There are toilets, and then there are Japanese toilets.
Often more sophisticated than their western counterparts, even public toilets come with various features such as heated seats, in-built bidets and some even play you music.
SEE ALSO:NYC toilets are rated by poop emoji on this InstagramTourists are often unable to understand the many controls, finding going to the toilet more complicated than they thought.
In a bid to make itself more tourist-friendly ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, Japan's Restroom Industry Association has agreed to create a set of standardised icons, so all tourists will now know their backside wash from their small flush.
Credit: Japan restroom industry association
(L-R) Large flush, small flush, toilet lid open/close, toilet seat open/close, stop, backside wash, bidet wash, dryerCredit: JAPAN RESTROOM INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONUnder the new icons, future Japanese toilets will use eight icons representing eight different options: Toilet lid opening/closing, toilet seat opening/closing, large flush, small flush, backside wash, bidet wash, dryer and stop.
Got 99 buttons but a flush ain't oneCredit: Li xuan - Imaginechina"When foreign tourists use public toilets such as at hotels and sightseeing facilities, it is difficult to understand the operation buttons", said the association in a press release.
The decision to create standardised icons came after results of a 2014 survey showed that 25 percent of tourists did not know how to use a Japanese-style toilet, according to a report by Gizmodo.
Ramen or hot spring?Credit: Tokyo shimbunThis isn't the first time foreigners in Japan have gotten mixed up, with the country previously having to change its hot springs bathing symbol after tourists mistook it for a sign showing a restaurant selling hot food.
