premier purveyor of bathroom fixtures and the inventor of the Washlet.

It has been mentioned that one would expect to find this device in women's public rest room. If installed in a men's toilet, shouldn't it be called otoouji?

The most recent iteration installed does in fact have a wall mounted removable remote control. About 5cm by 30 cm. I can only imagine how much fun it would be to stand outside the door with one of those causing shrieks of terror as I alternately dial up jets of ice and warm water on the posterior of my unsuspecting victim.

What? A remote control 5cm by 30cm? Is that a rod for pressing the buttons remotely on an arms length?

Anyhow, more fun would of course be to have a multi-remote control with all toilets in the house/apartment hooked up on one remote control, causing multiple shrieks of terror after that delicious backed bean dinner. :cool:

At my hotel, I found the toilet that pre-loaded extra water into the toilet when you sat down for a cleaner flush experience to be a nice function. It was also nice that it had not just a bidet but a bottom washer as well.

Dang. I thought this thread was about the US economy.

I think you're confusing this thread with "That sucking sound...", Pickles' as-yet-unborn thread where he goes into further detail about Japanese men and their post-onigiri noises. Or when they tilt their head to the left to tell you how muzukashii something is...

Hmmm... I don't really understand anything, but I guess that's because I have been hanging around in this forum...

At least I found this interesting article when trying (:)) to decode muzukashii from muzukashii.

<loud teeth-sucking sound>,...chotto......

:)

You guys have way tooo much time on your hands!! :P

Wash your hands, guys! :D

Sanosuke!

I've been assuming that the 'extra water being pre-loaded' when you sit down was water being channelled and pre-heated for that bidet function so that it comes out fresh and warm.

I think an automatically updating magazine rack would be quite useful. Thinking of patenting the idea and licensing it to Toto.

Am I the only one who, whenever I see a Toto toilet seat, always thinks of Dorothy's line, "Toto too?"

Mine came with a wall mounted remote control - which is in fact actually wireless - but thankfully it uses infrared so it's line-of-sight only!

The autoflushers are the worst though - the ones in the ANA Lounge at NRT flush for me at least three times during the process of getting in, out and actually performing in the cubicle.

Those have now evolved to a brushed steel detachable unit about the size of a pack of spaghetti. Matches the fridge in the kitchen actually. :) The buttons are even a retro round shape in polished steel.

Of course in the kitchen the disposal is certainly more dangerous than an incorrectly selected water spritz temperature. ;)

Back to the original topic, the Otohime confounds me.

Whenever I walk through the hallway at work and hear it sssshhhhing from inside the ladies' room, I want to shout "I KNOW YOU'RE PEEING IN THERE! THERE'S NO FAX MACHINE IN THE TOILET!"

I guess it saves water, but then again, loud music would work just as well... I can imagine it now... go into the toilet, pull down your pants and "Eye of the Tiger" starts playing...

Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" may be more appropriate.

Brilliant! Maybe we can develop a version where you can choose your music--somehow the 80s channel does seem oddly appropriate...

I have heard of versions that are more along the "babbling brook with chirping birds" line, but never came across one, so may be apocryphal. Certainly there are no birds in the toilet, either. :D

Nah, shows more talent to get in cadence with say, the 1812 Overture. :)

I could swear that I have seen a Panasonic/National washlet with MP3 player function in some catalog. It plays MP3 off a SD card inserted into a slot on the remote control. I bet the MP3 player will go quite nicely with your loo with integrated speakers and lights.

For all you music lovers: http://www.toto.co.jp/products/toile...9/05.htm#sound

The ideal soundtrack has to be the recently released "unedited" recording of Horowitz's 1965 Return to Carnegie Hall concert. (The one where they didnt edit out the bum notes).
http://www.amazon.com/Horowitz-Live-.../dp/B0000CF314

I don't like the idea of a row of cubicled loudspeakers all blaring out songs out of synch, especially with music from the 80s (I'm all ready experiencing flashbacks of what it was like to put your lippy on entrenched in the battling miasmas of a trio wearing Poison, Opium and Anais Anais).

If you're going to have music, much better to go the "Row, row, row your boat" or "Frere Jacques" route. I'm sure there's someone clever enough to arrange "Sakura" along similar lines should a more patriotic feel be required.

Bring your Bose headphones.

Oh, like the ones they have at the Grand Hyatt?

Talking of the fridge, dang compressor is super noisy at the moment - better get someone to take a look at it :)

Nah the Hyatt ones are even a bit older than these. The new building in Akasaka has them. It opens in a month.

Mail me tomorrow about the fridge.

That would be the one you're mail-shotting me about? :)

Looks very comfortable.

Some of the suites at The Sentosa Resort in Singapore have these. Walk i and the toilet seat goes up while you are working on the zipper!!

I was just about to ask about if anyone ever had experienced an automatic toilet paper dispenser, but then I found this Hello Kitty model. Still one needs to press a button instead of just waving the hand in front of Hello Kitty! :D

How about this gizmo. With a push of a lever, you can get triangularly folded tp like housekeeping had just stopped by. If the Hello Kitty tp dispenser can do this, its price tag might be justified.

Having lived in Japan, I am bookmarking this thread as my all time favorite from FT. I will check it frequently. Put my hand over my mouth while I did the dainty Japanese lady tee-hee laugh!!