japanesebathrooms

Japanese bathrooms, or ofuroba, are very different to bathrooms in the west, and in this day and age they also come with a whole host of cool tech. Let’s take a look at a typical modern Japanese bathroom and let the cute little Aika take you through all its awesome characteristics in this fun and informative video.

Aiko is a Canadian-Japanese girl who lived her first seven years in Canada and the past two in Japan, and she uploads videos about everyday life in Japan to her YouTube channel. This time, she introduces the 12 reasons she thinks Japanese bathrooms are the best. Check it out:

Japanese bathing culture is quite different to in the west, especially when it comes to onsen and the practice of all bathing together in the nude as a social experience. And now, with modern technological innovations, even bath time at home can be a magical experience! We highly recommend you watch the video, but here’s a summary of the 12 points included.

1. Three people can be using the different facilities at the same time

Both the sink, toilet, and bath are in separate rooms. The sink is usually in a small changing area connected to the bathroom that also has the washing machine, while the toilet is completely separate.

2. There’s a spray wand in sink

This can be useful for washing pets and small children.

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3. You sit down to wash yourself before getting into the bath

Before getting into the bath, you should wash yourself thoroughly. Bathroom accessories include a small stool to sit on as you wash and a bucket with a handle to pour water all over yourself.

4. You can get everything wet

Japanese bathrooms are usually wet-rooms, so you can spray the water everywhere with careless abandon!

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5. You keep the bath water clean

Except for (occasionally) fancy bath salts and powder, the bath water should be kept clean, so no washing your hair or lathering up in there.

6. The water stays hot

Modern Japanese bathrooms are serious technological wonders. The control panel will have buttons for keeping the bath water at a consistent temperature, as well as a multitude of other functions.

7. & 8. Call for help/Call for service

Other features of the panels can include an emergency button to call for help or a call button so that you can get your long-suffering parent or spouse to bring you a nice glass of tea while you relax.

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9. You can control the bath from the kitchen

There will often be a corresponding control panel in the kitchen from which you can control the water temperature and set the bath to fill automatically. You don’t need to keep running back and forth to check that the bath hasn’t overflowed; it’ll stop when it’s done and play a tune to let you know!

10. Sharing the bath

Family members will all share the same bath water as the bathtub is used for relaxing, not cleansing.

11. You can reuse the water for laundry

Many Japanese washing machines come with a pump which you can stick into the bath when you’re done to suck up the water and reuse it for washing your clothes. This is especially useful because washing machines often only use cold water, and this way you can wash your laundry with warm water.

12. You can also dry your clothes

Modern, hi-tech bathrooms will have different fan settings which include cold and hot air, so your clothes will dry really quickly if you hang them up in the bathroom and put the fan on.

All of these points can come as a surprise to foreigners staying in a Japanese home for the first time, but you quickly get used to them and find yourself wondering how other people back home can live without the convenience and comfort of a Japanese bathroom.

Source: YouTube (Life Where I’m From)
Top image: YouTube (Life Where I’m From)
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