
The Cult of the Toto Toilet - Thevet
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/19/fashion/the-cult-of-the-toto-toilet.html
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ebiester
For those who don't want to spend $2,000 on a toilet, there are relatively
cheap attachments that are a good 80% solution, especially if you are renting.

However, when I own a house, I'm getting one.

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fnordfnordfnord
Yes, you can buy the washlet separately from Toto or a competitor
($300-$1000). There are also very simple ones that can be bought for under
$100.

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6502nerdface
Previous, memorable bidet discussion on HN:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9560985](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9560985)

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applecore
_> The feeling of having a genuinely clean butt gives you the confidence you
need to go crush it in the boardroom._

Memorable indeed.

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Albright
Bidets? No thanks. Heated seats? Don't need 'em. I think the smartest element
on Japanese toilets is that some of them have a little faucet and sink on the
lid of the tank; the water that fills the tank actually goes through that
faucet first, then drains through the tank lid into the tank, so you can just
wash your hands in that water rather than turning on the separate sink. An
easy way to save water!

Granted, that water is damn cold in the winter…

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wingerlang
> Bidets? No thanks.

Why not?

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Albright
A fear of the unknown, I guess. Even in all the time I spent in Japan, I never
tried one. I just… don't want that sensation.

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throwaway13337
I like the Japanese style toilet but the timing of this article seems
particularly like sponsored content.

Does NY times have a policy of disclosure?

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w1ntermute
> the timing of this article seems particularly like sponsored content

[http://paulgraham.com/submarine.html](http://paulgraham.com/submarine.html)

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proksoup
Just to re-iterate the value of your insightful comment, it seems likely the
"sponsorship" is a combination of lazy journalism and talented PR firms.

A.K.A. How media works.

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euske
Contrary to a popular belief, excessive use of washlet is actually bad for a
certain type of hemorrhoids. I've been always creeped out with the washlets
and warm seats since the day it's introduced (like three decades ago).

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nrjames
My mother is cultish about Toto toilets. The sad truth is that it rubbed off
on my wife and me and we're replacing the toilets in our house with them. Not
fancy ones, mind you -- just the base model efficient flush ones. The swirly
flush design in the bowl is awesome.

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jhallenworld
Toto used to be one of the few brands which figured out how to make low-flow
toilets which didn't easily clog and which didn't require high pressure (which
is noisy). They just have a large diameter flapper.

American Standard now has this technology (but they use two standard sized
flappers instead of one large one)- they call it "VorMax". I have one of each-
the American Standard has a rimless bowel and is easier to clean.

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neves
Excuse me for the intimacy, but it is a cultural question. Doesn't americans
usually use water the clean their butts?

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twblalock
Nope. We use rather expensive toilet paper advertised by cartoon bears.

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scintill76
I've known a few who said they used wet wipes (paper towels treated with some
cleaning stuff and packaged to stay moist), which is almost like using water.

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chx
I am a cult member too but even more than this article says: I was on a client
onsite in London four years ago and, well, the day was not going well and
Googled, just out of sheer desperation "travel washlet" and lo, Toto makes one
of those too! That's an excellent introduction into the cult for only 60 or so
dollars (hint: B005FDJ8SM). It's portable civilization. I never leave home
without one, now.

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moron4hire
I just turn the hot water on in the sink next to me, wet and warm up my hand,
and get to work. Way better than TP.

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dwightgunning
This looks like an opportunity for a hardware startup.

There's a nascent market that is just waiting the right branding/positioning
to land.

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MarkMc
Just returned from Indonesia where this is pretty standard in hotels, and
where I saw the light. I cannot believe I spent the first 38 years of my life
without using water to wash my behind after I poop. When I buy my own place it
must have a Toto washlet. Normal toilet seats just seem uncivilised now.

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msoad
It seems it's a "sponsored content" for the company making those toilet seats.

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dewiz
Toilets and bidets are two separate items, I don't believe an automated thingy
will ever provide the same hygiene levels. Plus, bidets have many other use
cases not mentioned.

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radley
You'd be surprised. These are extremely efficient - the bidet parts are
mechanized so it works great (go Japan!). After using one of these once, you
feel like a barbarian using any standard toilet.

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fnordfnordfnord
The washlet seats can be purchased to fit on any standard or elongated seat
toilet. Some of them look more like they belong in a convalescence home, but
that's another matter.

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job-dilemma
Proud member of the cult of toto. Joined in Taiwan in 1998.

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meshko
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNQYj5VyjeM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNQYj5VyjeM)

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coin
nytimes website is so annoying to use on an iPad. Zoom is disabled and double
tap changes font size, WTF?

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wodenokoto
It works excellent with readers view, at least.

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username223
Heh. A company whose motto is "all the news that's fit to print," whose entire
purpose is to provide people with reading material, deliberately breaks its
own website so much that other people have to develop software to make it
readable again.

