I've travelled to Japan several times, and I've become a big fan of their toilets. Particulary in the winter time since most Japanese homes don't have central heating and those bathrooms can be mighty cold! You can actually special order those online toilets online. If I can ever afford to buy a house, the first thing I'm going to do is replace the toilet with a Toto!

When the Simpsons visited Japan, the toilet gave them local restaurant recommendations.

Never done it myself but I've seen photos of toilets that basically are two footprints to position your feet, two handles to steady yourself, and a hole in the floor. Not sure if there was a TP holder.

Not only do I love Japanese toilets, I put pictures of them on my blog.

http://livebythefoma.blogspot.com/2006/05/toilet-talk.html

I love the drying blast of air. Don't knock it until you try it.

I was just in lower Manhattan and saw a Toto storefront...I do hope that means they will be available stateside soon. As for the 'Asian' style toilet, they're not that bad once you get used to maintaining your balance - more sanitary, if you think about it.

I went to Korea twice in the 90's and there, you'll usually find a trench out back, with nothing to hold on to, and no tp. Just a bucket to wash it all down the drain. It's doubly hard if you've been drinking!

I come from a European country and have been living in the US for 15+ years. The ONLY thing I can't get used to is the almost complete lack of bidets. I am not talking about these fancy gadget-laden blow-dry kind of toilet gizmo you find in Japan, just a plain, simple, old-style bidet next to the toilet itself.

It beats my comprehension how a nation so obsessed with personal cleanliness is so remiss on personal hygiene when it comes to cleaning the most delicate body parts after the most soiling of all bodily functions.

I have seen McMansion homes with fireplaces in the bathroom, twin sinks, luxury double showers, spa-like bath tubs and all the amenities you can think of, but almost never a bidet.
Why?
Anybody can help me get over this?

Is there going to be a time when Americans realize the pleasure of having a clean butt?

P.S. In the meantime, when I hit the john I carry with me a little squeezable bottle of hot water for my ablutions, and pretend it's the real thing.

Not sure why there aren't Toto toilets available in Washington, but we've got one here in CT and my parents bought two in TX. I'd suggest looking around more.

We have the simplest one without the temperature control for the seat or the wash and dry capability. However, the seat closes slowly and without a sound...a wonderful thing! And it flushes 100%better than any low flush toilet I've ever encountered.

I was born and raised in the US, but I have to agree with bidet-less_in_SF. It just doesn't make sense. If you were walking along and tripped and your arm stuck in some dog poop, you wouldn't just wipe it off with a paper towel, would you? No! You'd run home and wash it off with hot water and soap. So why do we merely wipe our rears before pulling back up our pants??!

I had one of these when I lived in Japan in the late 90's and LOVED it! If they're ever available stateside, I'll be installing them in my house.

In fact, Toto toilets are widely available in the US. What you want is the special toilet seat that includes the bidet, heated seat, air dryer, and other features not appropriate for a family blog. We've bought them online with no problem, but search around for discounts as they're a little pricey.

Some toilets in Paris are barely more than a hole with two places for your feet and a flush handle. The same is true for some Japanese toilets.

I think they're called Western, because until at least recently, most were actually made in the USA.

We have had a Toto Washlet (with front and back bidet) here in DC for years. When we recently moved, our new condo has Toto toilets but without the Washlet, and we simply ordered online a Washlet seat replacement. You can even buy them on eBay... just be sure the Washlet fits your current toilet and that you have an electrical outlet very near the toilet.

I grew to appreciate those Japanese-style toilets that were (in effect) just the hole in the ground. It's much easier to perform the, shall we say, "most soiling of all bodily functions" in that position. (Once you figure out the whole balance issue.) I also love the home toilets with the heated seats, but I must say, I'm just too much of an american girl to understand the bidet thing.

In Crawford, there is a nice Bush suitable for urination. When he was duck hunting, Leaky Dick accidentally urinated on a supreme court justice.

I call the toilets in Asia that are the hole in the ground with two footprints "squatters." I'm not sure if this is the official western term for them, but I've heard others use it. I think there is some scatalogical research that suggests that squatters are superior to the "western" style toilets in getting job #1 (or should I say job #2) done. Something about the positioning of the body. But you lost the luxury of taking your time, reading the paper, doing crosswords, or talking on the phone. It's kind of like the tradeoffs between using metro or driving.

As far as bidets, I think their lack of popularity can be attributed to the french sounding name. I see the literal translation of the word is "pony." Though I think, given that Americans view themselves as more rugged and masculine, they would be called Mustangs here. Perhaps someone should market them as freedom toilets. Butt Sink sounds crass, so I don't think that would work.

better not let african americans know about these heated toilets....never get them out of there...now, where are my loose shoes?

Just returned from Tokyo on 3/18 and feel heaven blessed to have experienced using the Toto. The heated seat is the best thing about this toilet. McDonalds had it but not the Crowne Plaza. Go figure!

Tokyo's Narita airport has some bidet toilets in its men's restrooms.

The marvel of Japanese plumbing extends to hotel showers, which tend to have simple mechanisms for choosing the temperature and volume, AND allowing you to turn the water off and turn it back on again, at the same temperature. The shower controls at the New Otani in Tokyo are about as perfect as I've ever seen.

Thanks to a flight rerouted via Hong Kong, I got to spend a night at the magnificent Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel. The bathroom had a very nicely designed tub, but the tub's plumbing and the toilet were exactly what you'd expect at a very nice hotel in Orlando. Perhaps Toto and its competitors haven't marketed overseas energetically enough??

I think Toto's US website provides links to its retailers.

hey lived in Japan, Taiwan, S Korea and now in China. Most of the johns are about the same. Ugly, flat as a pancake holes but then depending where you are they can be western style and hope that you enjoy it. However, I have not seen toto here in China mainly because the love hate relationship between the Chinese and Japanese. On the trains wel just hold your breath and good luck.