Hush flush
July 5th 2008 05:27
A fine example of the Japanese art of chindogu
The big news from Japan this week is yet another major invention. From the land which brought us seedless watermelons, cockroach swatting slippers and the hands-free umbrella, comes the soundless toilet.
The design, by Japan's Inax Corporation, was granted a US patent this week. We liked the way The Age newspaper in Australia reported that the unit "muffles the sound of water flushing but does not reduce the noise emitted by the person using the toilet". Buyer beware, although Japanese inventors are no doubt working on a solution to that problem too.
The Japanese actually have a word, chindogu, for the art of inventing everyday gadgets. They have a proud history of it. The list of inventions includes a fan which can be suspended from a chop stick to cool food as it makes the journey from bowl to mouth, the toilet paper hat (pictured above) and a tie with pockets.
It is in the area of toilets that they have a particularly rich inventive tradition. Thomas Crapper may have invented the modern toilet, but the Japanese have made it the sophisticated thing it is today. Consider this report from Charles Platt (at Link) "The 'Incredible Squirting Toilet' has achieved almost total market penetration ... it even appears in fast-food restaurants and in public facilities in railroad stations.
"As you lower yourself to the thermostatically warmed seat, a concealed motor whirs briefly, providing your first clue that you are about to encounter a piece of highly sophisticated technology. The toilet then remains silent and passive until you reach the point where you would normally apply paper. Instead, you hit the spray button. A hidden tube extends itself beneath you, and with the precision of a heat-seeking missile, it directs a spray of warm water that simultaneously tickles, stimulates, and cleans the place that needs it most. While its aim is meticulous, you can adjust its penetration by gently flexing your sphincter muscle.
"The experience is so unexpectedly and uniquely pleasurable, I found myself tempted to visit the toilet repeatedly just for recreational purposes."
It's a relief to find such delicately worded postings. I can't wait to try it. Recreational purposes indeed.
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