Odd question

[Katiekoneko]

What are the toilets like in Japan?
Ive heard they are much different than Canadian/American toilets
but Ive heard there are alot of "our" kind of toilets too...
I know ppl who teach in Korea and China
and have heard quite..."interesting" stories about them

As well as school- are they different there?

I don't wanna know.. gross info
I am just wonder about them
I heard they are impossible to find one in a public place (in Japan)
are there none in Malls? or Rest.?

My friend in korea asked to use on in a rest. and they took her out side..down the street up stairs in some apt. building and down some weird hall way.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Most of the toilets here are western style when it comes to homes and hotels and the like. However, most of the schools, while sporting at least one western john, has a majority of Japanese toilets.

Japanese toilets look like urinals lying flat on the ground. You have to squat over them and balance yourself. It is the optimal pose for unleashing the evils of the bowels on an unsuspecting piece of ceramic, but it also sucks if you have anything in your pockets, poor aim, or weak legs.

Most everywhere has public toilets. All department stores, arcades, stations, and more. Some just don't have toilet paper or paper towels.

[EIJI]

Pleae visit site below, This is a campus life guide of HIROSHIMA Univ.
"Styles and usage of toilets"

http://www.iie.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/center/campus/life_e/life_05.htm

I hope this outline is enough for your "Japanese toilet life styles" :) :)

[Yokohama]

And also, some Japanese toilettes are high tech. The electric seats are good and warm in winter, and there are many different buttons control the water and air. You can choose a nice soft shower, or a strong high-pressure jet and air blow makes yours dry.

[RDClip]

Cute little drawings on that site.

Anyway, Do they have toilet paper in Japanese stalls?

[Pierrot le Fou]

Save train stations, I've never seen a place without it. And even in train stations, there's a vending machine to buy it.

[nice gaijin]

yeah, I've gotta say that the spectrum of toilets is from the aforementioned side-ways urinal-style toilets (和式) to the western style toilets (洋式） with more features built into the seat than my cell phone.

Finding a public restroom isn't that hard, but there are some pretty foul smelling public restrooms, especially in the more heavily trafficked train stations. Best public restroom I found was in 新橋 station; clean and modern. Outside of those busy stations I never really had a bad experience with Japanese toilets, unless you count finding out what those buttons on the high-tech seats do for the first time O_O

edit// One great thing about many public restrooms there is that although there are no paper towels, they have amazingly effective jet-dryers for your hands. 懐かしいな。。。

[Pierrot le Fou]

How could you NOT know what the buttons are for? They have pictures on them for us furriners who can't read katakana! I hope you didn't hit the lady button...

[nice gaijin]

let's just say i tried em all, just for the learning experience... the main buttons are pretty self-explanatory, though.

[Katiekoneko]

I would never want to squat..
What if someone peed on their clothes? well.. I guess only a girl would.
I like the idea of warming seats.. Am I odd? *lol* Maybe its the Canadian winters being so cold.

And someone said no paper towels and only jet-dryers..Arent most places like that now anyhow? US/Can?
I still am shocked when the toilets in towns near by mine flush on their own. Its normaly there..but not in my town yet..so Im like WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

[Tenlaius]

ok...remind me to bring my own toilet paper to Japan if I ever get the chance to go their. Beside that...a electric seat?!? Ok with that aside...I didn't notice that we have a few people here that are from Japan

[renegade]

this pic is from some shounen manga book i have

take a look
http://img343.imageshack.us/img343/9228/mangatoilet0nw.jpg

[Henjin]

I hope you didn't hit the lady button...

I know I shouldn't ask, but my morbid curiosity is getting the best of me... What's the 'lady button?'

[Suneru]

yBest public restroom I found was in 新橋 station; clean and modern...... 懐かしいな。。。
The bathroom in Shinjuku was the absolute worst until about 4 months ago, when they totally remodeled all of the middle section. Also I used that bathroom the other day, and it already has the smell of crap permeating it.
As for the Japanese style toilet, many of the older people say it easier to take a dumb in one (not their exact words). Also they think it gross to sit so close to your excrements as you do when using a western syle toilet. I think the chance of splash damage gets them.
Last thing, I hate to rant on it but it kind of gets to me. I'm seeing it more and more on this board...Don't use a Japanese word, especially kanji, when you can use an English word. (for those that don't know firefox "moji" plug-in is a life saver) This in-group out-group thing is just kind of pompous to me. 懐かしい I'll give to you..How would you say that in English? They say it all the time. "It takes me back...Just like old times"?

[Henjin]

I don't see why people have to only use English if they know Japanese and want to use it. It's usually not integral to to meaning of the post. If people are curious, they can copy/paste it into a dictionary. Why should it even bother you?

[Pierrot le Fou]

懐かしい I'll give to you..How would you say that in English? They say it all the time. "It takes me back...Just like old times"?

