Justin McCurry in Tokyo and agencies
Tuesday October 5, 2004
The Guardian
It has happened to many of us: you take your seat in a public toilet and, just as nature is about to take its course, someone enters next door.
Cue exaggerated coughing and throat clearing in an attempt to drown out the cacophony that sometimes accompanies one of nature's great levellers. Women in Japan, however, no longer have to suffer the indignity of having their movements echo through the ladies' room.
With a flick of the hand, they can call on the Sound Princess.
Once a novelty, the device is now a standard feature of women's toilets in Japan. Its maker, Toto, says more than 500,000 have been sold and orders were up 125% in 2003.
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/japan/story/0,7369,1319730,00.htmlSound Princess: named after Diana?
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