toilet

Western toilet style vastly preferred

This survey into toilets is rather interesting, and a bit surprising that nearly half the Japanese men have at least occasionally felt the urge to go whilst travelling to work.

One interesting result from the stand or sit debate is that Kyushu men, who have the stereotype of being very masculine and uncompromising, were to type here, with over 50% making a stand for a man’s right to stand.

I’m a bit funny when it comes to public toilets; I’ll only use department store ones if I need a poo, but I can very easily be turned off by simple things like some cling-ons left on the bowl or just a funny smell, and no toilet seat cover makes me feel very uncomfortable for some weird reason!

Here’s an advert for getting caught short in the train – geri-portation is a terrible pun on geri, the runs, and teleportation:


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By Ken Y-N, ago

Stuff guys don’t want to learn about women’s toilets

goo Ranking does seem to conduct a large percentage of their surveys on odd toilet-related topics, for which I thank them! Today’s is about what guys answering the survey wish they hadn’t just learnt about women’s toilets.

In the answers below, a Sound Princess is a device in many female public toilets that plays toilet flushing noises or other white noise to mask sounds while doing the business.

Fortunately, this doesn’t go on in women’s toilets:

JAPAN-LIFESTYLE-HEALTH
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By Ken Y-N, ago

What foreigners love and hate about Japanese public toilets

How cleaner are Japanese public toilets? graph of japanese statisticsJapanese public toilets are something that almost every visitor to Japan will experience, so this survey from the toilet manufacturer Toto looked at foreigners and toilets to see what issues there were.

Demographics

During September and October of 2014 600 foreign residents of Japan aged 20 or older completed an internet-based survey; ten countries were represented; South Korea, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, USA, France, UK, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. No further demographics were presented.

I’ve used a Japanese-style toilet for number twos exactly once, at a bowling alley when I had the runs, and in the process managed to get a rather large poo stain on my trousers, a fact I never realised until I got home that night. I’m very particular about toilets, so barring emergencies I use department store Western-style toilets almost exclusively, and I tend to select heated seats, but I never touch any of the bum-squirting stuff.
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Drunken toilet FAILs of the Japanese

I’ve not had a failure ranking for a while, so here’s a rather good one from goo Ranking looking at what toilet-related failures people have had while drunk.

Demographics

goo Rankings asked iBRIDGE’s Research Plus to conduct this survey, where between the 18th and 20th of August 2014 500 members of their monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was split 50:50 male and female, but no further demographics were given.

Looking at the list, I don’t need to be drunk to do number 5, and as for number 6, back in my student days I got locked in overnight in the student union due to that…

As this blog entry is a bit lonely without an image, here is a toilet awaiting drunken fails…


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By Ken Y-N, ago

Just two in five Japanese always wash hands with soap after public toilet poo

How do you wash your hands after public toilet poo? graph of japanese statisticsI don’t know how these numbers compare with elsewhere in the world, but the results of this survey from VLC (Value Create) into toilets produced a few quite interesting results.

Demographics

Over the 19th and 20th of September 2013 1,045 members of VL Crew completed a private internet-based questionnaire. The sample was 50:50 male and female, and 20.0% in each of the twenties, thirties, forties, fifties and sixties age groups.

My home toilet has both a heated seat (lovely) and a bum squirter (yuk!). I used it once or twice when we first got it, but quite frankly I couldn’t see the point, and all the water down there melts toilet paper when I try to dry off afterwards.
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By Ken Y-N, ago

The worst things about Japanese public toilets

goo Ranking decided to have a look inside Japan’s public toilets and find out what annoys people when they use the facilities.

Demographics

Over the 8th and 9th of June 2012 1,092 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 60.1% of the sample were female, 10.8% in their teens, 15.8% in their twenties, 28.9% in their thirties, 26.3% in their forties, 10.2% in their fifties, and 8.0% aged sixty or older. Note that the score in the results refers to the relative number of votes for each option, not a percentage of the total sample.

I’m very sensitive when it comes to public toilets, so most of these below can cause me to abort my mission. American toilets with the 30 centimetres of free space around floor-level is another pet hate.

As the list below might be a bit traumatic, to calm you down here is Hello Kitty:

Toilet in Hello Kitty Love Hotel Room
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By Ken Y-N, ago

One in three Japanese mobile users addicted

How addicted to your mobile phone do you think you are? graph of japanese statisticsA recent survey from Point On Research, reported by japan.internet.com, into mobile phone addiction levels found a high level of self-reported addiction amongst the young heavy users that make up their monitor base.

Demographics

On the 11th of May 2010 800 members of the Point On monitor group who were heavy users of mobile phones completed a private mobile internet-based questionnaire. The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, 25.0% in their teens, 25.0% in their twenties, 25.0% in their thirties, and 25.0% in their forties.

On weekends I can go the whole day without touching my phone, but at work since I’m not allowed to take my mobile into my office, when I have a toilet break I have a peek, but unless there is mail waiting, it is no more than pressing a button on the case to see if it buzzes.
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Do men stand, sit or squat in Japanese public toilets?

Do you think there should always be cubicles for urinals? graph of japanese statisticsIt’s a while since we’ve visited the toilet with iShare, so I was curious to see this latest investigation by them into the gents.

Demographics

Between the 20th and 23rd of April 2010 529 male members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 28.5% of the sample were in their twenties, 32.7% in their thirties, and 38.8% in their forties.

Although I’m well house-trained, I always stand in public toilets. I steer clear of Japanese-style trenches, though, as I’ve been scarred by the one time I had to use them when I had a bit of the runs, and I managed to get poo on my trousers…

Note that apparently at schools, entering a cubicle will often get you seriously teased (if television programs are to be believed), causing problems with constipation in schoolkids, and perhaps both the teasing and the constipation continue to be problems in later life?
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Using mobile phones in toilet and bath

Do you use your mobile phone in the toilet? graph of japanese statisticsHere are some interesting figures from Point On Research, reported on by japan.internet.com, into the matter of the degree of dependence on mobile phones

Demographics

On the 13th of October 2009 800 mobile phone users completed a mobile phone-internet based questionnaire. The sample was exactly 50:50 male and female, 25.0% in their teens, 25.0% in their twenties, 25.0% in their thirties, and 25.0% in their forties.

One thing that’s not clear from the using it in the toilet bit is if it is one’s home toilet, a public toilet, or a toilet at work, as hiding in the toilets at the office to send furtive email is quite popular at my place of work, for instance.
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By Ken Y-N, ago

Public toilet seat fears in Japan

Do you feel reluctance to sitting on Western-style public toilets? graph of japanese statisticsiShare definitely has some sort of toilet obsession, with this time taking a look at public toilet seat issues.

Demographics

Between the 8th and 13th of July 2009 568 members of the CLUB BBQ free email forwarding service completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 57.4% of the sample were male, 35.7% in their twenties, 31.3% in their thirties, and 32.9% in their forties.

I don’t like using public toilets, but more from the point of view of not being being able to relax. I think I’ve only once used the paper sheet covers, but only just because I wanted to see what they actually were, rather than any worry about hygene. Wifey, on the other hand, prefers Western toilets and always carries seat cleaning sheets with her whenever she goes out.

Previous toilet-related surveys from iShare have included toilet noises, water-squirting toilets, and mobile phones in the toilet.
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By Ken Y-N, ago