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The Japanese Toilet Seat Guide: A British Perspective

Japanese toilets are renowned for their futuristic design, innovative features, as well as their enhanced cleanliness. A Japanese toilet could help to improve the aesthetic and convenience of your bathroom space, offering many smart features that revolutionise everyday bathroom use.

Here at Washloo, we supply a vast range of Japanese toilets and we can provide you with all the help and advice you need to make the right choice for your home.

What is a Japanese toilet?

Japanese toilets are state-of-the-art, technologically advanced toilet facilities that originate in Japan. These Japanese style toilets are designed to increase the convenience and comfortability of everyday toilet use, featuring innovative functions such as an automated Japanese toilet seat lid and a remote-controlled bidet for extra cleanliness.

Japanese toilets have received a significant amount of attention for their revolutionary and interactive features. According to Alex Jones:

“Whereas [toilets] haven’t changed a jot here in the last decade, in Japan they have gone through several cycles of development, evolving as fast as mobile phones."

What are the benefits of Japanese toilets?

There are plenty of advantages of Japanese toilets due to their smart features and benefits. Examples of their innovative functions include:

  • Automated Seating – Most Japanese toilet seats have lids that are built with motion sensors, so they lift automatically when they are approached.

  • Heated Seats – For optimum comfort, Japanese style toilets offer a heated seat function; some models even feature a massage setting!

  • Enhanced Personal Hygiene Functions – With a built-in bidet, you can benefit from more hygienic cleaning after toilet use. The shower jet on the Japanese toilet bidet is remote-controlled and some models come equipped with a “lady shower” function specifically for women. These enhanced cleaning functions can be particularly beneficial for individuals with restricted mobility.

  • Automated Cleaning technology – The smart toilet will automatically clean itself after every use with its self-cleaning nozzle.

  • Air dryer – Once the shower jet has finished, the warm air dryer function begins. Similar to the wash function, the temperature can be adjusted to suit your personal preference and be saved for next time.

  • Auto flush – Japanese toilets automatically flush once the user stands up. This convenient function helps to prevent any embarrassment and reduces the spread of germs.

  • Energy Saving – The smart toilet can be placed on standby to help you save some pennies and reduce your carbon footprint.

  • Deodoriser – After the Japanese toilet is used, its deodoriser will absorb any smells using a bamboo charcoal filter. Some models also feature a built-in fan to absorb smells.

  • Stop function – The stop operation button can be used at any time to stop the washing and air-drying functions. Some smart toilets have a sensor which stops the jets and dryers from operating once the person stands up.

  • Night Light – Struggling to find the toilet during the night and the main light is too bright? Smart toilets often feature a night light function to guide you to the toilet in the middle of the night. This adjusts its light levels according to the environment.

  • Music – Some Japanese toilets also have the option to play music to help the user relax or to act as a masking sound to spare blushes.

Major Japanese toilet brands

Washloo is the only British-based Japanese toilet brand. We supply a comprehensive range of Japanese style toilets, many of which include a variety of smart features and functions to help improve the levels of comfort and convenience in your bathroom. Our modern range of luxury bidet toilet seats offer the best smart toilet technology for British bathrooms.

In terms of international Japanese toilet sales, TOTO and INAX are two of the most popular smart toilet brands in Japan.

Toto’s smart toilet product “Washlet” has become so popular that it is used to refer to bidet toilets throughout Japan and other nations.

Japanese toilets for sale

At Washloo, we supply high-quality luxury Japanese toilets to suit the needs of every home. Here are a few of our top-selling smart toilet products:


Washloo Classic

Washloo Classic

Washloo Deluxe

Washloo Deluxe

Washloo Finesse DR

Washloo Finesse DR

RAK Resort Maxi Rimless Toilet & Washloo Finesse DR Combination

RAK Resort Maxi Rimless Toilet & Washloo Finesse DR Combination

Washloo Prestige All-In-One Smart Toilet

Washloo Prestige All-In-One Smart Toilet

Japanese toilet costs

The cost of a Japanese toilet is dependent on the style and features of the model selected. Smart toilet costs can range anywhere between £300 - £6500. Here at Washloo, it’s our goal to provide you with the best Japanese toilet product for your needs at an affordable price.

Take a look at our range today.

Toilet paper vs. bidet toilets in the UK

In the UK, we're very keen on toilet roll, using almost 2.5 times the European average. In addition, we're also "fussy" about the toilet paper we use - this is not just in relation to the brands themselves, but also in regards to the actual quality or experience of the toilet paper.

A 2015 study revealed that the attributes that British people primarily care about in toilet paper are:

  • Softness (57%)

  • Strength (45%)

  • Thickness (36%)

Interestingly, there's an attribute that unites toilet paper users above all others - the environmental impact. 81% of the market said that they “would consider buying recycled toilet tissue if it were comparable in quality to standard paper."

So, we care about the environment, and we're quite particular about the experience we get from the toilet paper we use – surely that means Japanese-style toilets should be present in every home in the UK?

The average family of four spends approximately £274.32 on toilet paper per year. Meanwhile, the average water costs for a family of the same size when using a smart toilet is just £17.84 per year! This shows that huge savings can be made by investing into a Japanese toilet.

Interesting facts about Japanese toilets

Here are some intriguing facts that you may not know about Japanese toilets:

  1. Japanese-style toilets often appear in popular culture – they have featured in episodes of The Simpsons (episode 226, "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo", first aired May 16, 1999) and Futurama (episode 91, "Attack of the Killer App", first aired 1 July, 2010). In both series they were referred to as a "Japanese Toilet".

  2. One of the largest Japanese toilet brands was focused on importing American-made "wash air seats" during the 1960s. Japan, one of the most high-tech regions of the world, has attained this reputation through innovating the product and proliferating it through Japan and other countries.

FAQs

Where can you buy Japanese toilets in the UK?

Washloo is currently the only British-based Japanese toilet brand. Other companies may sell other brands of Japanese style toilets, but we distribute our own products. This means that we have all the knowledge and expertise to provide you with the best smart toilet for your home.
What can a Japanese toilet do?

What can a Japanese toilet do?

A Japanese toilet can perform a number of smart functions, such as providing heat wash jets, heated seats, massage settings, music playing, automated lid lifting and self-cleaning. Take a look at our diverse range of smart toilets to find out more about their innovative capabilities.

Who invented the Japanese style toilet?

The founder of the Japanese brand TOTO, Kazuchika Okura is said to be the inventor of the Japanese toilet.