Toilets from Around the World

One thing we can all agree on, at some point, we need to find a toilet/washroom/bathroom/water cooler/whatever you call it.  But toilets definitely vary depending on where you are in the world.  So I thought it would be fun to create a post that shows the various toilets that I have encountered.

Western Toilet

If you live in North America, or in a big tourist area, you are familiar with these toilets; pretty basic design, a lever or a button to flush.    In Australia and New Zealand, I encountered toilets that allowed you to use less or more water depending on what you were flushing, which I thought was great and they are now making their way into North America.

Toilet with flush water tank (Photo credit: Wikipedia)[/caption]


Thailand Toilet

I encountered this particular toilet in Thailand but I know that you can find them all over Asia.   This one is one of the nicer ones I saw which is why I took its picture.   To flush, there is a pail with a dipper and you fill the toilet with water until it is flushed.   In the more touristy areas, we found these types of toilets along with Western toilets.

Train Toilets in Thailand

I’m not sure if this is true of all toilets on trains in Thailand or just the ones that I ended up on.  But essentially, the rule was to only use the washroom when the train was stopped.   The reason was not obvious at night time but during the day, you quickly realized that the train did not have a holding tank, all material went outside.  I would not want to be a person who had to work underneath the train.  I sure hope they were washed down first!

Narita Toilet

I’m only naming the toilet that as that is the only place I encountered them; at the Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan.  I thought this toilet was rather neat as the arm on the toilets side has a variety of buttons for different functions.  I did not examine it in depth though as others were waiting but I know that at least one button plays music for the person with the shy bladder.  (In looking for a picture I discovered that one button is for washing and one is for deodorizing)

Chicago Toilet

Again, this toilet has gotten its name due to its location, nothing else.   When I first walked into the stall, I wondered what the heck, why would you use a toilet with plastic wrap, how sanitary was that?  But then I realized how it worked.  You waved your hand over the blue light (you can see it in the back of the picture) and fresh plastic wrap comes out.  Voila!   Still not too sure on the sanitary aspect but it was neat.