From warming the seat to firing a jet of water: New tourist-friendly symbols explain how Japan's hi-tech toilets work

  • Japan's toilet chiefs want to help tourists use the country's high-tech loos 
  • Manufacturers will now use just 8 pictograms to inform which button does what
  • They offer everything from seat warming and bidet functions to motion sensors

Published: 05:14 EST, 18 January 2017 | Updated: 15:00 EST, 18 January 2017

Japan's toilet chiefs say they have come up with a plan to stop tourists getting their knickers in a twist over the country's mindbogglingly high-tech loos.

Under new guidelines, manufacturers will use the same eight pictograms to tell users which button flushes, which one fires a frighteningly accurate jet of water at the backside and what to press to close the lid.

Japan has been drawing record numbers of tourists in recent years and Tokyo is expecting millions of visitors when it hosts the Olympic Games in 2020.

Under new guidelines, manufacturers of hi-tech Japanese toilets will use the same eight pictograms to tell users which button does what 

The Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association hopes that ensuring all toilets have standardised images will prove just the job, ensuring millions of non-Japanese speaking visitors know the difference between a big and a small flush.

Japan's most state-of-the-art toilets offer everything from seat warming and bidet functions to motion sensors, variable jet strengths and powerful deodorisers.

Celebrities like Madonna, Leonardo Di Caprio and Will Smith have raved about the smart loos. 

They are also a big hit among visiting tourists, particularly the Chinese.

Japan's most state-of-the-art toilets offer everything from seat warming to motion sensors, variable jet strengths and powerful deodorisers 

Japan, which has been drawing record numbers of tourists in recent years, has replaced many of its old public toilets with modern hi-tech versions 

But there has been no standardised set of symbols for their many buttons and different manufacturers often use their own images. 

This has resulted in something of a pain in the backside for unaccustomed users.

Among the eight drawings are what looks like a woman sitting on a fountain for bidet function, a pair of splayed cheeks being sprayed with water for a backside wash and something resembling a tornado for a big flush.

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