Japan’s Unique Toilet Design With Attached Sink Is Being Hailed As a Genius Water-Saving Idea

From the water used in their sacred rituals of Shinto to their bathroom showers, Japan is one of the top candidates known for its expertise in water management. Greywater recycling, rainwater harvesting, and arrays of water-saving technologies, the leaders of this island nation are working relentlessly to save water. Another remarkable example of their innovative water management can be witnessed in their bathrooms. You’ll often encounter a state-of-the-art toilet with a twist. Also called “washlets,” this noteworthy restroom design is going viral on social media, also brought to attention by Fascinating (@fasc1nate) on X.

Travel to the Marunouchi district of Chiyoda City and visit the restroom of Japan’s Shangri-la. Inside the powder room, you’ll be welcomed by a menagerie of electronic gadgetry, gazing at you in the form of heated seats, music buttons, electric gadgets, and above all these, washlets. A washlet is a two-in-one kind of toilet combo that features the potty seat plus a sink tank attached to its top. Japanese people use these sink tanks as wash basins for washing hands after finishing the pooping ritual and wiping off their buttocks with toilet paper rolls.

“On many Japanese toilets, the hand wash sink is attached so that you can wash your hands and reuse the water for the next flush. Japan saves millions of liters of water every year doing this,” the X account @fasc1nate described in the caption. A picture below shows this sustainable design of the toilet, a sink tank tucked at the top of the flush, with a bottle of hand wash standing in it.

The country’s technological leaders believe that this ingenious design not only helps save space inside restrooms but also helps in conserving and recycling water. The idea is to use the sink to wash your hands. The soapy water generated during the handwashing process will be utilized for the next flush. Knowing about this design, viewers were reminded of the character of Butter in South Park. It seems Butter was right when he said that he uses the sink tank as a shelf to keep comic books, coloring books, and chocolate milk while sitting in the restroom. The only difference here is that, instead of these items, there’s a bottle of liquid soap.

There’s also a mention of this creative sink tank design in an excerpt shared by NPR of Leonard Koren's book, 283 Useful Ideas From Japan. "This system costs less than conventional toilets and comes in eight- and 16-liter sizes and a rainbow of colors. Also available for bathrooms are artificial flushing-sound generators that people can use to cover up the sound of what they're doing without wasting water," the excerpt reads.

Although this intelligent design has existed in Japan’s picture for the past six decades, it was first revolutionized into a cult technology by a company named Toto. CNN even surveyed 300 employees of this company, as well as businessmen, to ask about their favorite positions for using this sink tank. Most of them said with a simpering satisfaction that they preferred the 43-degree position, a.k.a. “golden angle.”

The cutting-edge design has gained popularity among millions of people. In the abovementioned post on X, people applauded and sang praises for Japan’s simple ingenuity that is also deeply rooted in its culture. The post reminded them of the other technological measures the country has taken to conserve its water. “The toilet seats are heated, and the water spray can clean you in different ways,” commented @Vikash1025. @robertbowles78 added, “They also use the water from washing and drying clothes to flush toilets. Water is used 2-3 times before it’s finally flushed away.”

You can follow Fascinating (@fasc1nate) on X for interesting and fun facts.

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