apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

So does one straddle the bowl to wash one's hands? No thanks...

Maybe if it has a sleeker look. This one just looks dirty.

I like it. Better than having to go elsewhere for hand washing. Too bad it doesn't have a place for a soap dispenser/dish.

That's a water saver, too! An old farmer friend rigged his toilet similarly, so the clean water used to flush out the toilet is first used to wash your hands. Kind of genius. Though I agree this incarnation is kinda dirty looking.

I can't get over how close it is to where you do your "business." yuck

Where do you brush your teeth or shave?

There are better ways to recycle the waste sink water for toilet use without putting the sink right on top of the tank.

i was flipping through the channels this weekend and the movie "The Mask" was on, and it was the part where he was in prison, and they had a toilet just like this in the jail. So it seems like nothing new since that move was made in the early to mid 90's...

oh this is just disgusting!

As a way for a quick rinse after business, but with another sink in another room for toothbrushing, grooming, etc....yeah, I can see it's advantages. I

Nesagwa, as far as questions about other sink activities (brushing teeth, shaving, washing face) I think that this is intended to take the place of a toilet alone in its own room. The description said that in many Japanese homes (intentionally) or non-Japanese homes (perhaps unintentionally), the sink is in a separate room from the toilet. So I'd imagine that for other sink activities, you could just use the one in the other room -- but that it would be nice to be able to wash your hands after going to the bathroom without switching rooms.

Saw/used these while living in Japan in the early '90's.

"oh this is just disgusting!"

How so? The water that fills the toilet tank comes from the same pipes that you use to bathe and drink - you're using the water before it goes into the tank that's later used to flush.

"This one just looks dirty."

Is that because it's made of beige porcelain instead of white?

"Where do you brush your teeth or shave?"

You use a standard sink with hot and cold running water located elsewhere.

"So does one straddle the bowl to wash one's hands?"

I suppose you could, but I always stood to the side.

"I can't get over how close it is to where you do your "business." yuck"

So you avoid Airplane toilets for the same reason, I assume?

wow, just like in prison!

wow, that's crazy! we're going to japan on the 25th so I will keep an eye for these.

I wonder if you can mount a bottle of soap somewhere. maybe on a shelf above the toilet?

"This is so disgusting."

What, exactly is disgusting about practicing good hygiene?

Many older apartments in Europe and places like SF have separate toilet rooms from bathrooms and most of them I've encountered are sans sinks. I think my mother, the public health nurse, would tell you that doing your bizness and not having a direct place to wash your hands and having to touch door handles and walk to another room to find a sink is the disgusting part.

Also, beachedrukia, when you are in Japan keep an eye out for these uber fancy hand dryers that sanitize your hands not by hot air or paper towels, but by light. Seriously. We have a couple of these in fancy Japanese restaurants here in Portland and they are the bomb. Also, they are very hygienic.

Um ... I think the people who find this "dirty" may be responding (subconsciously or not) to the fact that the faucet looks uncomfortably like an organ that gets pointed into the bowl!

my mom had one of these in a funky cabin she rented for a while in the mountains of north carolina. it was located in a little closet on the lofted one-room second floor bedroom. why the builder didn't put a full sink upstairs, i don't know, but the set up made it possible to get up in the middle of the night to use it AND wash your hands after without having to trek all the way down steep stairs in the dark. it creeped me out at first, too, but then i got over it in the name of convenience.

I'm sort of laughing at the sink faucet. It looks appendage-ish.

What is with all the squeamish people on this site who freak out every time a bidet or one of these very clever AND environmentally friendly toilet/hand-washing sinks is profiled? Can't you freaks get over your narrow minded prejudices and look outside your narrow little American existences?!?!?!

Good god. I hate when people get all angry in their posts but I've had it up to here with the ignorance and narrow mindedness. These toilet/sink combinations are NOT dirty or disgusting unless you have a habit of peeing and crapping all over the walls and all over the toilet surround. Come one people...think a little before you type and perhaps you'll learn something new.

Am all for separate toilets; however, prefer a little hand basin on the side, a corner one is just fine.

I think if this had more square/modern lines and was white instead of almond, I think this would be rather nifty. But as it is... yeah, it's kinda gross and creepy-looking in a kind of anthropomorphic way...

bepsf is right on. I was also in Japan in the 90s, and still go there on occasion. There is nothing dirty or prison-like about Japanese toilets. It is an extremely efficient use of water and space. I am very surprised by all the negative comments and closed mindedness here today.

I think it looks gross because this particular one looks gross, beige and penis faucet. But like I said, if it looked sleeker then I would be cool with it. So maybe I am narrow minded against phallic beige toilet sinks.

this is a good example of something that takes getting used to

Ick!

I wonder why people think it is grosser to have a sink on top of a toilet as apposed to beside a toilet. Does that small distance make any difference when it comes to hygiene? no.

I find this very interesting. This is a great concept. We live in Manhattan in a 1 bedroom apt with 1 bath and have been dreaming of an apartment with an additional half bath. Recently I saw an apartment where a toilet was in its own small room next to the kitchen but had no sink!!! Talk about disgusting and highly unhygienic. I should email this to the owners of that apartment, no wonder it is still on the market! I would definitely buy something like that if I had a small space.

Hollie, it can make some difference given that toilet water sprays up to 6 feet in all directions when the toilet is flushed.

Why are people getting upset about the visceral reactions some are having to this device? They aren't being mean or unnecessarily snarky. They are simply reacting. This is an idea that takes getting used to and there are some valid questions about hygiene that people would naturally have.

Cool concept! (A prettier design would be nice, but still...)

