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> I lived for many years in China and Thailand, and toilets are free, clean, and plentiful there I don't know about China but this was the opposite of my exper

> I lived for many years in China and Thailand, and toilets are free, clean, and plentiful there I don't know about China but this was the opposite of my experience in Thailand. The majority of public toilets I encountered had an attendant you had to pay for access. Shopping malls / hotels / other places were you were already paying to be there were the exception of course.

ghaff 1mo ago
In Japan, I've seen attendants looking for some payment to use bathrooms in hotels.
- bschwindHN 1mo ago
  Where? 11 years living in Japan and I've never seen this once, and never heard it from friends or family.
  - ghaff 1mo ago
    It was in Tokyo. Couldn't tell you the specific hotel. But it had our event coordinator livid and she simply ignored them.
    - bschwindHN 1mo ago
      Not that I don't believe you, but don't take that to be a common occurrence in Japan at all. By and large, Japan is a safe haven of clean and comfortable public restrooms. There are always exceptions, of course.
      - ghaff 1mo ago
        Oh, I don't think it is--haven't lived there but have spent some time for conferences and surrounding time. However, just pointing out, it's not unheard of.
  - freetime2 1mo ago
    Kind of a loose interpretation of "hotel" - but on Mt. Fuji the huts charge to use toilets unless you're a guest. Not unreasonable, though, given the amount of people coming through and the lack of plumbing. And the last time I was there, most of the huts still worked on the honor system, with a little box at the toilet entrance to leave payment.
- tidenly 1mo ago
  I think you just stumbled upon a one-off. I've lived here my entire adult life and never encountered this.
vjvjvjvjghv 1mo ago
I am ok with paying for public toilets if they are being kept clean.
Tallain 1mo ago
In every part of Thailand I've been to outside BKK, there's a gas station almost every few kilometers on every major road. Almost every gas station has a public restroom that's open 24/7, unattended. The ones that don't have a public restroom are typically right next to a string of restaurants that have a restroom you can use during the day for free if you ask.
- annzabelle 1mo ago
  That's also true of the US.
  - Tallain 1mo ago
    For the most part, yes, but I've gone much longer stretches without seeing a gas station in the US. To be fair, there's also no point in building gas stations at regular intervals in the desert or the many other long stretches of nothing across much of the country.
- herbst 1mo ago
  I've seen people shit in the jungle because what you describe has only been the case near Bangkok and Chiang Mai for me. Just because they smile when you ask a random restaurant for using the toilet does not actually mean they are happy when people do.
  - Tallain 1mo ago
    I've driven from Mukdahan to Kanchanaburi to Trang provinces so my experience is not centered around the major cities at all. I don't know what poor luck or exotic adventures you may have had, but I never once struggled to find a bathroom.

ghaff 1mo ago

In Japan, I've seen attendants looking for some payment to use bathrooms in hotels.

bschwindHN 1mo ago
Where? 11 years living in Japan and I've never seen this once, and never heard it from friends or family.
- ghaff 1mo ago
  It was in Tokyo. Couldn't tell you the specific hotel. But it had our event coordinator livid and she simply ignored them.
  - bschwindHN 1mo ago
    Not that I don't believe you, but don't take that to be a common occurrence in Japan at all. By and large, Japan is a safe haven of clean and comfortable public restrooms. There are always exceptions, of course.
    - ghaff 1mo ago
      Oh, I don't think it is--haven't lived there but have spent some time for conferences and surrounding time. However, just pointing out, it's not unheard of.
- freetime2 1mo ago
  Kind of a loose interpretation of "hotel" - but on Mt. Fuji the huts charge to use toilets unless you're a guest. Not unreasonable, though, given the amount of people coming through and the lack of plumbing. And the last time I was there, most of the huts still worked on the honor system, with a little box at the toilet entrance to leave payment.
tidenly 1mo ago
I think you just stumbled upon a one-off. I've lived here my entire adult life and never encountered this.

vjvjvjvjghv 1mo ago

I am ok with paying for public toilets if they are being kept clean.

Tallain 1mo ago

In every part of Thailand I've been to outside BKK, there's a gas station almost every few kilometers on every major road. Almost every gas station has a public restroom that's open 24/7, unattended. The ones that don't have a public restroom are typically right next to a string of restaurants that have a restroom you can use during the day for free if you ask.

annzabelle 1mo ago
That's also true of the US.
- Tallain 1mo ago
  For the most part, yes, but I've gone much longer stretches without seeing a gas station in the US. To be fair, there's also no point in building gas stations at regular intervals in the desert or the many other long stretches of nothing across much of the country.
herbst 1mo ago
I've seen people shit in the jungle because what you describe has only been the case near Bangkok and Chiang Mai for me. Just because they smile when you ask a random restaurant for using the toilet does not actually mean they are happy when people do.
- Tallain 1mo ago
  I've driven from Mukdahan to Kanchanaburi to Trang provinces so my experience is not centered around the major cities at all. I don't know what poor luck or exotic adventures you may have had, but I never once struggled to find a bathroom.