This is my 100th toilet-related dump on the FG!
Japan pushes for toilet exports
Not content with ruling the roost at home, Japan's biggest toilet maker is looking to sell its luxury loos abroad.
BBC | 28/07/2003
...Advanced Japan's lavatories are already a step ahead of the rest of the world.
Heated seats are routine, while some toilets come festooned with buttons and control panels.
Foreigners have been known to become rather confused with the plethora of Japanese characters explaining the different functions, and some have on occasion been caught by surprise when a hidden bidet operates instead of the expected flushing.
As a result, cartoon picture replace characters on cisterns likely to be in use by non-Japanese.

Actually, it's already begun.

At the Easton Shopping center near where I live, EVERY loo in the mall is a Toto.

Yes,

I flied with Austrian airline and I was surprised to see advertising in an Austrian magazine forr japanese-like extra-techiestoilets.

What will become of our good old and dirty toilets ?
How long will we still be able to wipe our own ass ?

Spoilt for choice on where to add this to but Taro's centenary toilet post wins the day.

Junko Kobayashi is the nation's top toilet designer.

Asahi: FLUSHED WITH SUCCESS: When nature calls, designer has the stylish answer

"A society that gives toilets their due is a society that values life. That's the kind of thinking I want to encourage." JUNKO KOBAYASHI Rest room designer...Today, restrooms in station buildings and other venues of mass congregation are as likely as not to feature automatic washers, automatic flushers, and various other installations aimed at making your visit as pleasant as possible. Building owners have come to realize how strong an impression toilet facilities make.
...Few public toilets offer a broader vista than the lavatories on the 38th floor of the Sapporo Station JR Tower, which opened in March 2003. Right before your eyes, as you accomplish the task that brought you there, spreads a vast urban panorama, 160 meters above ground.
..."Toilets speak to people of all generations," Kobayashi says. "All over the world, men, women and children of all ages use them. Toilets and the various national and cultural customs pertaining to excretion are pertinent to literature and to environmental problems. But whereas people readily put thought and effort into the food they eat, there is a tendency to dismiss excretion as a mere function of nature, not worthy of serious consideration. That's partly why public toilets were never given their due."

Are there any other toliet manufacturers out there besides TOTO? All I see are TOTO toliets everywhere I go.

Aha...it's all coming together now...

Kyodo via Japan Today: China to host World Toilet Summit

BEIJING — Representatives from 19 nations, including Japan and the United States, will discuss the management and culture of public toilets at a three-day meeting in Beijing in mid-November, Beijing officials said Friday.
On Nov 17-19, Beijing municipal government, including its tourism bureau, will hold the World Toilet Summit to discuss the capital's star-rating system for public potties and share experiences in managing restrooms, city leaders told a press conference. (Kyodo News)

Sorry, guess this joke has been beaten to death.