In Japan, bathrooms can typically be found inside of public buildings, such as schools, offices, restaurants, and more. In larger cities, you can also find bathrooms in public parks, near train stations, and even in shopping malls.
Bathrooms can be labeled as “ toilets “, ” WC ” or ” restrooms ” and are often referred to as otearai お手洗い in Japanese. In Japanese households, they typically have a two-in-one bathroom, with a shower and a toilet combined into one space.
When traveling you may notice that certain public bathrooms have coin-operated toilets. These toilets have functions like heated seats, bidet sprays, and air freshener. You’ll need to insert the correct amount of coins (normally around 50-100 yen) to use them.
In Japan, there are also regulations that dictate how bathrooms should be used, with most preferring that you remove your shoes before entering the restroom and washing hands afterwards.
Overall, finding bathrooms in Japan is fairly easy, so you should have no problems going out and about!
What do Japanese call the bathroom?
In Japan, the word for bathroom is 米 (ben). However, it is not commonly used, as the word toire (トイレ) has become much more widely accepted in both conversation and writing. Toire is a shortening of the phrase 降り処 (otearai or otoire), which literally means “place to descend” and refers to the fact that restrooms usually require one to go down stairs or another type of elevation to use them.
Additionally, the terms otearai and otoire are not used interchangeably. Otearai generally refers to public restrooms, while otoire refers to private ones.
Do Japanese use toilet paper or water?
In Japan, it is common to use a combination of toilet paper and water when going to the bathroom. This practice is known as “bidet etiquette” and involves a bidet, which is a plumbing fixture that sprays water to help clean after using the toilet.
Toilet paper is still used to wipe away residual moisture, and many modern washlet or bidet-style toilets come with water jets and a drying feature that make post-toilet cleanup even easier. It is also common for Japanese people to use a small washbowl filled with water to clean themselves.
This is typically done by scooping up water from the bowl with the hand and using it to rinse the area that has been soiled. Regardless of the method used, toilets within Japan must always comply with strict waste management regulations and provide adequate ventilation.
Do Japanese use water in toilet?
Yes, Japanese typically use water for their toilet needs. In Japanese toilets, instead of a traditional toilet with a single flush handle/lever, a valved flushing system is often featured. This system provides two different flushes, a small flush for liquids and a larger flush for solid matter.
Generally, when flushing a toilet in Japan, users allow a stream of water to run in a bowl at the base of the toilet, until the desired amount is in the bowl, which is then flushed away. This type of flushing system is relatively common in East Asia, and is made more efficient by the use of dual-flush toilet technology.