Japanese hi-tech experience

On my way back to New York from Malaysia, it was a 5 hr transit at Tokyo Narita. I have always thought of Japan as an amazing blend of technological advancements and ethnic culture. Though I could not get out of the airport, I was wondering what was in store for me at the airport. Little did I imagine that the technology that would baffle me in Japan would be in a toilet seat!!

Yes, you read it right - a toilet seat. Though I was a little intimidated and had some embarrassing moments acquainting myself to the hi-tech seat, I was amused and amazed by it!

If you are brought up with Indian toilet habits, having access to water in a toilet will give you some peace of mind. This toilet seat will make you more than happy. It gives the comfort of a western toilet, the cleanliness of the Indian way and the luxury of electronic technology without making things too messy. What more do you need if you could listen to some recorded tunes too :)

I have not been to too many international airports or places to know if this is common, but, definitely I did not see them in Germany, US and Malaysia. I think these countries will not need it either because of their toilet habits. I did not take pics of this wonder-toilet, but have added some from the net, to give you a better picture. These pics will speak the 1000 words which I cannot say without being crude.

Check out the various options. I was fooled by the 'flushing sound' button. As I was so intimidated and was frantically searching for the flush, I just assumed that the button with word flush around it would just do the job. To my dismay and embarrassement, all I heard was a loud roar of the flushing noise. Why that button exists, I leave it for your imagination to answer.

The bidet functionality could catch you unaware if you are standing in front of the seat and trying out the buttons.










I was curious about these toilets and googled for the manufacturer TOTO and got this. Interesting!