Galapagos Syndrome 2: Electric BoogaLoo (the comments)

Revisiting our theory of Japanese toilets based on comments

First- Thank you for all my subscribers and readers on all comments! In particular the feedback regarding the below post on the paradox of Japanese toilets. If you missed the post or need a refresher, click the link below to have a read and we’ll be right here.

Japanese idiosyncrasies and the Galapagos Syndrome pt 1: Toilets

Distributing toilets

Comment from John S:

Toilet-goer is highly likely to purchase a nice Toto as long as they have a decent first experience.

Where are they going to have said experience? Traveling? Not many people go to Japan. I suppose this could happen via slow osmosis, but I doubt it. A friend's house? The circle is pretty small. A business? Most likely!

However, a lot of businesses are (rightly) skeptical about putting a toilet like that in, because of 1) cost if it breaks 2) making customers uncomfortable because of confusion trying to figure it out 3) difficulty adjusting to what a bidet feels like. Special emphasis on 2. It's not like you can go in there and show every customer; and we all know that customers are idiots and even a very detailed sign explaining will be ignored in horrendous ways. So we are stuck at the beginning. Practically zero practical exposure leads to practically zero interest. The only way around this is presumably some form of marketing, making it seem exciting enough that a zero-experience consumer will order one. That has its own challenges, the most obvious being: people virtually never replace their toilet unless they have to, and in that case they need a new one fast. And building your own home/planned renovation? Sadly, toilets tend to be very low on the list of decisions to be made.

I know this is all broadly true judging by my time working in a hardware store adjacent to the toilet selling area. Add on to that, the fact that most consumers feel like they need a plumber to install one, and plumbers are incredibly expensive? The current situation explains itself.

And comment from Nicholas:

Elsewhere in Asia at least (like Singapore) they are a rare but not unheard of feature, particularly in wealthy households. Posh hotels and restaurants sometimes have them too. I may be misremembering, but I’m sure I’ve seen them occasionally in Europe too - although bidets in general are more common there. I suspect anywhere that uses bidets (Europe with sink bidets, East Asia with sprayjets) will be more comfortable with the concept.

I agree with these comments that distribution through exposure is lacking for Toto.

Perhaps partnerships with malls and public restrooms might be needed for Toto to improve their reach out of Japan. Speaking of which, I was informed by a reader that they spotted a Toto toilet in a Sydney mall recently, so I presume that targeting high-traffic areas is what executives are deciding.

Japanese toilet spotted in a mall in Sydney

On the product side, I’ve received many comments on what Toto needs to do.

Comment from Villiam, ArrkMindMinder and AntimemeticsDivisionDirector:

1: To sell outside of Japan, I'd go with "less is more". Instead of dozen extra functions, just add one or two; ask potential customers which ones sound least weird to them. No electronic display, just a mechanical button with a picture and text.

2: As an American, I have no idea what this is really about. I certainly wouldn't pay triple merely to "play music or fake flushing sounds" so what makes them so much better? Do they somehow have integrated bidets? Even if so, never having experienced one, I don't know I would want one.

The analogy falls apart, too, since we finches have visited Japan, Japanese visit the rest of the world, and the technology doesn't catch on.

3: Yeah having read up on Japanese toilets after reading this a lot of the features are things I either don't want or can get more cheaply by other means. Usual features include:

A. Heated bidet - This sort of thing is becoming more popular in the US, but you can get pretty affordable kits to give a regular toilet this functionality if you want

B. Heated seat - Might be nice but not something I would spend a whole lot of money on

C. Noisemaker to cover sound of urination - Based on a cultural taboo that doesn't exist here

D. Deodorizer - Again, there are plenty of deodorizing products that don't require you to swap out your toilet

Some other common features, like automatic lid open and close, just strike me as unnecessary and again seem to be based on cleanliness taboos I don't share. Some of the nicest models have self-cleaning features that seem cool, but not cool enough to spend that much money buying a new toilet (Plus wiring it into my home's electric system).

