The Sound Princess and energy conservation

It all started sometime during the 1980s.  Somewhere along the way, women in Japan decided it was too much to hear bathroom noises made by others.  Natural bodily functions, yes.  Did that mean we all needed to hear them?  Evidently not.

Women started flushing the toilet to cover up their sounds.  Flush once to cover, flush again to, well, flush.  The consequences?  Water usage spiked.  Women, en masse, began using double their normal water consumption level, at least in bathrooms.

Puzzled bureaucrats, or so the story goes, did a study.  Somewhere along the way, some brave woman must have told these men who cocked their heads that she may know the answer.  The result?  New commodes with Sound Princesses.

I may not have all the facts straight in exact sequence, but the gist of the story is true.  Toilets in Japan are heated, spray "front and back," cover up odor as well as sounds.  Some toilets have lids that open automatically.  The sounds made while women do their business range from an automated, electronic flushing sound to gurgling brooks with chirping birds.  I kid you not.  Here's proof.

The button on the right (FLUSHING SOUND), in Japanese reads "Sound Princess."  I do love this about Japan.  No mocking, no judgment here.  I think it's fun.  I have yet to enter into the men's room in any given building to see whether or not the men's commode is labeled "Sound Prince."  Perhaps some day I will be bold enough to make that trek.

That's the history of how and why Japan's commodes have become the best in the world.  Indeed, a "normal" commode is now boring for most of us who have had the pleasure of using these fancy thrones.  The story, of course, does not end there.

Yesterday, I saw this sign for the first time ever.

This was one of those rarely-seen "normal" commodes.  The sign says, "Please refrain from flushing the toilet to cover sounds.  Please help conserve water."

Interesting.  Here is yet another example of energy conservation in light of post-March changes in how Japan has had to deal with energy usage.  All kidding aside, I do believe this is a bold move for Japan to make, considering how common place sound-eliminating bathroom etiquette has become over the past thirty or so years.  Here again is more proof of the country's efforts to join forces and maintain efforts at environmentally responsible behavior.