As a Japanese person who lived in NZ for a while, I believe the most famous Japanese companies for Kiwi people are car companies like Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, etc. Surprisingly, these cars are seen throughout NZ a lot, even the ones that are not super popular in Japan.
My Kiwi boyfriend, who had little to no knowledge about my country, stayed in Japan for a month and discovered his NO.1 Japanese company was TOTO. This is not a car company. It is a toilet manufacturer. Of course, it is a well-known enterprise for us, but probably not for foreigners.
First Encounter with TOTO
He stayed in Tokyo with me for one month, working remotely. We basically got a place on Airbnb and in hotels during his stay in Japan. (Overall, I am proud of my choice of accommodation.)
Firstly, he was impressed by the cleanness, and arrangement of the rooms, including the way storage furniture, was placed in a tiny space in the first room. Later on, he found many buttons on a toilet wall and asked me about them. I explained that the Japanese smart toilet had a cleansing system for one’s rear end. His first reaction was knitting his eyebrows, but that is how he met TOTO’s product called Washlet.
Technically, there are several brands of smart toilet systems with electronic bidets, but TOTO’s Washlet is the best known from my experience. I didn’t even know this kind of toilet system is called SMART TOILET. Indeed, some people cannot live without this kind of smart toilet, like my father. He tends to choose places where Washlet (or whatever similar brands) is set up when he goes overseas. Otherwise, he brings the portable cleansing gadget. I heard it became common to install this kind of toilet in commercial buildings, hotels, or some houses in other Asian countries, but not in western countries.
So no wonder my boyfriend felt strange since it was his first time.
Whether it is true or not, it is said that Asian people, especially Japanese, don’t have stronger stomachs and intestines than western people. I suppose that is why the toilet cleansing system was invented and became so popular. Nevertheless, once you try it, you will like it, no matter where you are from, like my boyfriend.
Fall in Love with TOTO
Soon after he started using it, he got obsessed with the Japanese toilet system. It seemed like the biggest problem was understanding a lot of buttons, but once you get used to it, you would be addicted. I would have never imagined that the toilet system would be one of the most memorable factors during my boyfriend’s visit. He was truly amazed and the photo album on his phone is the proof. He doesn’t have a photo of Mt.Fuji, but he took many pictures of toilets.
Cheers