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July 05, 2025
 

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TOILETS

Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Oct 23, 2021
It's past time we flush the 'weird Japan' narrative
As The Tokyo Toilet project continues, so does the problematic way we frame stories about Japan.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Aug 20, 2020
Tokyo now has transparent public toilets. Let us explain.
Public toilets around the globe have a reputation for being dirty and dangerous. Tokyo recently unveiled new restrooms in public parks that aim to address those concerns.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
May 1, 2020
Cities in Japan flush bad image with upgraded public toilets
Municipalities are teaming up with corporations when carrying out renovations aimed at improving experience for tourists and families.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2020
Japan's next restroom revolution? Phasing out squat toilets for Tokyo 2020
On southwestern Miyajima island, Hiroshima Prefecture, a short walk from one of the country's most famous ancient temple sites, there's a brand new attraction for tourists — a state-of-the art public toilet block nearly as big as a tennis court.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 21, 2018
Colorful walls can 'blow away' toilet odor, Japanese study says
Using bathrooms can be an everyday nightmare for children attending Japan's public schools where the restroom is often considered dirty and smelly.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 19, 2018
Tokyo's Toshima Ward adds artistic touch to public lavatories to enhance user-friendliness
Dilemma: You are in a public park in Tokyo and you desperately need the toilet.
WORLD / Society
Aug 27, 2018
Half the world's schools lack clean water, toilets and hand-washing, experts warn
Nearly half the world's schools lack clean drinking water, toilets and hand-washing facilities, putting millions of children at risk of disease, experts warned Monday.
JAPAN / Society
May 29, 2018
Osaka lavatory signs do more harm than good, say members of LGBT community
Restroom signs for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have drawn an unexpected backlash from sexual minorities in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Jan 18, 2018
Toto hopes to clean up with new self-cleaning toilets
With the upcoming 2020 Olympics in mind leading Japanese toilet-maker Toto Ltd. has recently introduced a new type of self-cleaning toilet for public restrooms, aiming to improve bathroom experiences for locals and foreign visitors to Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Nov 27, 2017
Japan's farms struggle to upgrade restrooms as people with disabilities bolster depleted ranks
The agriculture industry is faced with the problem of improving toilet facilities for people with disabilities as the movement to hire them on farms spreads amid a nationwide decline in farmers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Nov 5, 2017
A gut feeling that you need an extra toilet
Everybody knows that Japan produces the most technologically advanced toilets in the world. They pretty much do everything except pull up your pants when you're finished. And one of the more pleasant surprises greeting foreign visitors to Japan is the ubiquity and accessibility of public toilets.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Mar 27, 2017
Japan's schools working to upgrade, Westernize lavatories
Dirty, smelly, dark, scary and broken are the five adjectives most commonly used to describe toilets in Japan's public schools.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Mar 13, 2017
Toto rolls out droll toilet humor with a whiff of class
Sit back and relax as this week's Bilingual column splashes on the results of Toto's 2016 Toilet Senryu Contest.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2017
New KDDI service to help people in need find empty toilet cubicles
Tired of waiting in a long line to use the bathroom? The internet may offer a solution.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jun 4, 2016
There's no hiding in Japan's toilets
When it comes to toilets, Japan presents several paradoxes. On the one hand, public toilets are ubiquitous, easy to access and, for the most part, quite clean. On the other hand, they can also be primitive, or at least to a Western sensibility.
Japan Times
JAPAN / CHUBU CONNECTION
Mar 28, 2016
Highway operator taps big data to gauge toilet usage
A recent analysis of big data by Central Nippon Expressway Co. (NEXCO Central) has revealed that more and more men tend to prefer cubicles over urinals in restrooms.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 11, 2016
Toilet-maker Toto looks to Chinese to change cultural habits to boost sales
Nearly all Japanese have converted to using seated toilets since 1977 when they first overtook the squatting versions. For future growth, Japan's largest toilet—maker Toto Ltd. is looking toward neighboring China.
JAPAN
Aug 26, 2015
Kyoto turns to toilet etiquette signs in a bid to flush out bad behavior
Japan has rolled out the welcome mat for foreign visitors and this is benefitting businesses nationwide, but there's a not so rosy catch. For the city of Kyoto, one of the most popular destinations for tourists, the result has been reeking public lavatories.
Japan Times
JAPAN
May 28, 2015
High-tech toilets targeted to reel in tourists ahead of Olympics
Japan's high-tech toilets are nothing new but their growing popularity has prompted the government to use them as a tool to promote tourism and sell the technology abroad.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2014
Fuji trail areas without toilets raising waste concerns
Human waste left behind by climbers using sections of trails on Mount Fuji where there are no toilets have raised concerns about whether the mountain's pristine scenery can be maintained, after the iconic volcano was last year added to UNESCO's World Heritage site list, according to an NHK report.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

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Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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