#japanese toilet

Hello there lovely people!
After a long absence, we have returned! We’re so sorry that we haven’t posted in a while. :(

We’re going to jump straight back in to our language tips and tricks guide, so let’s get back into the swing of things with going to the bathroom in Japan (because let’s face it, you’ll have to at some point). :P

Firstly, when you’re asking where the bathroom is, you can ask either of the following:

トイレはどこですか？ (Toire wa doko desu ka?) - Where is the toilet?

おてあらいはどこですか？(Otearai wa doko desu ka?) - Where is the bathroom? (more polite than トイレ)

おてあらいはどちらですか？- (Otearai wa dochira desu ka?)Which one is the bathroom?

If there is a long line of people and you’re not sure if someone is in the line, you can ask:

ならんでいますか？- (Narande imasu ka?) - Are you waiting?

If there is someone who looks like they’re absolutely busting and you wish to let them go first, you can say:

おさきにどうぞ - (Osaki ni douzo) - You can go first.

If you’d like to excuse yourself to go to the bathroom, you can say:

おてあらい／トイレにいってもよろしいですか？- (Otearai/toire ni itte mo yoroshii desu ka?) - Is it okay if I go to the bathroom?

Another thing to know is that some places will not have an American style toilet. There will only be a Japanese style toilet (as seen below).

Image from http://www.shorttraveltips.com/japan-japanese-style-toilet/

If you are only able to find a Japanese style toilet and you don’t wish to use it, you can ask someone this:

ようしきトイレはありますか？- (Youshiki toire wa arimasuka?) - Do you have an American style toilet?

If there are no American style toilets and you don’t want to use the Japanese style ones, you’ll have to do what Clare did and hold it for three hours. Just make sure you’re not rude about it. :)

We know it’s a rather strange topic, but trust us. You’ll need it!

That’s all for this week, everyone! We’re at the bottom of this post. Get it? :D

Until next time,

Clare and Yu