However, in Japan, in addition to advanced technologies, simpler devices have also been preserved: traditional floor bowls. They are often found in public places. Some toilets are equipped with Western (WS) and Japanese (JS) style toilets.
Tourists face a dilemma when using Japanese-style toilets. It is impossible to sit fully on such a toilet, you need to take the “eagle” position and face the tank, and not the door, as is customary in other countries. Special signs installed in the toilets inform about this.
Traditional Japanese toilets, or “Washiki”, are shaped like a slipper. Its front part, called “Kinkakushi”, serves as protection against splashes during rinsing. Therefore, you should sit on it facing forward. This is due to both convenience and cultural traditions.
Orientalist Kulanov Alexander Evgenievich in his book “The Other Side of Japan” talks about the cultural peculiarities of the Japanese associated with the tradition of using the toilet. He cites the words of a Japanese journalist who notes that in the toilet, a person is vulnerable and cannot resist in case of danger. But they cannot face death. The Japanese therefore prefer to sit facing the wall on the toilet, even if it means adopting a less secure position.
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