Tokyo, Japan When it comes to Tokyo's public toilets, it's safe to say that they are the world standard. Not only are the facilities extremely clean, but they also boast technological advancements. For one, their bidets have multiple buttons to adjust water pressure and angle.
Toilets in Japan
Whether it be in your daily life or on your travels, there is one place you will surely visit several times a day. That is the bathroom. Almost all toilets in Japan are well maintained and kept spotlessly clean to ensure the utmost comfort for all travelers to Japan.
On average, the United States has only eight public toilets per 100,000 people, according to the Public Toilet Index, a 2021 report by the British company QS Bathrooms Supplies. That's far behind Iceland, the country with the highest density of public bathrooms: 56 per 100,000 people.
There are several clean public restrooms, and although some people usually think that public restrooms are not so clean, the case is really different in Korea. All of the public restrooms I have encountered in Korea were clean and decent.
According to studies, the middle stalls are to be avoided if possible. Apparently, people tend to choose the middle one because of the “centrality preference.” On the other hand, the first stall, which is the least used, is likely to be the cleanest.
According to a new WR survey, the men's toilet at Churchgate's main concourse could well be amongst the most used in the world. The survey, which was carried out by WR two months ago, indicated that on an average, in a span of five minutes, about 200 men use the total of 37 urinals and six toilet cubicles.
Toilet water is generally cleaner than tap water because it undergoes additional filtration and treatment processes. For example, toilet water is typically treated with chlorine, which helps to kill bacteria and other harmful microbes.
Japanese toilets are often more comfortable, more hygienic and more energy efficient than Western toilets. The newest Japanese toilet models have antibacterial toilet seats that can warm up the entire bathroom at a pre-set time, oscillate water pressure to better clean you and absorb odours after you leave the seat.
The traditional Japanese-style (和式, washiki) toilet is the squat toilet. A squat toilet differs from a sitting toilet in both construction and method of employment. A squat toilet essentially looks like a miniature urinal set horizontally into the floor.
Chinese-Style Toilets
Chinese toilets are normally squat style, which admittedly take some getting used to. However, comfort yourself in the knowledge that using a squat toilet means you don't touch anything and you don't have to cover the toilet seat with paper before you can sit down.
Nepal. MP Sunil Babu Pant used part of the Parliamentarian Development Fund to build the first two unisex toilets in Nepalganj, one of which is in Bageshwori Park.
Squat toilets are common in many Asian countries, including China and India. They are also widespread in Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Myanmar, Iran and Iraq. They can be found in nations like Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, and Singapore.
France, Portugal, Italy, Japan, Argentina, Venezuela, and Spain: Instead of toilet paper, people from these countries (most of them from Europe) usually have a bidet in their washrooms. A bidet like a toilet, but also includes a spout that streams water like a water fountain to rinse you clean.
In Japan, there is a tradition that the students themselves clean their schools. For just 15 minutes at the end of the day, students use brooms, vaccuums, and cloths to clean the classrooms, bathrooms, and other school spaces.
Traditionally, cleanliness has been a big part of Japanese culture, and Japanese people unconsciously make an effort in many aspects every day to keep the country clean.
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.
The good news is that most toilets in Japan are free to the public, well maintained and very clean.
Unlike modern bathrooms seen across the world, in a Japanese bathing area, the shower is outside the tub which is in line with traditional Japanese bathing culture. One washes their body outside the tub and then soaks in the tub to relax.
To be legally installed in Australia, certain plumbing and drainage products, including bidet products, must be certified through the WaterMark Certification Scheme, which is administered by the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB).
Toilet paper alternatives from around the world
Japan is the one Asian stand-out in that they adopted bidets rather than other ways of washing the bum. You'll find in most European countries on this list that public restrooms are actually something you have to pay for due to the need to keep them stocked and clean.
Japan's bathing ritual is a moment for relaxation and for mental and physical well-being, going above classical hygiene requirements. The usual habit requires cleaning the entire body before going into the bath's hot water. Therefore, the bathrooms in Japan have developed specific arrangements due to this tradition.
Conclusion about tap water in Australia
It is rather 'safe to drink'. If you think the water in your supply tastes bad, then buy an especially built water purifier. You can buy a Tapp 2 water filter if you really have to buy one, and never use bottled water if you have other options available.
Norway is known for many unique features, and clean water is no exception. In a study published by the World Bank in 2021, Norway was found to have the cleanest water in the world.
We're essentially drinking the same water that dinosaurs did - and, yes, the dinosaurs also excreted that water in the same way that every animal, including humans, does. In the past, clean water that has been treated in sewage works has been released into rivers - known as 'indirect potable water'.