JAPAN: A manufacturer works with Austrian jeweler Swarovski to make a toilet studded with more than 72,000 pieces of precisely cut crystal glas

Record ID: 344098

  • Title: JAPAN: A manufacturer works with Austrian jeweler Swarovski to make a toilet studded with more than 72,000 pieces of precisely cut crystal glas
  • Date: 16th December 2011
  • Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (DECEMBER 16, 2011) (REUTERS) CRYSTAL STUDDED TOILET ON DISPLAY AT LIXIL'S GINZA SHOWROOM LID OF CRYSTAL STUDDED TOILET EXTERIOR OF LIXIL GINZA SHOWROOM VISITOR LOOKING AT CRYSTAL STUDDED TOILET IN SHOWROOM CRYSTAL STUDDED TOILET ON DISPLAY SHEET OF CRYSTAL GLASSES DECORATING SURFACE OF TOILET (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) DIRECTOR OF LIXIL'S GINZA SHOWROOM KAZUO SUMIMIYA SAYING: "In Japan, we believe that there is a deity existing in the toilet, that's why keeping our toilet clean and taking good care of it have been a Japanese custom since long ago." CRYSTAL STUDDED TOILET ON DISPLAY WITH SIGN READING INAX SATIS DECORATION (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) DIRECTOR OF LIXIL'S GINZA SHOWROOM KAZUO SUMIMIYA SAYING: "If we were to sell it then it would be probably worth around 10 million yen ($130,000 USD) based on its value." CRYSTAL STUDDED TOILET VARIOUS OF VISITORS LOOKING AT CRYSTAL TOILET (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 26-YEAR-OLD VISITOR YUKIKO KAWANAMI SAYING: "I'd love to tell my friends about this and have a party around it." (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese) 22-YEAR-OLD VISITOR CHIKAKO KAWANAMI SAYING: "It'd be hard, I don't think I'd feel comfortable enough to use it even if I had this at home." VARIOUS OF REGULAR WHITE COLOUR TOILET'S LID AND SEAT OPENING BY REMOTE CONTROL VARIOUS OF REGULAR WHITE COLOUR TOILET'S BACK RISING BY REMOTE CONTROL VISITOR LOOKING AT CRYSTAL STUDDED TOILET (SOUNDBITE) (English) 39-YEAR-OLD TOURIST FROM CANADA, TIMOTHY HORNYAK SAYING: "If I win the lottery I would love to buy a diamond crystal toilet." CRYSTAL TOILET ON DISPLAY
  • Embargoed: 31st December 2011 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan, Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA62YQVVC6QRFPJ48M2UMWEO0PD
  • Story Text: A Japanese toilet maker's new glittering design is sure to please the "god of toilet", a deity known in Japan for his love for sparkling toilets.
    INAX toilet manufacturer, a part of the Lixil family brand known for interior fixtures and building materials, partnered with Austrian jeweler Swarovski, studded the toilet with more than 72,000 pieces of precisely cut crystal glass.
    The toilet was on display at the Lixil Ginza showroom on Friday (December 16), attracting streams of visitors.
    After a year fraught with disasters, natural and economic, INAX hoped the ornate bathroom fixture would draw more customers during the year-end shopping season.
    Kazuo Sumimiya, director of Lixil's Ginza showroom, said the sparkling toilet was designed to please the "god of toilet", a Japanese tradition that dates back hundreds of years ago.
    "In Japan, we believe that there is a deity existing in the toilet, that's why keeping our toilet clean and taking good care of it have been a Japanese custom since long ago," Sumimiya said.
    Japanese wives' tales promise young women that they'll have a beautiful form and enjoy an easy early birth if they keep their house's toilets clean, an old-fashioned ruse to trick children into taking their daily chores seriously.
    This also explains Japan's high-end toilet craftsmanship which included remote handsets with more buttons than a TV controller to flush, lift and close lids and spray a warm or cold washlet.
    Although it is not for sale, the crystal toilet has been valued at $130,000 U.S. dollars.
    "If we were to sell it then it would be probably worth around 10 million yen ($130,000 USD) based on its value," said Sumimiya.
    Visitors said they were amazed by the dazzling fixture, although some might feel a bit uncomfortable to use it.
    "I'd love to tell my friends about this and have a party around it," said 26 year-old Yukiko Kawanami.
    "It'd be hard, I don't think I'd feel comfortable enough to use it even if I had this at home," said her sister, 22-year old Chick Kawanami.
    "If I win the lottery I would love to buy a diamond crystal toilet," said Timothy Hornyak, 39-year-old tourist from Canada.
    The crystal toilet will be on display at the Lixil Ginza showroom until the end of December.
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