Right to the throne: A view inside a museum of toilet manufacturer TOTO in the city of Kitakyushu, Fukuoka prefecture.
Japanese company TOTO, which pioneered the electric bidets it claims have sparked “a global revolution from wiping to washing”, says overseas revenue for toilets has roughly doubled from ¥100bil in 2012. It wants to boost sales in the Americas by 19% over two years to “establish a solid position” there and offset less urgent demand in China.
Its spray wand has pulsating and oscillating functions, and users can adjust the warm-air dryer in minute detail. Bidets are “popular everywhere” but it’s still a “private experience” and “weird to talk about” for some customers. And US congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez joked in an Instagram video last year that she was shopping for a bidet after going to Japan because “life will never be the same”.