That’s Life Anew
WASHLET® and me
Brand & Interesting Facts
|05/08/2026
There was a typhoon when we visited Okinawa. In the face of this fierce storm, we were all thinking the same thing: Is the konbini still open?
It’s kind of an absurd question. After all, most konbinis in Japan are open 24/7. Considering the exceptional circumstances at the time – namely, the typhoon raging over the island – it seemed like a reasonable one. As long as the answer was “yes”, we’d feel better about the situation. Then the typhoon couldn’t be so bad.
I remember that we had to laugh at ourselves at some point. We were on an island in the middle of a typhoon, and we measured the seriousness of this situation according to whether or not this convenience store was open. When I think back on it, it doesn’t make a lot of sense. But I still remember that moment today.
This memory also describes what I still find so fascinating about Japan today. It’s the feeling that lots of things just work. Really well.
I did a terrible job packing for my road trip through Japan. It was December, and it was maybe 8° C in Tokyo. So I packed mostly warm clothing for our trip through Kyushu. But it was 20° Celsius and sunny when we arrived – and was supposed to stay that way for the next several days.
So I stopped at the next FamilyMart and picked up a t-shirt. It was meant to be just an emergency purchase. But it’s still hanging in my closet today, and I wear it all the time. Who expects to buy their new favourite t-shirt at a convenience store?
We made a lot of quick stops at konbinis during this trip – if we had to use the toilet, wanted something to drink, or needed something like socks, snacks or our next lunch. After a few days, they just became part of our travel routine.
Of course, I heard about how punctual Japanese trains were before I ever visited the country. But I was still surprised at how quickly I started to take this punctuality for granted. But what may have impressed me even more was how everything worked together so perfectly.
Have you ever seen pictures of Japanese train stations? Most have markings on the floor that show where people line up as well as gates at the tracks that only open once the train has arrived at the station.
I wasn’t fascinated by the system itself – but that it actually worked. The trains stopped where they were supposed to. The doors opened at the right spots. People got on and off the train, and it left a few moments later. It was the same for both high-speed and regional trains alike. At some point, I stopped looking at my watch. Not because I didn’t care about the time, but because I could count on the train showing up at the right time and place just about every time.
I had the same feeling about bidet toilets. Initially, they seemed like a luxury that everyone tries when they go to Japan. When I used one for the first time, I could have never anticipate that I’d convince my parents to buy WASHLET when I returned home.
The longer I travelled, the less bidet toilets seemed like a special amenity. Eventually, they were just everywhere. At the hotel. The shopping centre. The train station. Or at the konbini.
Only afterwards did I realise how quickly they became part of my everyday life.
The longer I thought about it, the less fascinated I was by the individual things. The idea behind them was far more interesting: reliability.
The konbini that stays open during the typhoon over Okinawa. WASHLET when it comes to everyday cleanliness, hygiene and comfort. And the trains that show how natural reliability can be, each and every day.
Many of these things seem pretty unspectacular on their own. But that’s only until you get used to them and notice how much you miss them when you return home.
Sadly, I can’t affect the punctuality of the German train system or open a konbini on the corner. But I could bring a little piece of Japanese reliability into my home with WASHLET. And this feeling of comfort and cleanliness is something I never want to do without.
Sina Schwambach
TOTO Europe
Online Marketing Agent
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