imagesColumn

[Indonesia: World Residence Tour]“Kamar mandi” Toilet, Bath and Washroom in One Unit

In terms of housing facilities in Indonesia, the biggest differences from Japan are probably toilets and bathrooms. In particular, toilets are very different from those in Japan, and are probably the first thing that people who come to Indonesia are confused about. In this article, I would like to introduce the situation of toilets and bathrooms in Indonesia.

Toilet situation: Manual toilet seat

Toilets in Indonesia, even when flushing, rarely have fully automatic toilet seats like in Japan. You won't find them in homes, luxury hotels, or shopping malls.
The most common type is a Western-style toilet seat with a faucet attached to the side. When you turn on the faucet, room temperature water spurts out, and when you are done using it, you close the faucet. It can be called a "manual washing toilet seat".
 Some toilet seats do not have a faucet, but instead have a hose attached. When you hold the tip of the hose, water spurts out vigorously, and you apply the hose to clean the toilet. By the way, the force is quite strong, so you need to get used to it.

images

* Left photo source: Consumer Life Database (Consumer Life Panorama)
* For an overview of Consumer Life Panorama (click here)

(Right photo source: author's photo)

In addition, Japanese style toilet seats are still often seen, in which a large tub filled with water and a hand bucket are provided next to the toilet seat, and one holds the bucket with the right hand and sprays water on it, while using the left hand to wash it off. For this reason, the left hand is considered to be the hand of impurity, and it is considered very rude to hand things to others with the left hand, to shake hands with the left hand, or to use the left hand to eat with. After doing your business, you should rinse off the inside of the toilet bowl with water from the hand tub, and then rinse off your own hands with water from the hand tub. For your information, Japanese style toilet seats are used by squatting in the opposite direction to that of Japan.
Toilet paper is provided in some cases, but it is only for wiping off the water after washing, and is basically used for flushing.

images

(Photo source: author's photo)

The Bath Situation : Bathing in water is the mainstream

In Japan, it is customary to soak in a bathtub, but in Indonesia, it is not customary to soak in a bathtub, but to bathe in water called Mandi. Bathing is done several times a day, in the morning and evening, or before going out. The purpose of this bathing is to sweat out the heat and humidity of the climate and to cool the body.
For this reason, most bathers do not have a bathtub, and those who do have a bathtub are limited to luxury hotels and apartments. A shower is usually installed in the bathroom, but some middle-class and lower class families do not have a shower, in which case they use a hand bucket to bathe. Some houses have a pool of water in the corner of the bath, from which people use a hand bucket to scoop water and bathe.
 In some cases, the shower booths are separated, but more often than not, they are not.

images

(Photo source: author's photo)

Toilet, Bath and Washroom are integrated.

In Japan, washrooms, bathrooms, and toilets are often separated, but in Indonesia, toilets, bathrooms, and washrooms are often integrated. In Indonesia, however, the toilet, bath, and washroom are often integrated into a single unit. In some rather high-class apartments and hotels, the shower booth may be enclosed by a transparent panel, but there is rarely a separate toilet or washroom. In Indonesian, the word "kamar mandi" (bathing room) or "kamar kecil" (small room) is sometimes used to refer to toilets in a more elegant way, but this term can be used to describe the way in which the bath, toilet, and washroom are integrated into a small room.
While this is hygienic in a sense because everything can be washed away with water, it also means that every time you take a shower, the toilet seat and the entire bathroom gets wet, and the floor becomes slippery. Most of the floors are made of tiles, not plastic like in Japan, so the drainage is not good. For this reason, some households are beginning to install shower booths as retrofits to prevent the entire floor from getting wet. In the past, when I visited homes and interviewed people about their water systems, I found that some households had installed curtains to keep out water because they did not want the floor to get soaked.
Some Japanese manufacturers are moving to introduce unit baths, but only in a few upper-class apartments. It is expected that shower booths will be enclosed, but it will take some time before toilets, bathrooms, and washrooms are separated like in Japan.

images

(Photo source: author's photo)

What is Consumer Life Panorama?

Intage's web-based database of real consumer lifestyles in Japan and overseas.
The database can be used to intuitively understand the daily flow of life, living environment, and digital life.

To view the Consumer Life Panorama demo site here
For an overview of Consumer Life Panorama here

Translated with AI Translator


  • Intage Inc

    Author profile
    Mr. Masayuki Dobashi

    He was stationed in Jakarta for four and a half years until 2018. Currently in charge of research for consumer goods and services in Japan.
    I want to declutter as I spend more time at home due to the Corona disaster, but I'm having a hard time throwing things away.

  • Intage Inc

    Editor profile
    Ms. Risa Takahama

    She has been involved in overseas marketing research for consumer goods manufacturers, mainly in Asia, and is currently in charge of managing the Global Market Surfer website. He has tried several times to use the "manual toilet seats" found in Indonesia and other countries, but has yet to be able to use them successfully.

Reproducing and quotation
  • The copyright of this report/column is held by Intage Inc. or the company to which the author belongs. Please confirm the following prohibitions and cautions, and specify the source when reproducing or quoting.
    Example:
    "Source: Intage's Research Report "(Report title) (issued on DD/MM/YYYY)"
    "Source: Global Market Surfer, article published on DD/MM/YYYY"
  • Prohibiton:
    • Modification of part or all of the contents
    • Sale or publication of part or all of the contents
    • Use that is offensive to public order and morals or that leads to illegal activities
    • Reprpducing or quotation for the purpose of advertising or sales promotion of companies, products, or services.
  • Other cautions:
    • We are not responsible for any trouble, loss or damage caused by the use of this report.
    • These terms of use do not restrict the use of quotations, etc., which are permitted under the Copyright Act.
  • If you have any questions about reprinting or quotation, please contact us from here