Why Public Toilets in Japan are Awesome

Lots of people have heard about the awesome tech in Japanese toilets. But what about their public toilets?

- Iceland video supplied by Reuters

Video Gear I Use

Connect

[Jaybird]

The sink by the toilet at 14:57 is for washing your hands before you touch your wheelchair! I screamed when I saw it as I've been begging for that for years! Its so gross to have to use the toilet, then transfer to your chair, and have to touch your chair to get to the sink to wash your hands! Added bonus, it lets your rinse your menstrual cup too without making a mess! I wish all bathrooms had this!

[RayMak]

Japanese toilets are the result of everyone’s effort keeping them clean. Really amazing

[LinuxAvali]

As a Vancouverite, I can confirm all the stuff in the video about Vancouver. I actively avoid public toilets if I can, but if I am forced to use one, I seek out either a shopping mall or a private business that requires a purchase to use as they are generally cleaner.

[jimwalsh]

I'm from Westchester County New York and I now live in Tsukuba City Japan. In my view the toilets in Japan are perfect and there is always one there when you need it.. In NYC you can really get stuck because of the homeless/drug problem. There aren't many toilets you can use. The Japanese people are free. Their children can ride the trains unescorted. Their public toilets are beautiful because the citizens would never dream of making a mess let alone doing graffiti. Japan may have other failings but public safety isn't one of them.

[kekchanbiggestfan]

As someone who just saw Perfect Days, recently got diagnosed with an IBD condition and has been thinking about moving to Japan, this video sure felt like perfect timing!

[Ratatoothie]

I truly hope that the rest of the world follows Japan's example.

[LillianAmanelilly]

I was traveling through San Diego recently, and stoped near seaport village to use the restroom.

Found an open public restroom, wandered in on the woman’s side and-
“There’s… no doors.”
No stall door, no entrance door, no doors period.
And from the entrance you had a full view of two of the door-less stalls.
I curiously peaked into the the third stall trying to decide if I had the courage to use a bathroom without doors, when I happened to spot a woman just sitting there on the toilet scrolling her phone.

There is such a thing as being too comfortable in a public restroom.

I apologized, turned around and hightailed it out of there.

Thank you to the google reviews that said there was a clean public restroom WITH doors nearby.

[CBD]

I was hiking by the sea in Ubara. In the middle of nowhere in the woods I felt the call of nature. As I was wondering if I should hold it in or relieve myself off-trail, a public bathroom appeared. Although it was in a place that is not accessible by vehicule it was a complete small building, electrified and boasted the standard japanese hi-tech bidet toilet. It was also very clean and well-maintained. Sasuga, Nippon!

[kira]

As someone who's been to Japan recently as a Canadian who lives in Toronto I'd say the biggest shock as a visitor in Japan was how MANY toilets were readily available for use and how many places you could find toilets. Comparing Tokyo as an example to Toronto, if you're taking public transit the odds you'll find a washroom let alone one that's not out of service is basically akin to playing the lottery. And God forbid its the middle of the night and you're in Downtown Toronto, trying to find a toilet is pretty much close to impossible

[chatowa]

This was very interesting to see, especially because where I live in Germany there are almost no public toilets in cities, mostly open private toilets. There are public toilets along the highways but they are generally dirty and unpleasent, except for the open private ones at rest stations.

I just want to point out one thing about AEDs. They do not restart a persons heart ( 15:44 ), they are designed to stop the heart. When the parts of a persons heart get out of sync with themselves the heart pumps very little blood. You doing CPR does help (I think) but it is not really possible to get the heart back in sync. So what the AED does, is, it electrecutes the person, stopping their heart and you have to do CPR to keep the person alive and to hopefully restart their heart. It is therefore vital that you follow the instructions of the AED exactly because if you touch the person while the AED delivers a shock you are likely to get electrocuted, too, and you can die from that. Also do not use an AED on a wet surface as you can shock yourself that way, too.

[JesseMedlong]

I visited Kyoto and Tokyo last week and your descriptions is pretty much what I observed and experienced. I had to use the public restrooms at different parks and it was appreciated.

[SirRawThunderMan]

Ok, so I went to Japan last year, and one thing struck me the most about the toilets; while they were amazing pretty much everywhere, that was offset by having the world's worst toilet paper.

[rsac]

I just watched an excellent movie called Perfect Days which follows the life of a Tokyo Toilet cleaner. What a coincidence!

[ccasto]

Public bathrooms are unglamorous but essential for urban life so thank you for covering them!

[map-reduce]

Given how much focus on cleanliness there was in Tokyo, I was always surprised when there was no soap in public washrooms, and it wasn't that uncommon.That and squat toilets often had me holding #2 until I got back to my lodging :D

[JR]

The first video that introduced me to your channel was about Japanese home bathrooms, nearly a decade later and this is still so fascinating!

[dylandualsport]

I love your videos. You have a very comforting voice. Please dont stop uploading anytime soon i really need these videos in my life right now

[hattivat]

To me the most striking aspect is that seemingly all of these Japanese toilets are free. In the two countries I am most familiar with, Poland and Sweden, there is usually a fee. In fact in Sweden even in shopping malls the toilets often cost money to use.

[Nobe_Oddy]

This was REALLY COOL! It's such a strange subject to make a video about, but I would have to say that YOU are the PERFECT PERSON to do it!!! (and not just for Japan) You are very matter of fact and don't ad opinions that would steer the content. You are a very good journalist. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! :D

[Gaeadragon]

Summing this up. Japan, while not perfect, appears to be more respectful both ways, cares more for their people as the people care for the community. Places like Canada and USA, well, they speak for themselves.