For much of modern Japanese history, squat toilets were not unusual at all. In fact, up to the 1960s, traditional squat toilets were more common, and Western-style toilets only gradually spread after that. A major push came when public housing began installing seated toilets, normalizing them for everyday use. What now looks old-fashioned was once simply the standard. The “forward-facing” posture was not a curiosity. It was just how many people used the bathroom.
Then Japan changed quickly. Toilet makers introduced seated models on a larger scale, and later the country became known worldwide for electronic bidet toilets. The production of Western- and Japanese-style toilets was roughly equal in 1976, but after that, Western-style production rose rapidly. By 2015, squat toilets accounted for just 1% of all toilets produced by Toto, one of Japan’s major manufacturers.
Schools show how this old-new overlap still plays out in real life. In a 2016 education ministry survey, around 60% of toilets in public elementary and junior high schools were still Japanese-style. But that share has dropped sharply over time. In other words, traditional toilets are still around, but their place in daily life is shrinking.
To know more about why the popularity of traditional toilets is decreasing, click the next page.
