Public Toilets

You may cringe at using the word "toilet". I know I did before coming to Asia. Students and speakers of English here and in Asia used the word "toilet" instead of "restroom" or "bathroom".

This is a public Japanese-style toilet. If you're visiting Japan, don't worry, there is usually a choice of toilets in a public restroom. The door of the stall may say "Western" in English and Japanese. I have even seen signs on stalls written in Japanese and English saying "Japanese" meaning Japanese-style. Some people prefer the old style.

The stalls may not have signs, so take a look in each stall unless you're standing in line to use the toilet. I've actually had people wave me into a western toilet thinking that I would prefer it. Sometimes there is not a choice. Parks usually only have Japanese-style toilets. I remember seeing on TV that it is faster and easier to clean a Japanese-style toilet.

Many, many years ago I saw a sign in a downtown restroom with instructions on how to use this kind of toilet. The main thing is that you have to squat or bend down over it. And because it is so low, you have to balance yourself while trying to keep dry. I would suggest flushing with your foot after standing. Sorry to be so indelicate, but it's worth pointing out.

I don't have the official word on how to flush (hand or foot). The instructions on that sign didn't get that far. I started thinking about it when my children were learning how to use the toilet and were too small to hang onto the rail. (They wanted to hang onto the handle.) I took a poll among my friends and no one seemed to know or want to tell what they thought was the proper way to flush. Perhaps the idea of flushing in public with your foot and with your hand in private homes is good advice anywhere. This may be more than most of you want to know about toilets and their use here, but I heard several of you are coming to Japan soon. Nowadays, you can visit Japan without ever having to use one of these toilets so don't lose any time worrying about it! Oh, yes, I'm not going to get in the habit of teaching Japanese words but you may want to know the polite word for "restroom" is otearai. O is pronounced "oh" te rhymes with "day" a is pronounced "ah" like in "mama" and rai rhymes with "rye". Oh-tay-ah-rye. The "r" sound in Japanese is somewhere between "r" and "l".

Note: This picture was taken at my local hardware store. It is quite an old restroom. There were two Japanese-style toilets and three western toilets, though.