How to use a Japanese toilet: the buttons, the Sound Princess and the slippers

Every man has a moment abroad when he stands in front of a toilet and realises it is smarter than he is. In Japan, that moment comes early. Here’s how to get through it with your dignity, and your shirt, dry.

First, a little history

Japan’s high-tech toilet era started in June 1980, when TOTO put its first Washlet on sale: a toilet seat with a built-in wash. Its launch slogan, according to TOTO, was “Your bottom wants to be washed too.” By 2020, TOTO said around 80% of Japanese households had a Washlet or similar spray seat.

So this isn’t a gimmick for tourists. It’s what people have at home.

The control panel, button by button

The panel is usually on the armrest or on the wall beside you. Labels are often in Japanese only. These are the ones that matter:

Button	Say it	What it does
おしり	oshiri	Rear wash.
ビデ	bide	Bidet: front wash, mainly for women.
止	–	Stop. Ends the wash, or cancels whatever you started by mistake.
乾燥	kansō	Warm-air dryer.
水勢	suisei	Water pressure, with arrows or 弱 (weak) and 強 (strong).
位置	ichi	Nozzle position, forwards and back.
音	oto	Sound: plays a flushing noise for privacy.
大 / 小	dai / shō	Flush: large or small.

If you remember one character, make it 止. It is the most important word in the Japanese language for anyone who has just pressed a button out of curiosity.

Golden rule: be seated before you press anything. The nozzle doesn’t check whether anyone is there. If you’re standing, it will wash the wall, or you.

Since 2017, Japan’s sanitary-ware makers have been putting a shared set of pictograms on new models to make the panels easier for visitors. Older toilets will still have their own icons, so the characters above are worth knowing.

Flushing

Look for 大 (large) and 小 (small). The small flush is for urine; the large one is for everything else. If the labels are only in kanji, these two are the ones to find. On a squat toilet with a pedal near the floor, use your foot.

The Sound Princess

The 音 button, often branded Otohime, “Sound Princess”, by TOTO, plays the sound of a flush to cover other noises. It exists because people used to flush again and again purely for privacy. TOTO estimates it saves up to 20 litres of water per visit, though that is the company’s estimate, not an independent measurement.

It’s mostly found in women’s restrooms. Men, as usual, are expected to just get on with it. If you’ve read our piece on shy bladder, you’ll know some of us could use a princess too.

The slipper rule

In many Japanese homes, traditional inns and restaurants, you’ll find a pair of toilet slippers at the toilet door. The toilet counts as an unclean area, so they’re worn only inside it.

The classic foreigner’s mistake is walking back into the dining room still wearing them. Everyone will notice. Nobody will say anything. Take them off at the door, and turn them round for the next person if you want extra credit.

Squat toilets

Western-style toilets are now the norm in Japanese homes, but squat toilets are still common in older public toilets, parks, temples and some stations. Face away from the door, crouch low and keep your belongings off the floor.

Japan in the game

Tokyo Haneda, which has been named the world’s cleanest airport eleven years in a row, is one of the Asian airports in Urinal Rules Forever. In our version, the Sound Princess sings for an empty corner. Beautifully.

Flying to Japan with mates? Send them this before the flight. Someone in your group is going to press the wrong button, and it’s better if he knows the word for stop.