Japanese Company Creates $100,000 Diamond-encrusted Toilet

Comprised of more than 72,000 pieces of Swarovski cut crystal, the toilet was manufactured by INAX in tandem with a jeweler from Austria.

Source: Dateline Zero

Japan takes its deities very seriously, and bathrooms are no exception.

Kazuo Sumimiya, director of the showroom, stated that “we believe a deity exists in the [toilet]. That’s why keeping lavatories clean and taking good care of [them] have been a Japanese custom since long ago.”

Lavatory manufacturer INAX is currently using the diamond-encrusted toilet to wow visitors at a showroom in the Ginza shopping district.

Call me pessimistic, but the first thing that popped into my mind is: This would go nicely alongside a $6,000 shower curtain. I found myself thinking: “Who would buy this except for someone reckless and stupid with money?”

But reading about this $100,000 toilet, I learned that it about wastefulness, or decadence. They don’t even expect to sell it. The elaborate toilet is being used to perk up and draw in more customers to counter the economic downturn. In other words, it’s meant to be a symbol of optimism.

There’s also a spiritual goal for the luxurious toilet, according to The Telegraph.

In a nod to traditional belief, the sparkling lavatory was created to please the “god of lavatories,” quoting Kazuo Sumimiya. “In Japan, we believe a deity exists in the lavatory. That’s why keeping lavatories clean and taking good care of it have been a Japanese custom since long ago.”

The toilet is expected to remain on display until the end of the year. Should it sell, it would probably fetch about 10 million yen.

Onlookers have said they love the showroom’s centerpiece; but some believe it would be a bit too uncomfortable to actually use.

What is it about novelty toilets that wows people in Japan?

Original post at Dateline Zero

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