[Hey! English Essay] Toilet Talk ② How to Choose a Toilet
I feel a bit self-conscious about airing my thoughts on British toilets to the public, but I started this essay to organize these feelings by putting them into words (Toilet Talk ① Prologue is here). Today, I will introduce some points on how to actually choose a toilet.
1: Toilet Tank and Lever
As far as I can see in the UK, there are three ways to flush a toilet. ① Lever: Toilets with an exposed tank often use a lever, but some have buttons (such as in the center of the top of the tank).
② Push button: These are attached to the wall. In this case, the toilet tank is often hidden. In the UK, perhaps for aesthetic reasons, there are toilets with external tanks, but they are often hidden behind panels. (In this case, repairs are time-consuming, so once a toilet breaks, an "out of order" sign is often posted for quite a long time.)
③ (Hand-waving) Sensor type: I don't have a photo, but these are also mostly installed on the wall. I get the impression that they are increasingly being installed in nicely renovated public restrooms.
Toilet Lever: How to Deal with It
① In the case of a lever: This type has about a 65-70% chance of flushing. The lever in the photo is attached properly, but the internal screws are often loose. If the lever you see the moment you enter the toilet is already pointing down, it is almost 100% certain that the previous person's waste is still there, so unless you are brave, I recommend not looking back and going to another restroom. Of course, you can also flush it as soon as you enter. However, even if it flushes here, don't let your guard down. Listen closely to the sound of the tank. If it sounds like a small stream, "trickle, trickle, trickle...", it often takes time for the tank to fill with water, which creates a moment for meditation. There is a high possibility that you will be stuck waiting for it to finish filling after you have used it yourself. Therefore, if the lever is already down when you enter the toilet, those who are short on time, not thick-skinned, or lack the courage to escape halfway through should avoid it from the start.
② Push button: I often see round single buttons, or push buttons that are split in half, where presumably pressing both together is for a "large" flush and pressing just the small one is for a "small" flush. I haven't really observed the difference in water volume well. Often, even with the half-button, you have to press them together to get enough water to finally flush, but it depends on the push button. There is also a convex button type, which requires quite a bit of force to press. However, what sometimes happens with this button type is that the water volume is as powerful as Niagara Falls, and if you carelessly open the lid to "check if it flushes," a tremendous amount of water droplets will spray out, making for an unpleasant experience. Close the lid before flushing. By the way, toilets where the seat is wet from the start are often of this pattern.
③ Sensor type: It flushes with a "pop" sound, but the toilets in the UK seem to be based on the concept of "just make it flush," and they are not designed in detail like Japanese toilets, where water efficiently flows in a spiral pattern across the entire surface of the bowl. Therefore, you may have to repeat this "pop" several times.
2: Toilet Door
Basically, there are gaps at the top and bottom of British toilet doors. I think it's probably about 20cm, but various things like entrapment and emergencies are taken into consideration. Of course, you also need to be careful with this seemingly harmless door.
As you can see from the photo, there are many instances of this truly unreliable latch. You should latch it with the image of "pulling the door next to you" with force. *By the way, for wheelchair-accessible toilets, this lock is on the outside, and the door opens outward.
In Japan, there is a hook behind the door, and there is usually somewhere to hang or place your luggage, but in the UK, it really varies. Just because it's a shopping center doesn't mean there is one, and even if there is, they are often hooks where bags don't hang well. Therefore, I often see bags placed on other people's floors through the 20cm gap. (It's dirty, but since there really is no space, it has become a "normal" scene, moving from "unavoidable" to "standard.")
The drawbacks of an inward-opening door
There is a scene in the movie "Everyone's House" (2001) directed by Koki Mitani where an "inward-opening door" appears. I think there are inward-opening doors in public restrooms in Japan as well. However, you don't feel inconvenienced, right? However, in the UK, even though it should be a familiar "inward-opening" door, there are sometimes toilet designs that are so inconvenient that you wonder, "What is going on?" British toilets look large at first glance, but the inside feels cramped. I think part of it is that you can't put your luggage down, but it often happens that the inward-opening door passes right by the toilet bowl or hits it! If it hits, you have to sneak in through the gap, rotate your body, and close the door. *If you try to enter with a backpack, it will get stuck, so please rotate carefully.
It's just a door, but it's important to instantly see through the door lock (is it loose?) and the structure of the door itself (is the door frame already tilted?).
3: Toilet Paper Holder
Needless to say, this is an important point. While it is a given that you should carry tissues with you daily, when you rush into a restroom, whether or not there is toilet paper makes a big difference.
Jumbo roll holder
Do you notice anything when looking at these two pictures? As a point of advice, when you enter a toilet, there are two things to look for with this holder.
1. Can you see the paper from the holder?, and 2. Can you see the paper through the hole in the holder (for checking the remaining amount)?—that is it. If you cannot see the paper at these two points, there is often no roll inside, so check the top of the tank or the surrounding area.
Direct placement
It is exactly as it sounds; when it does not fit in the roll holder or there is no holder at all, it is often placed directly on a surface.
If this is not available, give up and go to another toilet, or use your own tissues.
Luck-of-the-draw holder
That is just what I call it.
There is probably no holder that feels more like a gamble than this one.
This is the one... It is good because you can clearly see how much paper is left.
But, it gets jammed!
It gets jammed in a way that is almost funny. Looking at the photo above, you might think it would come out smoothly, but you never know what will happen. It can get jammed.
(It's scary, it's scary)
In reality, if there is paper but it hits a spot where it is about to jam, you feel desperate. You try to pull it out desperately with your fingers, but since you cannot push it back, you are effectively doomed.
Human wisdom
There was a shop that improved this toilet holder. Surprisingly, they removed the blue plastic part entirely and enlarged the hole, thereby resolving the jamming issue! At first, I thought it was just broken, but every stall had it removed in the same way.
I do not know why the manufacturer does not fix it, but every time I see this type of holder, I feel like I am praying.
Summary
Only when the balance of the three elements mentioned earlier—the "lever," the "door," and the "toilet paper holder"—is maintained can you have a comfortable toilet experience.
However, in public toilets in the UK, one of these is usually not functioning properly, so please be careful.
Aside
Regarding levers and buttons, it is interesting how you can tell the nature of an individual tank by its appearance and the initial sensation when you press it—thinking things like, 'Oh, if I press it this way, the tank mechanism will work well,' or 'Oh, I need to be careful and hold this one down.' Whether you are staying for a short or long time, please focus all your attention on how to press the lever when using a public restroom. It will surely be a useful skill to have in the UK.