That quote is from the movie, "Cool Runnings," and if you haven't seen it then go rent it. Right now.
Japan has some random stuff, it's true.
They have so many convenient things like mass transit, vending machines on every corner, taxis with automatic doors, quick bike locks, the list goes on. It's the everyday things that you come to appreciate and even expect here in Japan as it becomes part of your everyday life. One of those things is a heated toilet seat. It seems silly and I admit, right now I would agree with you. It's almost 80 degrees inside my house and here I am scorching my tush on the john. I mean, really, how long do you ACTUALLY sit there, in relation to time you spend in other parts of the house. I'd rather Japan spend that toilet technology and energy to create something a little more practical and useful like....I dunno....say....INSULATION!!!
Japanese houses are either not insulated or poorly insulated. They also use kerosene heaters, electric space heaters, and electric wall heaters (not the kind in America. These are AC units and heaters all in one, positioned at the top of the wall in a corner.) Your typical Japanese bathroom consists of a bathtub and shower area. The toilet and sink are actually in another part. Needless to say there's no room in either of these places to put a heating unit, wall unit or space unit or otherwise. The solution to providing these tiny areas with warmth during the cold winter months lies in a single element: the toilet seat. That's all you get folks, enjoy it while it's hot (pun intended).
In my Japanified apartment my toilet is actually in the bathroom, but there's still no room for anything else. My apartment owner, bless his heart, thought it would be a great idea to install new AC/heating units in the rooms. Fabulous. That happened about 3 weeks ago and I've used both the heater and the AC functions. They work beautifully.
Most recently, he bestowed upon us another gift: heated toilet seats. Wowzers! That installation was just completed a few days ago and you know what? I could have waited until about October for that to happen. I don't know how to shut it off!!! It's so warm and uncomfortable in the summertime.
But wait! There's more! This particular seat comes with extra functions.
Bidet. Yep. that crazy French word that no one really knows about...
It washes your bottom with water, basically. Sound weird, I know. Everyone secretly inside wants to know what it's like and I'm just gonna say, no amount of explanation can take the place of the real experience. It's like this:
Japan has some random stuff, it's true.
They have so many convenient things like mass transit, vending machines on every corner, taxis with automatic doors, quick bike locks, the list goes on. It's the everyday things that you come to appreciate and even expect here in Japan as it becomes part of your everyday life. One of those things is a heated toilet seat. It seems silly and I admit, right now I would agree with you. It's almost 80 degrees inside my house and here I am scorching my tush on the john. I mean, really, how long do you ACTUALLY sit there, in relation to time you spend in other parts of the house. I'd rather Japan spend that toilet technology and energy to create something a little more practical and useful like....I dunno....say....INSULATION!!!
Japanese houses are either not insulated or poorly insulated. They also use kerosene heaters, electric space heaters, and electric wall heaters (not the kind in America. These are AC units and heaters all in one, positioned at the top of the wall in a corner.) Your typical Japanese bathroom consists of a bathtub and shower area. The toilet and sink are actually in another part. Needless to say there's no room in either of these places to put a heating unit, wall unit or space unit or otherwise. The solution to providing these tiny areas with warmth during the cold winter months lies in a single element: the toilet seat. That's all you get folks, enjoy it while it's hot (pun intended).
In my Japanified apartment my toilet is actually in the bathroom, but there's still no room for anything else. My apartment owner, bless his heart, thought it would be a great idea to install new AC/heating units in the rooms. Fabulous. That happened about 3 weeks ago and I've used both the heater and the AC functions. They work beautifully.
Most recently, he bestowed upon us another gift: heated toilet seats. Wowzers! That installation was just completed a few days ago and you know what? I could have waited until about October for that to happen. I don't know how to shut it off!!! It's so warm and uncomfortable in the summertime.
But wait! There's more! This particular seat comes with extra functions.
Bidet. Yep. that crazy French word that no one really knows about...
It washes your bottom with water, basically. Sound weird, I know. Everyone secretly inside wants to know what it's like and I'm just gonna say, no amount of explanation can take the place of the real experience. It's like this:
Heated toilet seat and bidet, all in one.
Options on the wall
Doesn't look like much, eh? If you look at the top picture, the spray function is that little device just under the back of the seat. In the second photo, please take note that the "bidet" function is for women only. You can make your own deductions for that one. There's "spray" and "soft" flow options as well. Each has an oscillating function and a 5 range strength of the water flow. The only thing I've found to be a problem is the lack of a "dry" function. There are basically three options I've come up with:
1. Wave a little air in that direction and hope for the best. Zip up and it's probably not bad enough to go through your jeans.
2. Use some TP to wipe off any excess wetness. The problem with this is that TP is meant to dissolve in water...hmm...
3. Air dry. This can be a bit time consuming and awkward.
So, I don't use the spray/bidet function on my toilet. Too bad. I vote that we all go back to the simplicity that should come from a toilet. Let's leave the fancy stuff for something worth it...like improving the drying machines. In fact, I would gladly sacrifice my heated toilet seat for a dryer that actually dried my clothes. I guess it's easy for me to say now...we'll see what song I'm singing once winter comes around...
1. Wave a little air in that direction and hope for the best. Zip up and it's probably not bad enough to go through your jeans.
2. Use some TP to wipe off any excess wetness. The problem with this is that TP is meant to dissolve in water...hmm...
3. Air dry. This can be a bit time consuming and awkward.
So, I don't use the spray/bidet function on my toilet. Too bad. I vote that we all go back to the simplicity that should come from a toilet. Let's leave the fancy stuff for something worth it...like improving the drying machines. In fact, I would gladly sacrifice my heated toilet seat for a dryer that actually dried my clothes. I guess it's easy for me to say now...we'll see what song I'm singing once winter comes around...
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