You'd say, "I'm nostalgic" or "boy that brings back some memories..."

[mediocre]

I don't see why people have to only use English if they know Japanese and want to use it. It's usually not integral to to meaning of the post. If people are curious, they can copy/paste it into a dictionary. Why should it even bother you?


This is also a sticking point with me, so excuse my nazi-rant.


It is called etiquette. Not everyone knows japanese.

Why say "東京" when one can easily say "Tokyo".

And as to the dictionary comment, yes they can, but the onus is on the poster to provide the dictionary (or their own translation) for japanese they use.

A modicum of courtesy goes a long way.

[nice gaijin]

ok...remind me to bring my own toilet paper to Japan if I ever get the chance to go their. Beside that...a electric seat?!? Ok with that aside...I didn't notice that we have a few people here that are from Japan
You should take your own toilet paper to Japan anyways, 'cause their toilet paper sucks (really, their selection of toilet paper is pretty sad, I checked the supermarkets). And the seats are electronic, not electric, you won't be shocked unless you count hitting the bidet button by accident.

~~
as for using kanji in my posts, if I'm writing something intended for those who don't know/speak Japanese I'll usually include a simpler way like furigana or romaji to pronounce or translate the word. My post was intended mostly for Katiekoneko, who is planning on going to Japan, and knowing the Kanji for the places would be a hell of a lot more useful to her than the roman translation. Furthermore, since she's going to Japan I would think she has at least a bit of interest in the language and knows about Jim Breen or dictionary.goo.ne.jp to paste compounds she doesn't know into them.

And it should have been obvious that I was talking about a train station from context, since the only thing in kanji was the actual name of it, but if anyone needs 新橋 in roman characters to follow along, it's shinbashi.

[bloop]

I would never want to squat..
What if someone peed on their clothes? well.. I guess only a girl would.

I don't think peeing on your clothes would be too big a problem. That said, I always pulled my pants so that they were in front of me and in no way near anything that could be coming out.
If you wear long pants though, you have to be really careful about not stepping into *stuff*.

[Henjin]

This is also a sticking point with me, so excuse my nazi-rant.


It is called etiquette. Not everyone knows japanese.

Why say "東京" when one can easily say "Tokyo".

And as to the dictionary comment, yes they can, but the onus is on the poster to provide the dictionary (or their own translation) for japanese they use.

A modicum of courtesy goes a long way.

Like Nice Gaijin said, we're not using Japanese in our posts to secretly talk about people behind their backs. If it's directed toward people we know can't speak it, we're not going to use it. If we're talking to people who do understand it, sorry if you don't.

[Katiekoneko]

So awkward
and if someone came into the room while I was ...hunched over like that
IcK!
you can see everything.. I dunno.. it just doesnt sound appealing.
*lol*

[Suneru]

私には心配することではない。私は日本語能力試験一級持ってます。俺様万歳！！（笑）　日本語できるかでき ないか関係ないですね。さまざまなヒトがこの掲示板に出ってるので一番分かりやすいほうがまし。日本につい て掲示板だけどさ、出ってるひとの大多数が日本語分かりませんから英語と日本語両方使わなくってはいけませ ん。日本語通訳する責任だと思います。ごめんこれは２チャネルの怒りみたいになってしまった。でも変人さん はI don't see why people have to only use English if they know Japanese and want to use itだと言いました。だが日本語喋りたい時日本人と話す。英語を喋るヒトと話してる時絶対英語を使う。日本 語ばかり使うと偉そうだと思います。
I think my Japanese is screwed and my English is screwed(living here too long). but I know for sure if you use language in a way to exclude others you're an ass. I realize that no matter how good my Japanese (or anything for that matter) becomes there is always someone better that me. Doing things in a way to exclude others is a shitty, pompous way to live.
Sorry too tired to translate what "I think" I said. Moji is your friend.
but here's the sum of it. Don't use language to exclude others. Lauguage is a tool to communicate with others.
late
Suneru
"which means to sulk about something"

[Henjin]

I think my Japanese is screwed and my English is screwed(living here too long). but I know for sure if you use language in a way to exclude others you're an ass. I realize that no matter how good my Japanese (or anything for that matter) becomes there is always someone better that me. Doing things in a way to exclude others is a shitty, pompous way to live.
Sorry too tired to translate what "I think" I said. Moji is your friend.
but here's the sum of it. Don't use language to exclude others. Lauguage is a tool to communicate with others.
late
Suneru
"which means to sulk about something"

I don't know if you're directing this toward me or not, but I don't think any of us are using it in that way. It's not like anyone replied completely in Japanese. In fact, you're the first one to use it extensively in this thread. He was talking to someone who he thought would understand it. If you're an observer and you want to know what he meant, just ask. I don't think he'd mind explaining. There's no reason to force him to speak only in English, just like there's no reason for him to force you to learn Japanese. Even in the Japanese language threads, at the beginning we were all using hiragana or romaji to write everything. But after awhile, the people who needed that stopped showing up, so we didn't bother.

