Kids Web Japan

The Washlet has a nozzle that emits warm water. (Toto)

After the war, Western-style toilets gradually gained favor in private homes, since it is less straining to sit on a seat than to squat. And in 1977 the number of Western-style toilets marketed in Japan surpassed that of Japanese-style toilets.

This trend led to a significant innovation in Western-style toilets: the birth of toilet seats with a cleansing function that uses warm water. One of the most popular brands today is the Washlet, which was introduced in 1980 by Toto, a manufacturer of ceramic sanitary equipment. The Washlet features a nozzle that extends forward from under the seat to emit a jet of warm water, as well as a warm-air dryer. Warm-water bidet toilet seats revolutionized the Japanese perception of toilet going, as it introduced the idea of washing and drying instead of wiping with toilet paper. Before 1980 Toto had been selling bidet toilet seats imported from the United States, and these products inspired it to develop the Washlet.