Japan, Products, Built In Ease - understand-culture

Washlet

TOTO released the Washlet, its washing toilet seat, in June 1980. Its television commercial of 1982 carried the line: Oshiri datte, aratte hoshii. “The bottom, too, wants to be washed.”

Many women in Japan used to flush a public toilet twice, the first time only to cover the sounds of using it. In 1988, TOTO put its first Otohime, Sound Princess, on sale. The device plays the sound of flowing water.

The Japan Times wrote that it was made “to cater to the delicate sensibilities of women and save water at the same time.”

Pokayoke

A pokayoke is a device or method on the factory floor that prevents mistakes. The word is said to come from poka, a careless error, and yokeru, to avoid. It is used abroad as well.

A factory management magazine credits these methods to Shingo Shigeo, a consultant who improved many factories after the war and who is said to have shaped the origins of the Toyota Production System. It notes that a pokayoke is built cheaply, with ingenuity instead of money.

Chicken Ramen

In August 1958, Chicken Ramen, the world’s first instant ramen, went on sale. A government magazine describes it as ready to eat only two minutes after hot water is poured on. In 1971, Cup Noodle, the world’s first cup noodle, was completed.

Crisp Nori

In 1978, Seven-Eleven became the first in its industry to sell hand-rolled onigiri with crisp nori. It used a packaging film called Parikko firumu.

Magic Cut

Majikku katto, Magic Cut, is a patented packaging technology whose trademark is registered by Asahi Kasei Pax. A bag with Magic Cut can be torn open from any point along its edge. The edge carries countless tiny holes, about 0.2 to 0.3 millimeters each.

Ridges on the Shampoo Bottle

In Japan, shampoo bottles carry small notches. They were added so that shampoo and conditioner bottles, which look alike, can be told apart by touch, for example by visually impaired people or by anyone washing their hair with eyes closed.

The notches were put into practical use in 1991. Other companies in the industry were then asked to adopt them.

The Raku-Raku Phone

Raku-raku hon, the easy phone, is a mobile phone series for older users sold by NTT Docomo. Fujitsu developed and made most of the models.

A Docomo manager dated the first product to 1999, but the same article traces the series to a 1998 model by Matsushita. The sources therefore differ on when the series began.

The Soy Sauce Bottle

In 1961, Kikkoman brought a small 150 ml bottle to market, so that soy sauce could be used easily at the table. It was designed by Ekuan Kenji. Kikkoman says its spout is easy to pour from and does not drip. The company also says the bottle is easy to hold and hard to tip over.

Pictograms for Tokyo 1964

The 1964 Tokyo Olympics were the first international event to use pictograms. Katsumi Masaru, art director of the Games, gave the designers two themes a day, such as toilet and telephone. He asked them: Gaikoku kara kita hito ni hitome de wakaru yō ni, shinborikku na mono ni shite kudasai. “Make them symbolic, so that people from abroad understand them at a glance.”