“Japanese” loo habits catching on …

Guardian Unlimited: 'Bidet toilets, they're the future – I've sat on one'

Helen Pidd in today's Guardian about the toilets which allow for what we call istinja – washing yourself after you relieve yourself. Apparently 70% of Japanese homes have these things. Noticeably Ms Pidd doesn't mention that this is the common habit in Muslim countries as well, and has been for probably much longer than it has been in Japan, and you don't need a control panel, just a tap and a metal tube to direct the jet of water. But if you don't have a dryer, it wouldn't be paperless …