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Wednesday, 2nd September 2015
In General Japan News,
Loos through the ages celebrated at new toilet museum
Japan is well-known for incorporating new technologies into its toilets, but visitors can now trace the evolution of the loo at a new attraction.
The Toto Museum in Kitakyushu goes back over a century to offer exhibits that range from the basic to the complicatedly futuristic.
Toto is a leading toilet manufacturer in Japan and put its first model on the market in 1914. The heated seats and intricate rinsing mechanisms it now offers may be worlds apart from the original design, but it is still a trusted name in the country.
No fewer than 950 of the company's products are on show at the museum, which is located in the north of Kyushu Island, where the firm is based.
A history of Japan can be traced through its toilets, with even a number that were installed at the State Guest House in Tokyo and used by visiting foreign dignitaries going on display.
One of the exhibits likely to gain much attention is the Toto Washlet S300, the latest model on the market.
It features a heated seat, retractable cleaning wands, a warm water massage and warm air drying. If that wasn't enough there is also a built-in deodoriser to save any blushes.
The Toto Museum's website states: "Toto has taken part in Japan’s modernisation by achieving ideals of its founders to bring a healthy, cultural lifestyle to the Japanese people."
While a visit to Kitakyushu will be a must-do for toilet enthusiasts, travellers keen to try out Toto's newest models can do so at Tokyo's Narita International Airport.
The company has installed a selection of its designs at the transport hub for visitors to use and pass judgement on.
With so many high-tech toilets being installed in people's homes across Japan and in public places it is almost impossible not to encounter one during your stay.