Posted on 04/10/2014 7:16:24 AM PDT by C19fan
I remember about 10 years ago, I was watching a National Geographic show about a hunter-gatherer tribe in Papua New Guinea. The men were running around in loincloths with spears, hunting animals, making offerings to the gods — you know, typical primitive-tribe stuff. But okay, I don't judge... we're all descended from people like that.
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I suspect that the real reason we don't adopt Japanese toilets is the very fact that people are so eager to give reasons not to. We've grown used to the idea that everything good is invented in America. If it wasn't invented here, it must not be worth having, we tell ourselves. It's a toxic combination of "golden age mentality" and national chauvinism — a symptom of "Ming America."
(Excerpt) Read more at theweek.com ...
In addition to your good points, we adapted Brit toilet technology quickly and soon had more indoor johns than they did.
“.... The men were running around in loincloths with spears, hunting animals, making offerings to the gods — you know, typical primitive-tribe stuff....”
Wow... sounds like my old North Philly neighborhood on a Friday night...
I remember a Japanese family in this area. They had been here for over a hundred years but still kept up with their relatives in Japan. This family had become quite wealthy.
They made a trip to Japan to visit family. After only a couple of days they couldn’t take it any longer and moved into a hotel for the rest of their visit.
Most people don’t want to spend a thousand dollars for a toilet. The TOTO’s are nice units but run on the expensive side.
Quote a price north of two hundred to three hundred dollars plus installation for a toilet and you begin to get the sideways looks from customers.
Because... racism. Yeah that’s it. It wasn’t invented here so we don’t like because we wacist.
Sometimes a toilet is just a toilet.
The old standard low tech toilet is one of the greatest inventions of all time. They’re virtually indestructible, easily repaired and will last many lifetimes.
Rich Americans have had these for years. I’m sure Hilary wears out two a year.
... and the bathroom of his dreams...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsHmXv-z2WM
Its because most Americans don’t give a crap about their toilet. As long as it goes wooosh and takes the smelly stuff away.
Very easy to shoot this idiot down. When I lived in my old apartment in Osaka, I had a washlets toilet, when I lived in Kyoto, I didn’t. The difference is price. I paid around $600
a month for a high turnover 150 sq. ft apt. in Osaka - I paid $560 for a low turnover 300 sq. ft apt. in Kyoto.
A toilet costs maybe around $150-$250 with maybe $5 in toilet paper a month to use. A washlet set costs AT LEAST $500 with about $10 a month in electricity/water costs to use. It’s basic economics that Americans would have no demand for a more expensive toilet with no real additional benefits other than a warm toilet seat and a squirting water nozzle? In fact, Americans are actually smarter because they use lower-tech, more affordable products. There also is a device in Japan present in many department stores toilets that makes the sound of a toilet flushing so that you can cover the sound of you pooping without wasting water. That would seem stupid to an American, with a clear reason.
The train comparison also is stupid. I lived in Japan for five years and never drove. Driving in Japan is a luxury every except rural areas. Japan is also about the size of California with almost three times the population. Americans choose car travel because America is farther spread out, Americans find the freedom of it attractive, and it’s more affordable to use a car than construct huge grids of train tracks throughout the nation, causing both eminent domain and environmental problems for a questionable end.
Economics rules everything - people that ignore the realities of economics look like fools upon close inspection of economic facts.
Alaska. Outdoor, unheated toilets. -30°F
I don't find the indoor, room temp toilet seats such a hardship any more.
I have two Toto toilets - but not the fancy seat.
Still, by far the best toilets I have ever owned, by a long shot.
I really think if I had a tuba case, that toilet would have
no issue flushing it down (assuming I could get it through
my bathroom door.
I am seriously thinking about buying one of the fancy seats.
I’ve been to many countries, and no other country in the world has adopted Japanese toilets.
The men were running around in loincloths with spears, hunting animals, making offerings to the gods—you know, typical primitive-tribe stuff. But okay, I don't judge… we’re all descended from people like that …No we are not.
Primitive man uses a spear.
You show him how to use an atlatl and he will use it.
Then show him how to use a bow and arrow and he will use it.
Then show primitive man how to use a super modern compound bow with cables, wheels, fiberglass, and he will probably reject it as he has no means of making such a thing.
We Americans still like things simple.
One today could design a super modern electronic salt shaker that measures out the amount of salt you really need by using an electronic probe in the food, but would you really use it?
I still like a nice gas stove and oven with dial controls instead of a super modern electronic control. Electricity goes out, dial operated stove still works, but not the electronic pad stove.
Loincloths in Papua New Guinea? More like bare butts and penis sheaths...
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