All things about the media, marketing, business, Japan and other musings by Mike in Tokyo Rogers.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Japan Has Robo Toilets AND Now Free Gaming in Public Toilets! Wow!
Nope. When you have to sit on the throne, Japan makes you really feel like a queen or king.
That's why I cannot live in another country until they get out of the style of toilets they've been using since 1950. No siree! Robo-toilet is for me!
At my parents in law's house, they even have a toilet that opens the lid for you automatically when you open the bathroom door. Now isn't that snazzy?
Don't buy me no toys or clothes or golf clubs, I want a Robo-toilet! That's what I want for Christmas this year!
Well now, Japan has upped their game one more level! Japanese toilets are coming with games built into them! Cool!
As Wired reports:
Sega has announced that it's testing consoles called "Toylets" in urinals around Tokyo. The novel hardware asks the user to strategically vary the strength and location of his urine stream to play a series of games. For now, Sega has installed Toylets in four Tokyo metro locations, including Akihabara, Soga and Ikebukuro. The location test will run through Jan. 31. Each urinal is installed with a pressure sensor. An LCD screen is mounted on the wall above, letting the gamer select from and play four different minigames. There's "Mannekin Pis," which simply measures how hard you can pee, and "Graffiti Eraser," which lets you remove paint by pointing a hose in different directions.
Ah Japan. You just gotta love it. The absurd idea that they could put these in public toilets and not expect them to get stolen could only happen in Japan. It's just like the vending machines on the street corners! Or even, in many places in japan, there are vending machines out in the middle of nowhere selling the most bizarre items!
If they had those vending machines on street corners in Los Angeles, someone would drive up and steal the entire machine! But not in Japan. But games in public toilets!? Those are just asking to be ripped off, right?
But then again, I don't think I'd want to steal a game after someone touched it while they were wiggling their Johnson!
Wait! What's that you say? People don't just touch the games, they pee on them too!?
Still, I bet in Los Angeles they'd still get stolen.
Thanks to News On Japan
1 comment:
Comments must be succinct & relevant to the story. Comments are checked frequently and abusive, rude or profane comments will be deleted. I’m just one of many bloggers who answer questions online and sometimes for the press. I usually handle questions about Japan, marketing or the economy, so in those areas I’m more likely to make sense and less likely to say something really stupid. If I post something here that you find helpful or interesting, that’s wonderful. This is my personal blog. If you don't like what you have read here then, just like when you go into a restaurant or bar that allows smoking, if you don't like it, there's something at the front that has hinges on it and it is called a "door."
Mike, Japan's modern toilets may be best in the world, but the more traditional ones found in older buildings are something altogether.
ReplyDeleteThe building where my workout gym is located, seemingly of 1970's era construction, has no western toilets. For non Japanese, that means you have to squat down over what amounts to not much more than a hole in the ground and make your number two. No sitting.
If you're not used to it, like most foreigners, you can easily lose your balance and fall over onto the toilet stall floor. Yucko.
Having only these older style toilets is not so uncommon in Japan. Why not replace these relics before spending money adding the video game upgrades?