If we're not using Japanese to exclude or purposely irritate anyone, you don't have any right to get upset with us. Ask nicely for an interpretation or do it yourself. Those are the options, and they don't encroach on anyone's rights.

So to sum it up, chill out. It's not intentional, and it's not meant to exclude anyone. If you have a problem with it, say so, but don't get upset.

[stsparky]

Katie -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_toilet

[Jess]

Heh, a lot of you must be from more urban areas. I've never seen a toilet paper vending machine at a station...but I lived in Kagawa-ken. And rarely have I seen a station restroom with tp at all - I carried the ubiquitous packet of tp around with me. Of course, most of the stations either had no restroom, or had a one stall hole in the floor over the porcelain squat toilet - usually one that had never, ever been flushed. The one in my town couldn't flush, even. They did provide a hose to hose down the floor, though. For some reason, I never got desperate enough to use that thing. Ugh.

The worst thing about the Japanese style toilets is trying to use them when you're drunk. All of a sudden skirts began to make more sense to me, a girl that hated them with a passion before Japan.

[Katiekoneko]

I hope to never have to use the squatting one
EVER

(fingers crossed*

[Dana]

its not that bad actually. The only bad thing is that people are sometimes a little inaccurate and these bathrooms tend to smell worse than western ones. In tokyo they always hand out tissues (with ads) on the streets, so anytime you see them you take them so you always have tissues with you if you need them in a bathroom.

My schools all have one western toilet and like three japanese toilets in the bathrooms. The teachers seem to prefer the japanese style...

[hanacker]

I'm not a big fan of taking a dump in Japanese toilets (when you gotta go, you gotta go, though...) but peeing in one isn't a big deal.

I don't see why people have to only use English if they know Japanese and want to use it. It's usually not integral to to meaning of the post. If people are curious, they can copy/paste it into a dictionary. Why should it even bother you?

Actually, some of us are (were, in my case) on computers with no Japanese support (and don't have the authorization to add it) and can't copy/paste into a dictionary because the words just show up as a bunch of squares. Of course it isn't necessary, but it would be nice if people would give an English translation or at least romaji when they use Japanese words. This being a forum where the primary language is English and all.

[Pierrot le Fou]

There is no reason to put station names in Kanji for casual visitors. All station names across all of Japan are in Romaji as well as Kanji. They're even in Hiragana. So posting them in Kanji as a 'public service' is a red herring. If you want to post the romaji and put the Kanji in there as an aside, knock yourself out. Hell, I could read it and it irked me (I went off on hapacheese for it when he first joined too).

Japanese in the Japanese thread is fine, but for public consumption in English-language threads, the Japanese should be an aside rather than critical for understanding.

[hapacheese]

Heh... Yeah, I was under the impression when I first joined that there were more people living in Japan/studying Japanese on these boards when I first joined. But, after understanding the way things work around here, it's only fair to limit the Japanese writing to those threads whose express purpose is that.

[Henjin]

そうですね。ごめん。英語で話そう。

:D (Just screwing around. Last time, I swear.)

[hapacheese]

Banz0r3d!!!!1!

:D

[Henjin]

しまｔ- I mean, Crap!

[Pierrot le Fou]

しまった is more like "Oops" than "crap" as far as nuance methinks. But it's all good.

[Henjin]

I'm aware of that. I learned the word from an older Japanese woman who told me it when I asked what the equivalent of 'oops!' was.

And something's up w/ your encoding, Pierrot. I see this: しまった Everything else shows up.

[Pierrot le Fou]

What are you talking about? The only word I wrote was しまった, everything else was in Romaji. I fail to see what is odd about my encoding?

[Henjin]

Stop messing with me. It's 2:35am.

[Pierrot le Fou]

Okay, I just got back home, and read it from a non-school puter, and it was a mess. It read fine at school, which coincidentally is a Japanese PC with windows 98 using ATOK that I've never had trouble with, and it came out gibberish. When you stated the oddness that you read, it came out as しまった for me just dandy, which is why we were both confused.

[Henjin]

Oh. I didn't think it would come across if I copied the junk that showed up on my end.

[hanacker]

I thought you were making a joke by showing Henjin what it was like for people who can't read or see Japanese characters.

[atomiton]

Heh... Yeah, I was under the impression when I first joined that there were more people living in Japan/studying Japanese on these boards when I first joined. But, after understanding the way things work around here, it's only fair to limit the Japanese writing to those threads whose express purpose is that.

Many people who are teaching in Japan never even learn Hiragana...

[hapacheese]

I guess my view was skewed because all the people I knew who went to Japan to teach were all members of the Japanese language program at Cal.

[akitaka]

Many people who are teaching in Japan never even learn Hiragana...

Woah. You're not exaggerating, are you? I could only imagine the language hell in the printed material.