What Makes a Toilet a Japanese Smart Toilet
Japanese smart toilets are toilets with the bidet seat built in, and in TOTO's range that seat is called a WASHLET. TOTO describes the WASHLET as its award-winning bidet seat, one that fits most toilets sold in North America. On an integrated model that hardware lives inside the fixture instead of on top of it, which is why a WASHLET+ pairing joins seat and bowl with no visible hoses or cords. TOTO LTD. was founded on May 15, 1917 and is still headquartered in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan, which is where the category name comes from.
The wash itself
Every toilet here washes front and rear with adjustable water temperature and pressure. The G5A Lite adds an oscillating and pulsating spray, an instantaneous water heater so the warm water does not run out mid-wash, a warm air dryer with three temperature settings, a heated seat, and a remote that remembers settings for four users. If continuous warm water matters most to you, the store groups it under bidets with instant and unlimited warm water.
How they stay clean between uses
This is where the engineering shows. EWATER+ electrolyzes ordinary supply water to produce hypochlorous acid, which TOTO uses to keep the wand and toilet bowl hygienic, and the wand rinses itself before and after every use. PREMIST wets the bowl before you sit down; on the NEOREST models TOTO states that this aids in waste elimination approximately 80% better than a dry bowl. CEFIONTECT glaze prevents particulates from adhering to porous ceramic surfaces, and the NEOREST line adds ACTILIGHT, which TOTO says harnesses its CLEAN LIGHT technology and a hydrophilic glaze to wash away waste, dirt and grime.
The flush
TORNADO FLUSH uses two powerful nozzles that create a centrifugal, cyclonic rinsing action, which reduces waste buildup and keeps the bowl cleaner. The NEOREST NX1, NX2, RS, AS and LS run 1.0 GPF and 0.8 GPF dual flush. The WASHLET G5A and G5A Lite run 1.2 GPF or 1.0 GPF. The wall-hung RP WASHLET+ RW uses DYNAMAX TORNADO FLUSH at 1.28 GPF and 0.9 GPF and is WaterSense and CALGreen certified.
What happens without you touching anything
On the NEOREST models the lid automatically opens and closes when the toilet is approached and upon exit, the seat begins rapidly warming the moment you approach, the deodorizer runs both during and immediately after use, and the toilet flushes itself. The RP WASHLET+ RW has auto flush and auto open/close as well. For the category in plain terms, read the store's guide to what a smart toilet is, or browse every hands-free model under auto flush bidets and toilets.
Choosing Between TOTO's Japanese Smart Toilet Lines
The best Japanese smart toilet for you is the one your bathroom can physically take, so settle the installation question before you compare features. This collection splits three ways: floor-mounted NEOREST models, the integrated WASHLET G5A, and wall-hung models that need a tank inside the wall.
NEOREST, the flagship floor models
The NX1, NX2, RS, AS and LS are floor-mounted, run 1.0 GPF and 0.8 GPF dual flush, and carry the full technology set including ACTILIGHT. What separates them is mostly form: TOTO describes the RS as having soft curves without sharp corners and a softly rounded silhouette, while the NX models take a more angular line.
WASHLET G5A and G5A Lite, integrated and compact
The G5A is TOTO's compact, modern integrated smart toilet at 1.2 GPF or 1.0 GPF, with TORNADO FLUSH and a CEFIONTECT-glazed bowl. The G5A Lite is Universal Height and ADA compliant, which matters if anyone in the house finds a low seat hard to get up from. Both give you the wash, the dryer and the self-cleaning wand in a smaller footprint than a NEOREST.
Wall-hung models need a wall, not just a floor
The NEOREST WX1 and WX2 and the RP WASHLET+ RW hang off the wall with the tank concealed behind it. The RP WASHLET+ RW ships with TOTO's WT173MA in-wall tank system, mounts at an adjustable 15 to 19 inches, supports up to 880 pounds, and saves up to 9 inches of floor space compared with a standard floor-mounted toilet. That is a real gain in a tight bathroom, but it is a framing job first: TOTO specifies commercial 2 by 6 studs, or an optional residential installation with 2 by 4 studs. See the rest of the range in wall-mounted smart toilets.
Measure before you order
For any floor-mounted model, measure the rough-in first: the distance from the finished wall to the center of the closet bolts. Twelve inches is standard, but 10-inch and 14-inch bathrooms exist, and that number decides whether a fixture fits at all. The store's toilet rough-in size guide covers the measurement. You also need a GFCI outlet within reach, because every model here is electric.
What Are the Disadvantages of a Japanese Smart Toilet?
The disadvantages of a Japanese smart toilet are cost, the electrical requirement, more complex repairs, a short learning curve, and dependence on power. In order:
- They cost more than a standard toilet. You are buying a fixture with electronics in it, not an accessory.
- They need a GFCI outlet near the toilet, which not every bathroom has.
- Electronic components mean some repairs need specialized parts or service rather than a wrench.
- New users usually take a few days to settle on their preferred pressure, temperature and nozzle position.
- In a power outage the wash, the dryer and the heated seat stop working until power returns.
If those trade-offs push you the other way, the same washing features come as a seat that bolts to the toilet you already own. Start with bidet toilet seats, or a matched WASHLET+ toilet set for the integrated look without a fully integrated fixture.