The latest status symbol? A £15,000 Japanese toilet ...Middle East

Japan has brought us sushi, karaoke and with origami, even given us a new way to fold paper. Now it’s changing the way we go to the toilet.

Experts estimate that tens of thousands of so-called “smart” toilets from the Land of the Rising Sun are now being sold in the UK each year, despite the heavy price tag of between £2,000 and £15,000 for the most tech-laden models.

So what is prompting a growing number of British households to invest in a different way to empty their bowels?

“I always sit down every time now,” says Floyd Case, project manager at Toto UK – the Tokyo-based company that brought the modern-day Japanese toilet to the world 45 years ago.

“Most people, men included, do opt to sit now because once you’re on that heated seat you never go back.

“There is also some additional assurance that certain chaps aren’t going to make a mess in the bathroom if they sit down. I’ve been using these things for 15 years now and it’s certainly changed my habits.”

Jon Tipple, the chief strategy officer at FutureBrand, the brand-led business transformation company believes this is definitely one of the plus points.

“People who are frustrated at men spraying all over the toilet, well, now they will want to sit down for both,” he says. “I think it has a huge knock-on benefit of zero spraying.”

It’s not merely the heated seat that attracts consumers: lids can open and shut at the press of a button, some come with a nightlight and many models will self-clean the toilet bowl, removing the need to flush.

And it’s not just the lavatory basin that gets washed. Often referred to as the “wand”, an arm in the toilet squirts a jet of warm water upwards in order to clean a person’s backside and some models also come with an additional drying or deodorising function. Gone is the need for any toilet paper or air freshener.

Japanese toilets are becoming a must-have luxury item among those who want to impress their friends (Photo: TOTO UK)

“With the modern design of bathrooms focusing so much on comfort and hygiene, Japanese toilets have gained followers for offering both in abundance,” explains Farook Member, the director and bathroom appliance expert at QS Supplies.

“People are drawn to the idea of your toilet being able to do more than just, well, flush. It can heat, clean, and even deodorise. It is hard to go back to anything else after having used one.”

The issue of dry toilet paper

For FutureBrands’ Tipple, the loo from the East also shows how backwards the West has been.

Tipple’s gripe is that for 175 years we, in the West, have persisted with the “illogical” use of dry paper to wipe when many cultures have “taken a much more hygienic approach to bottom cleanliness.

“There’s something weird about the toilet in this country,” he says. “I think people get really het up about it.

“Why do Brits, in particular, use dry toilet paper? If, after some gardening, you come in with muddy hands, you don’t rub [them] vigorously with a dry towel.

“The Japanese loo has taken a practice used outside the West of using water to clean ourselves and is bring a cleaner and brighter future to the toilet experience.”

Whether or not the British public can be persuaded in large numbers to spend thousands on a “smart” toilet, some believe an all-singing, all-dancing Japanese loo could soon be the latest must-have bit of home tech.

“It used to be that people would want to show off the size of their kitchen island,” says Tipple. “Now many people are putting their Japanese loo downstairs rather than in their main bathroom. That’s at least in part because it’s a new and fun experience for guests. It’s the latest thing in the home that you can impress your friends with and is always a talking point, whether they like the experience or not.”

Case agrees, saying that it is a “memorable experience” when used for the first time.

“People do often put them downstairs, where guests can use,” he adds. “Then many people find that once they’ve used them, it’s very difficult not to again.”

Japanese culture of Omotenashi

When launching Toto in Japan in 1917, the company’s founders were originally inspired by visits to the West and introduced the toilet bowls we had been used to for over a century to their own population.

Over the years they have tinkered with the design, introducing some form of hose washing cleaning, but it was not until 1980 that the Toto Washlet – a brand name often used in Japan the same way as Hoover is when referring to a vacuum cleaner – was born.

The toilets were inspired by the Japanese culture of Omotenashi – the concept of hospitality that emphasises anticipating and fulfilling a guest’s needs with sincerity and without expectation of reciprocation.

At home and in some other more modest cultures, some of Toto’s models also play music to mask the inevitable noises that filter through the traditionally smaller homes in Japan. However, the company didn’t view such a requirement was necessary in the UK, where we tend to live in larger homes.

Having sold tens of millions around the world already, it was not until 2009 that Toto arrived in the UK. And during the intervening period, sales are now approaching 70 million worldwide, although the company says it does not have figures for units sold in the UK except to say they run into the thousands each year.

The company continues to dominate the market along with its main rival Lixil. Both command around 23 per cent of global sales, but Toto is slightly ahead. Other firms offering smart toiles include UK outfit Washloo and Switzerland’s Geberit.

Why not just get a bidet?

One question some ask, however, is why not just get a bidet for a few hundred pounds rather than spend thousands on a Japanese toilet?

QS Supplies’ director Member explains that, with modern design of bathrooms people often don’t have room for the additional piece of kit.

“While specific statistics vary,” he says, “UK retailers are seeing an observable upswing in demand.

“Homeowners increasingly welcome incorporating smart home technology into every space in the home, even the bathroom, so Japanese toilets are the natural progression.”

Despite growing demand, not everyone is sold on the Japanese toilet.

Josh Parker is a plumbing engineer for WEFIX – a company set up by Pimlico Plumber’s founder Charlie Mullins to provide London with a range of home services from plumbing to carpentry.

“It’s one of those things where people get to say, ‘Oh, look at what I’ve got,’ to be flash” says Parker. “Something to spend their money on.”

He also points out that while the “normal loo” will cost around £300 to be fitted by a plumber, the additional water functions and electrics in a Japanese toilets raises that “to around £1,000”.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( The latest status symbol? A £15,000 Japanese toilet )

Also on site :

• Saudi Arabia demands Gaza ceasefire, Palestinian state on 1967 borders
• Near normal conditions through the weekend, tracking a warming trend next week
• Fourth of July brings out large crowds to the Santa Barbara and Ventura coasts.