I had an apartment once with a refrigerator (counter height) that had a sink and cook top built into the top! Add this toilet and a Murphy bed and you could have a studio apartment in about 100 square feet -- or less!

taritac, I guess there really is a reason there is a toilet lid. By closing the lid, not only does it keep things from falling into the bowl accidently, but it also keeps nasty things from flying out 6 feet into the air when flushing. Wow.

Penis faucet? But it's hanging down! All the penises I ever saw were always pointing up! This doesn't make sense...

plain jane, and some things can be said without condescension and sarcasm. Wow.

i loved my bathroom when i lived in japan. first was the regular bathroom sink - to brush teeth, wash face, hands, etc. in a separate little closet was the toilet with the built-in sink. awesome. then, there was the separate shower/tub room. if i ever build a house, I will totally model it after my japanese bathroom.

I googled to see if they sold in US since I may use one, but it would be for guests and I am interested in people's "ick" reaction. Does this picture with a different faucet help alleviate your ick response?

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/03/sinkpositive_sa.php

Wonderful idea, but honestly speaking I'd wait for a prettier implementation before mailing the check.

This picture shows how the plumbing works, and has a separate place for soap too.

http://www.squidoo.com/ToiletSinkCombo

AZkathy, I think for me, its that they look like they are one appliance. The sink being in the same area of the toilet (provided its just for washing hands...where other components are in other rooms) is not bothering me. Its that the sink IS also the toilet, that bothers me. Now if there was a small counter about the toilet tank and that is where a small sink was, I would be fine with it. Its a mental thing for me I think.

AZKathy--

That's the style I was more accustomed to seeing while I was living abroad...

My first thought was that the sink looks like a urinal for a very very tall person.

I think it's efficient looking and could work when space is a serious issue, but still . . .

ew.

So if you don't wash your hands, the next person will know because there will be no water for them to flush... But don't wash them too well because the tank would overflow... Hm, interesting...

My understanding is that the water flows through the sink "automatically", just like the water usually flows into your toilet tank after you flush. So there wouldn't be an "oveerflow if you washed too long, or no water if you didn't wash your hands. I think this is a great idea, and wish that these were made for the US market as well, but I know I am waaay in the minority here. The only thing I've found here is an aftermarket attachment for the top of the sink that is made of white plastic (linked earlier by AZkathy)

And as far as the germs flying six feet away, don't most people put the lid down before flushing? I just don't understand how "matter" from the toilet can escape from under a closed lid...

I used to live in Japan.
The sink you do your grooming is located right outside of the bathroom, where the place is strictly for bathing and showering, and the bathroom and the sink room (I'll just call it a "sink room") are divided by a glass door.
Most apartments have "all in one" bathrooms like here in the U.S., but most houses in Japan have separate "sink room" and the "rest room"
Japanese people, on the other hand, need some time to get used to the idea of Western bathrooms because where you do your business and washing hands afterward and brushing your teeth are located in the same space.
Oh, and in Japan, water is quite expensive. They will do anything to conserve water, so sink&toilet-tank-in-one might is a great idea. But I am with you about the ivory bowl and the tank.

I think these are a good idea, and you can buy adapters for existing toilets.

But that's not a very appealing photo! Close the seat before taking a picture.

Tomomo has half the picture right, at least from a Tokyo viewpoint. Water is expensive, but it is the same price no matter how much you use. The faucet on the back of the toilet does save water, but that isn't why it's there. It is there because a lot of places have a "water closet" which is not much bigger than the toilet itself. The faucet is there so people can wash their hands after using the toilet. It's not meant for anything else.

It's not unsanitary because you don't touch anything. Most people put some liquid soap on the rim of the tank (mine has a wide lip and an indentation that the water goes into). You put the soap on your hands and wash them in the running water. You don't touch anything else so it's no different than using a regular sink. In fact, you're spared having to touch a faucet and turn the water off so it may be cleaner.

In many places, there is no sink which is meant for grooming like shaving. Most people do those things in the room with the Japanese bath. There are mirrors at about hip level because people sit on little stools in the shower area and shave. Women put make-up on at a vanity or some other area of the bedroom.

My Tokyo apartment has exactly one sink and it's in the kitchen. This is where you brush your teeth if you don't do it when you shower. There is no "bathroom sink" in it because small places can't accommodate another sink. Some places may have a "unit bath" which is often like a bathroom made of one large piece of molded plastic (floor and tub are joined) which include a little sink as well as a toilet in one little room. These are cheap and awful.

Generally speaking though, Japanese people don't like having the toilet and bath in the same room and prefer the separate toilet because they don't believe it is sanitary to put the toilet near the bath and shower.

I will say that the toilet shown here actually represents one of the nicer looking versions of the faucet on the back of the toilet, though the way it is designed precludes putting any soap on it. Most of them are far uglier - like a metal pipe climbing out of the back of the tank. They're pretty ghastly, and way too cold to use for hand washing during the winter.

I think it's an good idea, especially in places where water is scarce, and in homes that already have the bathroom and WC separated.

This particular model seems to have some significant flaws, though - both in design (faucet shape, color, no place to put soap) and practicality (it "will only dispense water ... when the toilet gets flushed" - what if I want to wash longer? I have to flush again?).

This would look better in white than beige...but it centers on a good idea. It would be nice to have a small place to sit soap. Think of it this way - if you owned and wanted to create a half bath, you'd only need this piece and probably could go into a converted closet - LOL.

I lived in Japan for awhile and my apartment had one of these... Its a good way to conserve water- and you get used to it. (Just like you get used to heated toilet seats and bathtubs that can fill and heat on a timer) but in order to get your hands truly clean you are supposed to use hot water... and the faucet on our toilet didn't have any way to adjust the temp.

That said, we did look for something like this when we were in the market for a new toilet- with no luck.