[chaostheory]

> Japanese toilets are simply better. For some bizarre reason we've resisted adopting them here. It boggles the mind.

That's not true. One major reason we don't adopt them is the cost of installation. If you have an existing house, chances are there's not an electrical outlet next to the toilet. Why is is important? Because Japanese toilets require power. Why does this suck? Electricians are not keen on working on bathrooms because of all the pre-existing pipes, so to do the job right, they'll probably have to rip off all the walls. Once the electricians are done, you probably have to hire a bathroom remodeler to fix everything up, because again not many licensed people are keen on working on the bathroom unless they specialize in it.

[brandon272]

None of which is true when building a new home. But they still don't put them in new homes either.

[chaostheory]

Yeah there aren't very many new homes in places like the Bay Area or Manhattan either

[hueving]

>Yeah there aren't very many new homes in places like the Bay Area or Manhattan either

This isn't true of Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and San Jose. Perhaps you are thinking of SF?

[XorNot]

Most bathrooms do have electrical outlets though - for shavers and things. Conduit is fairly low profile - and if you have a false ceiling then its very easy.

[chaostheory]

First, the outlet for the shaver and blow dryer are far enough from the toilet that you'll need an extension cord that crosses your sink which isn't going to work. Second I've never seen a false ceiling in a residential bathroom. Not that having one would make it a lot safer. The bathroom is not a place for a hack. You really need to do it the right way or not at all.

[ghaff]

I'm skeptical that this is the primary reason. Everything you say is true but a LOT of people spend loads of money renovating bathrooms in the US. Just go down to a Home Depot and look at all the fancy sink, shower, jacuzzi, etc. hardware. Yet I've never seen a Japanese toilet in an American home. In general, toilets just don't seem to be something that gets any sort of special treatment in bathroom remodels. And none of the companies that make all the aforementioned hardware make anything other than standard sit toilets AFAIK.

I suspect it's just something that most Americans (and Europeans) simply haven't experienced or are even aware of. And it probably doesn't help that the initial reaction is probably negative--which may be why nobody's made a serious attempt to push these in the US.

[radley]

Often that's just drywall - very cheap and easy to replace.

[chaostheory]

As I've already mentioned, it's the labor that's expensive in either time or money since there are pipes behind the drywall that you're going to rip apart. Also some people put tile over their drywall, the very people more likely to buy an expensive Japanese toilet. We're talking a few thousand dollars.

[VexXtreme]

Sorry to say this but it sounds like you're just trying to come up with any and all excuses to shoot down a valid idea.

[chaostheory]

I'm just trying to convey my experiences with bathroom remodeling on my own house. Anyone is free to listen or ignore my advice.

I never said it wasn't a valid idea. It's just a hard and expensive one. You guys will find out once you become home owners in the future. Also a Japanese toilet costs the same as a cheap car. If you haven't already guessed, I wanted one for my bathroom for years now. It's just not practical.

[radley]

You don't need a full unit - you can just do the seat:

http://www.amazon.com/Toto-SW574-01-Washlet-Seat-Elongated/d...

That + drywall + electrical is maybe ~$2500.

Sounds like the only expensive part is if you already have expensive deco.

[colin_jack]

I don't agree, he's raising exactly the sorts of issues many householders would have. Even just the cost and hassle of redecorating/retiling would put most people off.