The Rise of the Japanese Toilet

In 1982, a rather unusual television advertisement caught the attention of viewers across Japan. It featured a woman dressed in a pink floral outfit, her hair elegantly styled in an updo. After accidentally smearing paint on her hand, she attempts to clean it off using toilet paper, but with little success. Turning to the camera, she poses a simple but pointed question: “If your hands get dirty, don’t you wash them?”

She then delivers the punchline: “So why not wash your bottom too?”

This curious ad introduced the Japanese public to the Washlet, a groundbreaking toilet seat produced by the company Toto. The Washlet came with a feature almost unheard of at the time — a built-in wand that extended from the toilet rim to gently spray water upward for cleansing. The idea, though hygienically sound, came as a shock to many viewers. Toto’s office was flooded with phone calls and letters from people astonished — and in some cases outraged — by the commercial. The fact that it aired during the family dinner hour didn’t help matters.

Fast-forward over forty years, and the Washlet has become an integral part of modern Japanese life. According to government data, more than 80% of households in Japan now use toilets with Washlet-style bidets. These high-tech seats are a common sight in homes, workplaces, and public restrooms, not only transforming Japanese toilet culture but setting new expectations for cleanliness and comfort.

Now, Toto believes a similar revolution is underway — in the United States.

After years of facing skepticism and resistance, Toto’s Washlets are finally catching on in America. Once regarded as strange or unnecessary by American consumers, bidet-style toilet seats are now enjoying something of a cultural moment. They are featured in online tours of luxury hotels and celebrity residences, and have even received glowing endorsements from entertainers. Comedian Ali Wong, for instance, included a segment in her 2024 Netflix special praising the “magical Japanese toilet.” Rapper Drake once gifted four Toto Washlets to DJ Khaled.

In 2023, a market report revealed that more than 40% of U.S. homeowners undertaking bathroom renovations were choosing toilets equipped with special features — including bidets. Toto’s earnings in its Americas housing division have multiplied more than eightfold over the past five years. The company has ambitious plans for further growth in the region.

Shinya Tamura, a former Washlet engineer and now Toto’s president, is amazed by the product’s international popularity. “I never imagined the Washlet would be embraced so widely overseas,” he said. He noted that once interest begins to build, demand often accelerates rapidly. “It’s like a J-curve — it suddenly takes off.”

Toto was established in 1917 in the city of Kitakyushu, an industrial port in southern Japan. Like many traditional Japanese firms, Toto made its mark by taking foreign technologies — such as Western-style flush toilets — and refining them for the local market.

In the 1960s, Toto engineers took interest in a little-known medical device from the U.S. that used water for cleansing patients. Inspired by its potential, they began adapting it into a bathroom fixture. The company dedicated over 300 staff members to experiment with water temperature, spray angle, and flow rate to perfect the experience.

The original Washlet hit the market in 1980, offering three major features: a warm water spray, air drying, and a heated seat. Though innovative, it was also costly — roughly the equivalent of $2,000 today. Early models were sometimes unreliable, with reports of users and even inspectors being unexpectedly sprayed in the face.

Initially, public response in Japan was lukewarm. It took Toto nearly two decades to sell 10 million units. However, the company continued to refine the design, adding odor-neutralizing functions in 1992 and automatic lid-opening and flushing mechanisms in 2003. Over time, sales gained momentum.

Today, modern Washlets maintain water at a consistent 100.4°F — warm, but not startling. From 2019 to mid-2022, Toto sold another 10 million units, and sales have remained strong. To date, the company has sold over 60 million Washlets globally.

Industry analyst Masako Shirakura believes that Toto’s success in Japan is deeply rooted in the country’s cultural values. Unlike in the West, where toilets are often treated with discomfort or humor, Japanese culture holds a certain reverence for them. This stems from a spiritual belief that deities or spirits can inhabit all objects — even toilets.

Shirakura also points out that Japanese consumer culture is deeply focused on improving even the smallest inconveniences. This mindset has led to a wide array of comfort-driven innovations — from bathtubs that automatically fill themselves to notebooks designed so their spines don’t poke your hand while writing.

“Japan has this relentless drive to improve everyday life,” she explained. “That’s how it managed to turn something like the Washlet into an art form.”

Toto’s bidet-style toilets first spread to nearby countries like South Korea and Taiwan. China became a key overseas market following its entry in 1994. Yet, for many years, Western markets — particularly the U.S. — proved elusive.

When Toto began selling Washlets in America in 1989, it encountered the same barriers it had faced in Japan: discomfort with toilet talk and resistance to unconventional hygiene methods. American magazines and upscale retailers were reluctant to carry advertisements for toilets. In 2007, a Toto billboard in Times Square featuring bare backsides caused public backlash.

By the late 2010s, Toto had begun establishing a foothold in the American market through strategic partnerships, listings on Amazon, and in-store presence at Costco. Still, public awareness remained limited, and annual revenues from the U.S. market remained under $300 million — less than half of its sales in China.

But the turning point came with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

As lockdowns sparked panic-buying and widespread toilet paper shortages, American consumers started seeking alternatives. Toto’s U.S. sales nearly doubled that year. The momentum continued even after paper supplies normalized. According to Tamura, once people tried the Washlet, they were reluctant to go back.

Toto also gained exposure through Japan’s tourism boom. Visitors experiencing the Washlet for the first time often became fans. Ryan Gregory, a biology professor from Canada, described his first encounter during a trip to Japan. Initially hesitant, he quickly became convinced of the Washlet’s superiority.

“It’s not exactly a part of your body you expect to be sprayed,” Gregory joked. “But it doesn’t take long to realize North American toilets are outdated.”

He returned home and bought two Washlets. Now, he says, his guests are equally smitten: “Whenever we travel and come across a basic toilet, people groan — ‘It’s not even heated!’”

Despite recent success, Toto faces challenges, particularly in light of shifting trade policies. Most of the Washlets sold in the U.S. are produced in Thailand and Malaysia, regions that faced potential tariff hikes under former President Trump. If such tariffs are enacted, Toto may be forced to raise prices.

Still, Tamura remains optimistic. Only about 2.5% of U.S. toilets are equipped with Washlets — meaning there’s enormous room for growth. “Even if tariffs are imposed, America will be our largest growth market,” he said.

Toto’s ambitious goal is to more than double its U.S. Washlet sales by 2027.

As for that controversial Times Square billboard? Tamura hasn’t forgotten. With a grin, he says, “One day, I’d like to try Times Square again — just for payback.”re again.”