4 ms·

Japan has portable, artificial white noise makers for bathroom privacy. They're called otohime, or "sound princess." - video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f

by wting 10y ago

Japan has portable, artificial white noise makers for bathroom privacy. They're called otohime, or "sound princess." - video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0eqo6jU9gc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0eqo6jU9gc - example gadget: http://www.japantrendshop.com/keitai-otohime-toilet-sound-blocker-p-851.html http://www.japantrendshop.com/keitai-otohime-toilet-sound-bl... - background and wall mounted examples: http://travel.cnn.com/tokyo/shop/sound-princess-loo-001106/ http://travel.cnn.com/tokyo/shop/sound-princess-loo-001106/

microcolonel 10y ago
Oh my god, that name is an amazing pun. Younger princess -> sound princess
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- arthurcolle 10y ago
  Can you explain this pun? Not getting it!
  - angrow 10y ago
    "otohime" is how to pronounce one of the terms of address for the second daughter of the first Kamakura shogun. The Second daughter, hence, the "younger princess". The Japanese word for sound is also pronounced "oto". So, a device which makes noise to help you be discreet...
    - labster 10y ago
      Plus oto- is a Latin prefix meaning ear. Multilingual puns are the best!
      - lsaferite 10y ago
        Interesting. I wonder how Japanese and Latin both ended up using 'oto' for an auditory related word.
        labster 10y ago
        Not sure on that, without invoking some vague talk about universal language mumble Chomsky mumble mumble. It could be by chance, but things like the kiki-bouba experiment suggest that the dice loaded, at the very least. But things that look like cognates with Japanese do exist. Notably そう ("sou") is pronounced the same as English "so" and means roughly the same thing, at least in phrases like "is that so?" and "Make it so, Number One."
zodiakzz 10y ago
Is there no simple smartphone app to achieve this instead of having to carry that around?
- PhasmaFelis 10y ago
  I feel like having a loud, continuous whirring noise buzzing out of your stall wouldn't improve things much in the embarrassment department.
  - yompers888 10y ago
    The toilets in Japan that have noise-making as a feature do flowing water (or urinating I guess) sounds. Still, if you believed the sound, it might be startling when you wondered how long before the person next to you dehydrated to death from over-urination. Probably like herd immunity, it's something that reaches peak utility only when it's ubiquitous. On another note, I'm surprised to see so many comments worrying about bathroom noises in what I presume is a male-dominated forum. Do these dynamics exist in men's rooms as well? In my workplace, at least, all manner of sounds accompanying bowel movements are ignored, or, judging by occasional laughs, sometimes even encouraged.

by wting 10y ago

microcolonel 10y ago

Oh my god, that name is an amazing pun. Younger princess -> sound princess

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
arthurcolle 10y ago
Can you explain this pun? Not getting it!
- angrow 10y ago
  "otohime" is how to pronounce one of the terms of address for the second daughter of the first Kamakura shogun. The Second daughter, hence, the "younger princess". The Japanese word for sound is also pronounced "oto". So, a device which makes noise to help you be discreet...
  - labster 10y ago
    Plus oto- is a Latin prefix meaning ear. Multilingual puns are the best!
    - lsaferite 10y ago
      Interesting. I wonder how Japanese and Latin both ended up using 'oto' for an auditory related word.
      - labster 10y ago
        Not sure on that, without invoking some vague talk about universal language mumble Chomsky mumble mumble. It could be by chance, but things like the kiki-bouba experiment suggest that the dice loaded, at the very least. But things that look like cognates with Japanese do exist. Notably そう ("sou") is pronounced the same as English "so" and means roughly the same thing, at least in phrases like "is that so?" and "Make it so, Number One."

zodiakzz 10y ago

Is there no simple smartphone app to achieve this instead of having to carry that around?

PhasmaFelis 10y ago
I feel like having a loud, continuous whirring noise buzzing out of your stall wouldn't improve things much in the embarrassment department.
- yompers888 10y ago
  The toilets in Japan that have noise-making as a feature do flowing water (or urinating I guess) sounds. Still, if you believed the sound, it might be startling when you wondered how long before the person next to you dehydrated to death from over-urination. Probably like herd immunity, it's something that reaches peak utility only when it's ubiquitous. On another note, I'm surprised to see so many comments worrying about bathroom noises in what I presume is a male-dominated forum. Do these dynamics exist in men's rooms as well? In my workplace, at least, all manner of sounds accompanying bowel movements are ignored, or, judging by occasional laughs, sometimes even encouraged.