TOKYO (AP) – When Naoko Ito uses a public bathroom, she cringes in embarrassment at the thought that other patrons can hear the sounds coming from her stall. That’s when she turns to the “Sound Princess.” Ito, like a rapidly growing number of Japanese women, presses a device installed in public toilets to simulate the sound of water flushing - and mask the cruder noises of nature. “I usually use the flushing sound when I go to a public bathroom, such as at a department store, because I get a bit self-conscious,” said Ito, a 60-year-old waitress.
—And now hundreds of thousands of AP readers are thinking about Naoko Ito loudly farting.
After reading this, I’m not sure if I’ll ever hear a toilet flushing in a public bathroom and view it so innocently. I’ll forever be thinking, “Is that a REAL flush or a cover-up flush?”
Some of the fancier japanese toilets have such a feature already built in.
If I ever find myself in a Japanese public restroom, I’m heading for the middle stall and putting my palms against my mouth to make the longest, loudest fart noises EVER. I think there actually might be some cases of death by embarassment. Or they might just think, “Stupid Gaijin.”
I think a sound-proof booth would be better. A bit more expensive, but well worth the piece of mind. I think the sound of constant flushing from the stall next to me would make me think, “Damn, did he just come from a chili cookoff or something?”
or television theme songs… like the one from “Candid Camera”
Once a friend had me turn on the water in a public restroom. Said she has trouble going in public places and the sound of the running water gets her going.
I knew a woman - she’s now a successful fashion designer - who used to turn on the clothes drier when taking a piss even when she was at home on her own. The odd thing was she told us this when she came back from the bathroom.
How about squealing tires and car crash noises? Huge splashes? Screaming children?
Why not just bring an airhorn in there with you? That way, if there’s anyone else in the room, you can garauntee that they’ll be finished REALLY QUICKLY just by blasting that thing without warning.
Or better yet, how about farting noise machine? That way you’d always have an alibi: “It wasn’t me, man. It was the machine.” They could market it as “The Fart Dog 2000.”
Need this for the GF – she walks all the way to the other side of her work building when she has to go #2. Even then, she waits until she doesn’t hear anyone else in the bathroom to exit the stall.
And don’t forget Oprah – when she was on jury duty here in Chicago, she “made” the other jurors sing when she went to the bathroom.
I think it would be funnier to change the sound effect to really loud farting/diarrhea noises.
Are we that embarassed about our bodies? Sheesh! :rolleyes: Frankly when I’m in a bathroom stall, the only embarassment I have is when I catch myself laughing out loud at the sound of the poor neighbor who sounds like his ass is getting dynamited.
