What do toilets look like in different countries around the world? Toilets on airplanes: design features, layout and operating rules Not for “serious intentions”

An establishment is judged by its toilets, and a country is judged by its cemeteries - there is an old saying that proves that order in important places of the country speaks of order in the state as a whole. Today we invite you to see what kind of toilets people use all over the world - from residents of African countries to residents of civilized countries, which have every opportunity to create normal living conditions.

Mozambique. Azucenna. 14 years old, 8th grade student, loves to play football. Lives with his mother and grandmother, sister and two cousins. Grandma works as a salesperson in a beer store, which is how she supports the whole family. Azucenna has to use a toilet that can accommodate another 30 people and is shared by neighbors' family members. “When it rains, the toilet turns into a disaster site - there is a real flood,” the girl says. “And it always smells very bad here.”

Brazil. Lorena is 16 years old. “We recently moved to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, and there was no toilet yet, but I built one myself. I also want to build a normal shower or bathroom that my mother and I can use.”

USA. Maria lives in New York. Writer. “When living with two neighbors, it is very important to plan your time correctly and get to the toilet on time in order to wash and shower. For a long time I lived in Beijing where I had to use a public toilet, so the current toilet is very clean and convenient for me. In Beijing, I had to wear a coat to go to the toilet because it’s quite cold there in winter, so I value the current toilet and my neighbors very highly.”

Belgium. Rosalie is 9 years old and a schoolgirl. “My school has separate toilets for boys and girls, and we have toilets on each floor of the school. My cool room located on the 3rd floor. In total, there are 22 toilets in our school, and they are designed for 230 students and 20 adults, which are teachers. We have the opportunity to go to the toilet when we need it.”

Japan. Eiko is 61 years old and lives in Japan. “The supermarket we are in now is located close to my house. I come here very often because I come for shopping. I don’t hesitate to go into this toilet, because it is very clean, there is always soap and toilet paper, and they good quality. Here I feel a sense of calm, and here I can spend at least a few hours a day. This toilet has charging outlets mobile phone, foot massager, TV. It’s very pleasant to visit such a toilet.”

Ethiopia. Meseret works as a restaurant manager in Addis Ababa. A woman lives in small house with two children, sisters and mother. The Meseret family has a long walk to the nearest toilet, so their private bathroom is located outside the door, on the street.

South Africa. The Nombini family consists of 12 people, all of whom use buckets and pots. But Nombini previously lived in another area where everyone went into the bushes, which created an unbearable smell and unsanitary living conditions.

Kenya. Younis is the founder of the Kasarani School in Naivasha. “I work at a school, and previously all the students, 250 of them, went to the public toilet, which was used by residents of nearby areas. The unsanitary conditions there were complete. Later, the children began to practice open defecation right on the school premises, after which my husband and I decided to build toilets, otherwise we would face disaster. Now the students of our school go to normal toilets, and we are calm about the children and their health.”

Zambia. Syubzen, 46 years old. Founder of a school for children with disabilities. “I have had polio since I was two years old, and going to the toilet is a real challenge for me. But I am proud to teach disabled children and adapt them to life. Using toilets is a real problem for us, but it gets worse during the rainy season when we have to crawl on our hands to reach the toilet.”

Romania. Gita is 48 years old and lives in Buzescu. Geeta is proud to be the owner of the largest and most comfortable bathroom in the village. Bathroom area 20 square meters. Buzescu is home to gypsies, so size and polish matter here. But it is worth saying that not all residents of the village are wealthy tap water and sewerage, so the luxury of having such a bathroom is not available to everyone.

Madagascar. Vanessa is 17 years old and lives in Antananarivo. “At home I have a shower and a toilet, but I am especially worried about the lack of a toilet at school. It's hard during critical days when I can't even change the pad and have to wait until I get home. I am constantly afraid that the gasket will leak. There is no place at school to wash and clean up.”

Haiti. Martin, 27 years old. “I don’t have a closed toilet. All I have is a hole in the ground. It's very dangerous and nasty here. I only use this toilet at night, and during the day I go to the toilet, which is a 15-minute walk from here.”

Bangladesh. Rubina, 38 years old. He has lived in the slums of Dhaka for three years. “My husband and I moved here after he got a job here. We used to live in rural areas. We use a public toilet, which is designed for a large number of of people. One day I went to the toilet and they started knocking very hard on the door. I don’t know who it was, but now, after 9 pm, I’m very scared to go to the toilet alone, besides, it’s about 20 meters from the house.”

India. Saritadevi lives in Uttawa village in Uttar Pradesh. The woman complains that she does not have a toilet and has to go to the fields, which greatly affects her self-esteem. Saritadevi complains that men often spy on her, and random passersby can throw stones at her or insult her.

