To get to the point straight, the fact is many Japanese do NOT wash their hands after using the bathroom as well as many foreigners.
They wash their hands and gargle when they come home from outdoors. They get into the bath and wash themselves before they go to sleep. They even wash their bottoms using shower toilets... All of these activities are common lifestyle customs for people in Japan.
Well, according to our national statistics (in Japanese) at least 52% washes their hands and 64% of those uses some kind of soap. I wash my hands with anti-viral soap most of the time or if I can find soap outside I would use it.
The CDC recommends washing your hands with soap and water to prevent the spread of germs - but not everyone is heeding that advice. A YouGov poll of more than 24,000 US adults finds that many Americans don't always wash their hands with soap after they go to the bathroom.
Additionally, certain public restrooms, namely those in the stations, do not even have soap! Many visitors are surprised by this because Japan is such a sanitary and obsessively clean country. So you may want to travel with your own hand soap or sanitizer, now often conveniently sold in keychain versions.
Many Japanese people take a bath more or less every day. In some parts of the world, people may refer to showering as “taking a bath,” but not in Japan. In Japan, simply showering does not count.
While showers are a necessary part of everyday life, the Japanese don't just take showers, they love soaking in bathtubs. Most people in Japan think of the bathtub as washing away not only their sweat and dirt from the day but their fatigue, too. so it is typically custom to take baths every night.
Although it's possible to leave a bathroom sesh without washing your hands and live to tell the tale, it's not the best practice. The habit can increase your risk for various infections—so, of all the hygiene tasks to try to do regularly, this one tops the list.
You should always wash your hands after you poop. It protects not only you from getting sick but helps to stop the spread of germs to others. And, consider that poop—feces in medical terms—can spread germs that cause diarrhea and respiratory infections.
Should I wash my hands after using the bathroom at home? CDC recommends always washing your hands after you use the toilet, whether it is in your home or somewhere else. Germs in feces (poop) can make you sick. These germs can get on your hands after you use the toilet or change a diaper.
Take a shower before entering the baths. If you are at a hot spring, shampoo, body wash and towels will be provided, but if you are at a public bath, you need to rent or bring your own. Each shower has a stool and bucket. Take a seat, and pour hot water over yourself using the bucket.
Cleanliness is a Part of Buddhism/Shinto
In Buddhism and Japanese Shintoism, cleanliness has historically been regarded as an important part of religious practice. In these religions, cleaning is believed to be a simple, but powerful way to improve good mental health through keeping one's surroundings beautiful.
Hygiene in Japan is remarkable! Indeed the cleanest country in the world. Although the country gets hit by typhoons, they still able to manage the environment clean and green. No doubt, one of the country's highest priorities is to maintain proper hygiene.
Towels. Two types of towels are popularly used at Japanese baths: small towels are used inside the bath for washing your body and for covering yourself for a little privacy when moving about the bathing areas, while large towels are left in the changing room and used to dry yourself after the bath.
It is common for people to sit down while showering before entering the public bath or hot spring, so the chairs are free to use. The most important part here is an obvious one: keeping everything clean and tidy.
Why are all the toilet seats missing in Italian public bathrooms? Seat-free toilets are seen as more hygienic because strangers aren't sharing the same toilet seat. Toilet seats are also often broken by patrons and are expensive and difficult to replace.
Urine is generally sterile, but bacteria from feces may spread and contaminate surfaces you're unwashed hands touched. I had quite a discussion with a male friend on the subject of washing your hands after urinating. I consider it unnecessary. There are no bacteria in urine.
YOU ARE NOT likely to catch anything by sitting on it. But if you touch it with your hands and then, without washing them, put your fingers in your mouth or on your food, you could catch several kinds of infection, including dysentery, polio, hepatitis A, cholera, enteropathogenic E. coli and quite a few others.
You see, when you don't clean yourself down there after peeing, the urine droplets stuck in your pubes get transferred to your underwear. This gives rise to a foul odour. Moreover, it also gives birth to bacteria in your underwear, increasing the risk of urinary tract infections (UTI).
Some people may think that not flushing a toilet may be beneficial. They might consider toilet flushing less sanitary and a waste of water and money. However, flushing a toilet after using it plays a role in helping keep people healthy and adding to cleanliness.
During sex, bacteria can enter your urethra, raising your chances of getting an infection. This is why it's important to always pee after sex as peeing flushes out the germs. Having sex with a full bladder also increases your chances of developing stress urinary incontinence.
In view of the fact that many Japanese bathe and wash their hair daily, it's essential that they take well care of it. Modern-day shampoos mostly have ingredients that strip the hair of its natural oils, for example, sulfates.
In Japan, most people take a bath every single day. Some people prefer a shower as it allows them to save water and time. However, taking a short shower is much more common than taking a bath in other countries.
The Himba people live in one of the most extreme environments on earth with the harsh desert climate and the unavailability of potable water. However, their lack of bathing has not resulted into lack of personal hygiene.