Private Room

Continuing from the last blog in yesterday, I would like to talk about other toilet machine in the below picture today.

Not sure if you have ever seen and used this machine.  This is a toilet seat with water spray feature for washing.  The seat can be also warmed, which is very comfortable during winter.

I love this comfortable device and wonder why I do not see this in other countries.  The cities where I did not see this toilet seat include London, Chicago, NY, Athens, Shanghai, Seoul, and possibly others, although most of hotels I stayed there were a sort of high class ones.

I have been wondering why this comfortable toilet seats are not widely used in other countries and have come up to a certain idea that we Japanese might be unique to value a toilet time and would like to spend comfortable time there.

Many of Japanese houses are relatively small compared to ones in other countries, particularly Western countries, and accordingly, in many cases family members do not have their own private room in the houses.  Under such an environment, a bathroom becomes a private area and provides very relaxed time.  Many Japanese, including myself, read books, newspapers, or magazines in the bathroom, for example.  Thinking this way, I could explain why a toilet room in Japan is closed while one in other country is open as I mentioned in the last blog ("Shame Culture").

I therefore think any comfortable toilet device like the toilet seat above gets more popular in Japan than other countries.

Your thoughts?
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