This as-told-to essay is based on conversations with Vincent McNally, a retired FBI special agent who worked as a security officer on Holland America Line cruise ships from 2005 to 2011. His words have been edited for length and clarity.
I visited Japan and fell in love with the country's bathrooms
06.10.2023 - 16:43 / insider.com / Monica Humphries
Before arriving in Japan, a warm toilet seat evoked a full-body cringe. The heated plastic was a clear indicator that someone not so long ago had used the toilet.
But a warm seat in Japan is the norm thanks to tech-forward toilets, so by the end of my two-week trip, I happily plopped onto the warm plastic.
But heated seats weren't the only thing I fell in love with. From bidets to heated shower rooms, I learned that Japan has mastered the bathroom situation.
After arriving in Tokyo, one of my first Google searches wasn't the best omakase restaurant or how much tickets cost for the city's public water buses. I was searching for the price of a bidet for my toilet back home.
From ritzy hotels to dive bars, I spotted bidets everywhere. And as someone who grew up in the US where they aren't as common, my trip to Japan was one of the first times I've used one.
I quickly learned that there's a lot more to a Japanese toilet than the bidet shooting out a stream of water. Most of the toilets I used in Japan were manufactured by the company Toto. On one side of the toilet, I would spot a menu of options. I could select the strength of the stream, its temperature, and its angle. There's also a button for a dryer, a button to flush, and, of course, a button for the heated seat.
Those are the basics. The fancier toilets I spotted had white noise machines, could deodorize the air, were self-cleaning, and had night lights.
The popularity of these toilets goes hand in hand with a society that values hygiene.
Bill Strang, the president of corporate strategy and e-commerce at Toto USA, told NPR that Japanese people prioritize bathing and feeling clean — and their toilets reflect that. Not only did I feel cleaner using a bidet, but the bathrooms themselves were spotless.
In the US, I avoid public bathrooms at all costs. Back when I lived in New York, some of the city's subway stations and parks had bathrooms for public use, but it wasn't uncommon to find these spaces in disarray. It's the same in Denver, Colorado, where I currently live.
And it's not just public bathrooms. I've visited plenty of bars and restaurants with trash on the floor, graffiti on the walls, and a gnarly stench.
In Japan, I didn't think twice about stepping into public bathrooms. The subway stations had bathrooms that were often pristine, and rarely did I find a restroom coated in a layer of pee.
After speaking to real-estate agents and touring apartments in Tokyo, I learned that many bathrooms in Japanese homes and apartments often include at least two rooms.
The first room has a sink and it's where people typically undress before bathing. The second room has your shower and tub. The toilet is either placed in the first room or in an entirely
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