Australia. Rene is an artist. She left the noisy city and retired to a quiet place, an hour's drive from Sydney. Renee's bathroom and toilet are located outside, but this doesn't bother her. The houses here are located very far from each other, so Renee does not worry about privacy even if she has to relieve herself in an open field.

Ghana. Ima, 47 years old. Working in a public toilet in Kumasi, Ghana's second most populous city. Ima lives with her husband and children. Ima doesn’t have her own toilet in her house, so she has two options - plastic bags at night, and the public toilet where she works during the day.

Great Britain. June. “I have a special toilet that converts waste into fertilizer. I used to have to clean cesspool and send it all to rot, and then fertilize the soil. Now, high tech They let me do the gardening and the toilet does its job.”

Thailand. Sinekha, 71. “I like to go to the toilet in the temple. It is very clean here - they clean it constantly. Security is on duty here 24 hours a day, so it’s also safe here.”

Ecuador. Fabiola, 69 years old. “I used to have to share a toilet with people in my condominium, but that was a long time ago. I now have a house with five bathrooms, which I'm very proud of. Contrast with children's and teenage years very strong,” Fabiola laughs.

“To some extent, the cleanliness and comfort of toilet stalls is a reflection of the level of civilization of any country (Najib Tun Razak, Prime Minister of Malaysia)”

Perhaps the oldest toilet (its age is 4.5 thousand years) was discovered on the territory of the Mohenjo-Daro fortress (modern Pakistan). It is a brick structure with a seat connected to an underground sewer system. There were also similar premises in China, Egypt and Ancient Rome.

According to one version, the first flush toilet appeared on the island of Crete long before the beginning of our era. It looked like a stone toilet seat, to which, using complex system pipes supplied water.

Let's see what the toilets look like in different parts peace.

1. This is a regular school in Belgium. Everything is civilized here: for 230 students and 20 teachers there are 22 toilets. (Photo by Tim Dirven):

3. Bangladesh. (Photo by GMB Akash):

4. India, Uttar Pradesh. Here many people do not have a toilet in their home and go to an open field. (Photo by Atul Loke):

5. And this is civilized Australia. But local artists have their own quirks. For example, the toilet and bath are not in the house, but outside it. Although there are no special problems - the house is surrounded by wild bushes and trees. (Photo by Warren Clarke):

6. Ghana. This madam lives in a rented room with her husband and four children. There is no toilet at home, you have to go to a public one. (Photo by Nyani Quarmyne):

7. England also has its quirks. Here, for example, is a composting toilet. (Photo by Steve Forrest):

8. Public toilet in Thailand. (Photo by Patrick Brown):

9. Mozambique. A public toilet where 30 people from different families go. (Photo by James Oatway):

10. Favelas (slums) in Brazil. The water is turned on here on Thursdays and Sundays, get out as you wish. (Photo by Eduardo Martino):

11. Public toilet in a department store in Japan. Here you can charge your phone, watch TV, and even have a foot massage. (Photo by Noriko Hayashi):

12. In contrast: a public toilet in Ethiopia. (Photo by Petterik Wiggers):

13. South Africa. Bad, but yours. (Photo by Eric Miller):

14. Zambia. (Photo by James Oatway):

15. Big house gypsies from Romania. The bathroom is as much as 20 meters away. (Photo by Petrut Calinescu):

16. Madagascar. (Photo by Frederic Courbet):

17. Kenya. (Photo by Frederic Courbet).

A designer is a man of art, and art is an inspiration that can overtake a designer even in such a place as toilet room. Of course, at home you are unlikely to allow the implementation of too “slippery” and provocative ideas for the interior design of a toilet room, but in public places, perhaps someone will want to see what can come of it.

1. This toilet in Hong Kong is made of pure gold, and the toilet alone costs $3 million. To avoid scratching the golden floor, you will have to wear shoe covers.

About three tons of gold, 50 million dollars and five years of painstaking work by three hundred people. These are the statistics of the most luxurious toilet in our review. What's even more amazing is that this toilet suite is a display room jewelry in Hong Kong. Hang Fung CEO Lam Sai-wing and Swiss watchmaker Swisshorn decided to build a seven-thousand-square-foot palace to show off their craftsmanship and promote tourism in Hong Kong. They called it the “Golden Palace of Swisshorn”, and everything there really is made of pure gold.