Each commenter suggested that the standard Toto features aren’t actually desired by Western consumers. I’d first argue that this fits into the initial Galapagos Syndrome thesis, where the unique closed-off nature of Japan has created products which can only succeed in Japan. I also agree that the display panel with Japanese characters and pictographs only serves to alienate people further from trying any functions. If only Toto invested in a global user interface this furor might all be avoided.

I may have deviated from these comments in my belief that many of the key functions are actually useful to the global (read American) consumer. The heated seat is great news to anyone who lives outside the tropics. The bidet is a more difficult sell admittedly, but considering the variance in tastes for basically everything else in America, I’m still surprised that the bidet hasn’t captured more of the market. Perhaps the USA has their own cultural fear regarding any changes to their conception of a toilet.

I guess besides building toilets from expensive materials, a luxury toilet in the West is a customisable toilet where you can select items as you see fit. Toilets of the future might be modular toilet units that support more targeted user needs. E.g., extra cleaning functions for the clean freaks, wider seats for heavier set members, or even softer cushioning for those who don’t like the feel of the bowl.

Now these may all be awful ideas (I’m not in the toilet business), but product innovation is something that Toto has a track record in.

Comment from Shaggy:

Hi. Among other jobs, I'm a small-time plumber in the USA.

The biggest problem I see with this device is the need for electrical service to it; if I'm not mistaken, Japan uses a different electrical voltage than the US does (100 volts to the US 110-120), which requires plug adapters for long-term use. Also a new outlet (GFCI) would need to be installed and wired to on a separate circuit from bathroom main power (due to additional "Amp draw" from the 100- 110v adaptation). This raises the expense of installing one in a private home exponentially.

The solution is probably 9v/12v battery power; easy to change and lit only at point of use (maybe a pressure switch on the seat?). Also the device needs to function at a basic level (ie, flush) if the battery/ies are dead. Manual operation alongside would cover that. Some water-supplies would have to be upgraded too; to supply both tank and bidet functions.

It makes sense that a toilet with electronic functions needs to connect to a voltage system, but I stupidly didn’t consider that. This might be the biggest blockage the toilets face, the fact that housing just isn’t designed with the electrical services needed. It is an intractable problem for mass adoption that requires a complete change of environment for the toilet to be sustained.

And final comment from Corbeau

I was lucky enough to go to the Galapagos Islands and Japan. I was shocked of the isolation of Japan in the world, it was the feeling I got as a tourist. Not only the language, but the culture.

For the Galapagos, Darwin discovered that species over-specialised, with new organs and new functions could have more high chance to survive. But I think he added that they could be destroyed from any external animal and can't adapt to fight it, because others species could be more rapid in evolution. I am afraid there is a bit of truth for our fellow japanese fellows, isolation conserve traditions, but it seems Japan is FAR behind of everyone, like society mental health. We can say "behind" for globalisation, but it can be "advanced" for nationalisation.

Take it with a grain of salt, it's not the only country with problems but Japan should open a bit more up, in hope to not be left alone, but with protecting their personal culture. Economy since decade is international, so not playing the "game with others" could put you on the side. And the culture is probably eating itself, it (probably) needs to feed from others cultures to stay relevant.

I agree that the isolation of Japan is quite unique for “first world countries”. There is an ongoing reluctance to adopt foreign ideas and products. Over-specialisation has meant that for many of Japan’s inventions, they solve a problem so narrow that it’s applicable to very few consumers.

I think these comments have cemented the idea that Japan’s culture and environment has restricted Japanese toilets from leaving their shores. For successful cases of uniquely Japanese items they need to separate from their own culture, and adopt cultural practices from their target markets. Otherwise, they stay Hidden in Japan.

Let me know what other common products that are stuck in their environment that you would like me to explore in the future. These comments have also shown to me that my readers have a better grasp on how to reach the global masses than the Toto executives. As a reward I want to leave my readers with one final bathroom innovation, perhaps this innovative TV show integrated the best of advertising and toilets?