Is Toilet Paper Illegal in Japan?
No, but you might be hard pressed at times to find some when using public restrooms. Why? I have no idea. Somewhere along the line I was warned about this. I can’t remember the why’s, the how’s or the who’s of the conversation but it was sure handy to know when I was packing my bag for my trip last year. Take heed, my friends, toilet tissue can be scarce in some public Japanese restrooms so PLEASE PACK SOMETHING YOU CAN USE TO WIPE YOUR BUMS!
"Hello Kitty" toilet tissue
“What can I take?” you ask. You have many choices. First off, you’ll find that Japanese businesses love to advertise on individual packs of tissue and they pay workers handsomely to stand on random streets handing out these tissues to passersby. If you haven’t packed any in your suitcase, if you forgot yours back at the hotel / hostel / ryokan, or if you’re just uncomfortable saying no to those that are offering, take a few. Go ahead … no biggie.
"Cutie Honey" (anime) toilet tissue
On the other hand, you can also do what I did last year. Pack baby wipes. Don’t snicker at that. Those baby wipes came in mighty handy in some unexpected situations. When there was no toilet tissue in the bathroom at the Meiji Shrine, I still walked away anti-bacterialized and smelling cucumber-melon fresh. I also used a wipe at the hand washing station when there were no paper towels. Baby wipes are ususally pre-moistened so I just wrung out the moistness and used it to dry my hands.
Kanji quiz toilet tissue
On my way to Nara, I stopped in the restroom at one of the JR Stations where one most adorable little girl smilingly dropped her ice cream in the middle of the bathroom floor. In I swooped with baby wipes in hand, to clean up the mess and save the day. Well, sure it wasn’t that dramatic but her mother was surely grateful (I know this because she then allowed me to cut in line to the next available bathroom stall).
Helps you poo toilet tissue
If baby wipes aren’t your thing, you know what they say … “when in Rome…” Many Japanese carry small packets of tissue or at least, a hankerchief with them wherever they go. On an ocassion where there might not be toilet tissue, but more likely a case where there are no paper towels in a restoom, out comes the equipment and cleanup is accomplished in the blink of an eye. Yet and still, if a hankerchief isn’t your forte either, you can always carry a travel roll of toilet tissue with you. You can find these in most common goods stores or pharmacy-type stores like Wal-Mart, Target, WalGreens and CVS, in the trial size section or in stores that specialize in travel (such as those that cater to camping, hiking, etc).
The bottom line (haha, I said “bottom”) is that you want to keep your hands and your bottom clean and fresh so just make sure you remember to pack and carry something that will help you keep that accomplished.
*** NOTES ***
- Toilets in Japan - Public Toilets Wiki Article
- Where can you buy the Hello Kitty, Kanji-Quiz, and/or other toilet tissues featured on this page? Right here at JBOX.com or Jlist.com (yes, it’s REAL toilet tissue!)
- Are you interested in “scary” toilet paper from Koji Suzuki, writer of the book behind the horror flick, The Ring? Visit Crunchgear to read up on his latest work, published on -you guessed it- toilet tissue.
