Western style toilets are what most Americans have at home: a seat, tank and bowl perched upon a pedestal. These are likeliest to be found in upscale hotels throughout Asia.
Squat toilets are a popular Asian style. Users straddle a basin that's set into the floor. Often a tread on either side indicates where feet should be placed. Some of these flush with a flusher. Others might have a bucket of water beside them. This is your cue to manually dump enough water to flush your contribution down the hole.
High squat commodes are similar to squat toilets, but are set about ten inches off of the floor. Climb over and squat. This will test the balance of some people. When using any squat toilet, be sure to position your clothing out of harm's way.
Unisex bathrooms are common in Japan. A bank of urinals may be on one wall, a row of stalls for the ladies on the other. Women may have to walk by the urinating men to enter the stalls.
Facilities in some parts of Asia are primitive. A squat toilet might be nothing but a hole in the ground. In poor villages, most private homes lack toilets. A group toilet may be all that is available. Facilities in China include a long block of cement with a trench down the center, with or without partitions between users.
Japan has some of the world's highest tech toilets, according to Quaker Arts Online. Buttons on top activate the bidet function and an air dryer. Some are designed with a sink on top of the tank, so that the used water from hand washing fills the cistern. Japanese toilets may even feature seat warmers.
Traditional Asian toilet etiquette is to use the left hand to clean yourself after toilet use, and the right to eat and shake hands, explains Quaker Arts Online. More upscale accommodations are likelier to offer toilet paper. Some will have a water sprayer to clean with, in lieu of or in addition to toilet paper. If you favor paper, it's always a good idea to carry some with you.
