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In today's article, we will explain about the small room in most Japanese houses which contains a toilet -- and nothing else. In Japanese, this small space is generally called: お手洗い (O-TEH-ARA-EE, washroom); also: トイレ (TOH-EE-REH, Japanese pronunciation of "toilet"); and sometimes you will see the room labeled: "WC" (Water Closet). Hotels and one-bedroom efficiency apartments use something called a "unit bath", where the toilet, bath (O-FURO), and shower are all located in a small, prefabricated & waterproofed cubicle-space. As for Japanese houses and larger apartments, there usually is only one toilet (due to floorspace limitations), and it is located separately from the bath & shower room. There are couple of reasons for this. First, is Japanese culture's emphasis on tidiness, and therefore it is natural to want to keep the bath & shower room ("clean") separate from the toilet room ("unclean"). The second reason is more practical, and simply involves usage time. As we explained in an earlier article, the Japanese "O-FURO" is a soaking bath and can be "in-use" for a long time; therefore, it is more practical to put the toilet in a different room, so it can be accessed more flexibly by other household members. The toilet room is really small but also allows for handwashing, which we will explain more about in the future. Some toilet rooms have small or narrow windows for natural light & ventilation. Many Japanese will try make the toilet room as pleasant as possible, using art objects, small house plants, special lighting, decorative deodorizers, reading racks, and through other creative means. We hope you will enjoy this special characteristic of your Japanese home!

written by Goodfield