The answer is a sound machine in a woman’s washroom. It has the function of muting sound of privacy in public washrooms.

Shade this sensor with your hand. It makes sound of running water for 25 seconds. Shade the sensor again, the sound will last longer.　

At a girl washroom in my school, we can hear the sound of running water of Otohime. Almost all the students use this. The reason is that Japanese ladies are worried about sound of privacy in public washroom. They don’t want to be heard doing their business. A washroom is not only for doing their business but also for making up room. So ladies crowed at a washroom. At such times, hearing the sound is uncomfortable for us. However ladies who live in other country do not seem to care about the sound. 　One of American woman said “Otohime is strange. Sound is natural. We don’t have to worry about it.” So this custom is originated Japanese lady’s sense of shame. So they flush to cover the sound. Almost all the ladies would run water to mute sound of privacy so many times in public washrooms. There is short of water in a Japanese town on 1978. 　Despite this,　Japanese ladies use the water twice to absorb the noise. Obviously, only to use water for only this purpose is waste of resources. And so, it was invented to mute sound of privacy. Otohime was released on 1988. It’s excellent Eco-product.

Nowadays Otohime can be seen at almost the public washrooms. 　Otohime is built in as me of functions of “washlet” another Japanese invention for a toilet.

This is mercy! To all Japanese ladies.

Are you interested to learn the fact?

Please try “otohime” when you come to Japan.

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