The cost of renting it for one night will be 25 thousand dollars. It seems that the creators launched Midas inside and forced him to touch everything inside, including toiletries. 14-karat toilet, polished gold mirrors... it will be difficult to find a single detail in this toilet that doesn't sparkle. Don't want to pay 25 thousand? Then for three dollars you can do sightseeing tour around the mansion. At these prices, the mansion will recoup its investment in just 399 years. The countdown has begun.

2. In Paris, toilets self-clean after each use. As soon as you exit, a 60-second cleaning cycle begins and the toilet is automatically disinfected.

3. And in London, architect Monica Bonvicini created a one-way mirror toilet, so you can while away the time “doing this”, looking at passers-by.

Venetian designer Monica Bonvicini would have us believe that her nomadic installation, entitled Don't Waste a Second, is a commentary on art fans' reluctance to waste precious seconds of viewing an exhibition. Maybe, but for us, as for anyone walking down the street, it looks like a mirrored silver box. But when you're inside, you can see what's going on in the world through clear glass.

We wouldn't be surprised if you spend the entire time you spend in that booth praying that the one-way mirror actually works. Those who are especially shy will have to choose more traditional ways relieve yourself, for example, in a nearby restaurant. The work debuted as a public toilet in the middle of a street in London in 2003, and in the Kunstkamera in Zurich last summer. It has not yet been decided where the toilet will be displayed next. But if you see a giant silver box in public place, point your finger at her and laugh loudly. This will be a very cruel joke on the one inside.

Luckily, the restroom has a one-way mirror, so passers-by can't see you (at least we hope so).

5. This space toilet with a special vacuum was examined by Prince Charles himself when he visited the Engineering Museum of Innovation in Tokyo.

6. Everyone knows that the Japanese are crazy about video games. Now they are even in toilets! Moreover, there are several games to choose from, but they all have one thing in common: you control... your stream of urine. For example, in the game "Graffiti Eraser" you wash graffiti off the walls with your urine, and in the game "The North Wind and the Sun and Me" the steam from the urine allows you to lift a girl's skirt. Thus, the stronger the pressure, the more the skirt rises. Before getting down to business, the player is asked to choose one of the mini-games. They control the course of the game with a jet - you know what. At the bottom of the urinal there are sensors with the help of which the accuracy (target - blue mark) of the hit and the pressure of the stream are determined. Here is a video from the exhibition:

In one of the games, for example, you need to erase graffiti by watering it from a “hose”:

Another game is called “Blow your skirt with the wind” - the stronger the pressure, the higher the skirt:

At the end of the game you will definitely be told how many milliliters you squeezed out of yourself. All your achievements can be downloaded onto a flash drive and then presented to your friends, so to speak, to compare... jets

7. On the 15th floor of the PPDG penthouse in Guadalajara, there is a toilet located above an open elevator shaft, and the bottom of the toilet is transparent. So to speak, for the thrill of sensations.

8. Compared to the previous toilet, these “eggs” in Hong Kong look rather modest.

9. At the Madarao-Kogen Hotel, again, in Japan, the city of Iiyama, you sit on the toilet, as if on the top of a mountain, ready to ski down at any moment.

10. And although in this toilet in Hong Kong mall you don't play video games, but you might watch a TV show while you're at it.

13. A public toilet in New York whose doors automatically open after 15 minutes. Let's start with the good stuff - these toilets are self-cleaning. Moreover, cleaning is done after each visitor. As soon as you leave the establishment and the doors close, one special mechanism cleans the toilet, another washes the floor. Then all this is dried with a powerful stream of warm air. And in order to ensure that cleaning doesn’t start while you’re still inside, the floor is equipped with sensors that measure weight. Now about the obvious - the establishments are paid, twenty-five cents per nose. Which, in principle, is not that expensive.

And finally, the strangest thing is that the doors will open in fifteen minutes, regardless of what stage you are at. However, three minutes before the end of the allotted time, an alarm begins to sound, which can speed up the process. But if you have “big” plans, we still advise you to look for another establishment, a simpler one. The idea was born in Seattle as a gesture of desperation by city authorities. The fact is that public toilets have become favorite places drug addicts and prostitutes. To ordinary people I had to dodge and look for other places to relieve myself. Unfortunately, the idea didn't work out. Drug addicts and prostitutes adapted perfectly to the new conditions, and the establishments had to be closed as they were not worth the investment. This is the city of Seattle.

13. Bar 89, New York, USA Many New Yorkers know about Bar 89, located in Soho, in addition, it is one of best places where you can “think about the meaning of life.” The toilet stalls in this establishment are made of transparent glass, but as soon as a visitor goes inside and locks himself in, technical magic “freezes” this glass, so others will not see what they are doing inside. Although many are afraid that the amazing technology will not work during their visit and that those around them will film everything on their mobile phones. However, it is unlikely that this will happen, because in all the years the system has never failed. The designer of these booths, Janice Leonard, assures that there will be no failure. In addition to the booths, she designed a curved skylight for the bar.

