How weird can Japan get? Sometimes, you have to stop asking that question because, well, it's Japan. It's home to what people call bizarre. And now, Japan's tourism video shows the world how odd can they get by airing how tourist should wipe their butts in the land of the rising sun.
The "tutorial" is guided by a female voice over with a man in business attire demonstrating the correct sitting poses and wiping motions.
"When using the toilet in Japan, you start by choosing the toilet seat," the narrator started. Japan's toiletry consists of the traditional seating and the western style seat. But they would rather teach you how to wipe your bums with the traditional Japanese style toilet.
A wipe in the front is called the "Elephant Style," which connotes similarity to an elephant's trunk. Meanwhile, a wipe in the back is considered as the "Horse-Tail Style." "These are only examples, and we recommend finding your own style before using the toilet," the narrator said.
The next tutorial is about how to use the toilet's shower. "Many western style toilets in Japan have showers. It's for cleaning your bottom after doing your business," the narrator shared. However, she advised that these showers should not be used for washing your hands.
Additionally, there are ways to use the western toilet in Japan. One example is the Tornado, where you have to rotate your hips. The other is the Grind, in which case you have to move your hips back and forth. The Float technique consists of raising your butt in the air to add pressure. The last technique shared was the Sumo Style, as you get to lift your legs and lean to the sides like their country's wrestler.
More importantly, the video showed how to clean your smartphone using a specialized toilet paper planned by docomo. According to "Unexpected Places where Germs Grow During Winter" article (Dec. 13th, 2016) on "Weekly SPA!" (published by Fusosha), there is more than five times of Germs on a smartphone screen compared to a toilet seat.
These specialized toilet papers are made to clean a phone's screen so that tourists traveling to Japan can enjoy their stay hygienically. They are available in Narita Airport from December 16th, 2016 to March 15th, 2017.
The toilet paper also serves as an information tool for "docomo Wi-Fi for visitor" and "Jspeak," a travel guide application with voice translation function.
"What do you think?" the narrator asked. Well, it's weird, awesome and educational.