14. Outdoor toilets Amsterdam. They say that the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam, has very kind and open people. If anyone thinks otherwise, we suggest taking a look at the open booths installed on the city streets. Yes, that's right, these are toilets. Who said that a man needs solitude to relieve himself? Let's leave prejudices, as those who installed such toilet stalls left them. Actually, this is it unexpected decision one of the most ancient, but pressing and periodically arising questions would be perfect for those who sometimes on the streets of our cities confuse the walls of houses and pillars with a latrine. Excuse me, what should the ladies do? It looks like the solution this issue is still under development.

But here another problem arises - at night this, of course, is very useful, but during the day the latrines lined up in a row do not look very aesthetically pleasing.

In London, they found a solution that was ingenious in its simplicity and elegance - folding urinals. During the day they remain underground and do not spoil the cityscape, and as soon as the sun disappears behind the horizon and night life begins, they grow like mushrooms after rain.

As soon as night falls on the city, on the streets of London, like mushrooms after rain, toilets begin to “jump” out of the ground, no matter how stupid it may sound! These seemingly strange futuristic objects are none other than public toilets called Urilift. They were invented back in 1999 by the Dutch “toilet enthusiast” Mark Schimmel. Their obvious advantage is saving space. European “popping toilets” are free and anyone can use them. Three people can fit in this “cylinder” at the same time. But the instructions for using such an unusual toilet say nothing about what to do if the “capsule”, together with the visitor, suddenly sinks underground!?

So that they can then tear you away from the seat, warming it up with blowtorch!). You will have to use such an exotic ice accessory if you decide to stay in a unique ice hotel, which is built every year in one of the towns in Sweden. The main beauty of this toilet is that there is never a queue in front of it, as it is unlikely that anyone will occupy it for long!

17. Enjoying the panorama of Hong Kong Felix Restaurant is one of the most expensive in the world. In addition to its excellent cuisine, it is famous for its stunning view from the 30th floor of the skyscraper (the legendary Peninsula Hotel; comment by mixstuff), which visitors can enjoy through huge, almost full-wall windows. Moreover, you can enjoy the panorama of Hong Kong not only while sitting in the hall. Those black things by the window are urinals. Apparently the designer who worked on the project of this restroom decided that VIP visitors to the restaurant would be pleased to imagine that they were peeing on one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Here's something else similar. In Frankfurt there is a toilet room called "Headquarters". Moreover, this toilet room is located in the Commerzbank building. Probably, bank employees are so pressed for time that they even confer in the toilet.

What else interesting did I forget? Give me a hint...

1. In Japanese public toilets none paper towels. The Japanese usually carry special hand towels with them and use them after visiting the toilet.

2. When entering the toilet, you must wear special shoes - the Japanese do not wear slippers to the toilet, even at home.

3. In Japan, you can see high-tech toilets with heated seats, built-in music, mini showers and even equipped with talking sensors.

Türkiye

4. Traditional Turkish toilet ( floor standing toilet) is a hole in the floor.

5. You won't find toilet paper in the restrooms in Turkey - after relieving yourself, you need to wash yourself, and this must be done with your left hand. Sometimes in Turkish toilets you can find toilet paper, but it is only intended for wiping dry after washing.

England

6. It was in London that the first public toilet was first opened. Entry was for a fee, and this tradition continues to exist in our time.

7. London's toilets are particularly dirty, difficult to find and prone to vandalism.

Singapore

8. Singapore is rightfully considered one of the cleanest cities in the world, and its public toilets are no exception. There is even a law in the country according to which you must flush the water after using the toilet. And if suddenly the police, as a result of an inspection, discover that you have not washed away after yourself, then you will face a fine.

Taiwan

9. If you're a man, don't be alarmed if a woman comes into a public restroom to clean it. Most toilet cleaners in Taiwan are women, and they are not at all embarrassed by your presence.

10. In Taiwan, they use exclusively toilet napkins, and not the usual roll of paper.

China

11. Public toilets in China have almost no doors and most often men and women share the same stall.

Malaysia

12. In Malaysia, men and women share the same toilet, but there are separate women's and men's prayer rooms, so you should be careful not to confuse them with the toilet.

13. When visiting the restroom in this country, you can get splashed - it turns out that many toilets have a hygienic shower. It is a small sink, and sometimes just a small tap, which is located right next to the toilet - after flushing, a stream of water automatically appears from it for ablution.

Netherlands