We thought it would be helpful to do a little expose on Taiwan bathroom basics. I know people expect that travel to another culture leads to some adventures you can tell, but it also leads to some you might not talk about publicly. So let’s address something on the practical side of travel.
Do you find yourself reluctant to travel outside of your comfort zone? Certainly the language barrier is a factor. But with the modern miracle of unlocked phones and cheap data, that isn’t as daunting as it once was. Most likely, even if only subconsciously, a lot of the nervousness has to do with the GI tract. What will I eat? Do they have vegetarian options? If something goes wrong, are basic bathroom facilities available? What are the bathroom basics in X country? More importantly, are bathrooms in Taiwan what we expect and need?
River Lodge urinal
Well, bathroom etiquette is different in different countries, and you’re not off base if you’re subconsciously skeptical. No matter what country you are in, there will always be a public toilet or two that is comparable to the worst toilet in Scotland. And there are certainly places in Asia that will surprise you on both ends of the spectrum. I’m going to go through a few things that I’ve noticed here in my stint in Taiwan, and I might ask my wife to suggest things that are specific to the lady’s room.
Sabah mall urinal in Kota Kinabalu
Bathroom basics
First of all, just like any other modern society, there are great bathrooms, and slightly less great ones. So far, our experience is that public bathrooms in Taiwan are very clean. There might be the occasional exception. Once I stumbled upon a public toilet that had been closed. that particular part of the park was closed off because of its proximity to a crumbling cliff. Unfortunately, some of the ceramics look like they had been used…relatively recently. But that state of affair was certainly not the rule. More importantly, for the very serviceable Taiwan public bathrooms, here are a few tips that a visitor (especially from the west) should know.
Taiwan Bathroom Tips
First and foremost. If you are planning to need toilet paper during your visit to a public restroom, check to make sure there is TP in the stall. This is especially important in public parks or similar spaces. (schools, bus stations, etc.) I won’t get into more than just conjecture here, but it might have something to do with a predominant culture that isn’t afraid to take free supplies home.
If there is a large toilet paper dispenser on the wall near the door, or someplace where you can easily be observed stuffing large amounts of toilet paper into your bag, you will want to take some into the stall with you. Not something you will want to forget. As a traveler, I try to default to always having some tissue at hand for various reasons. Usually Taiwan’s public bathrooms are well stocked. However, realizing that the only tissue is on the wall 15 feet away at an inconvenient moment will be … inconvenient if you haven’t planned ahead.
Taiwan bathroom stalls
Second in importance to the availability of toilet paper in Taiwan’s bathrooms, but not by much, is the hardware available. Now people from the US might be surprised, but there is something to be said about squatting vs sitting, and guess which is healthier? We’ll default to the folks at NPR to cover this issue. We aren’t going to weigh in on the pros and cons, but you should be aware of what you are getting into when you head into the bathroom.
Bathroom Privacy
My impression of privacy in Taiwan’s bathrooms is twofold. First, especially in Taipei, they seem to go out of their way to ensure that there is no opportunity, or temptation, for voyeurism here. Or, at least as the woman’s facilities are concerned. In Taipei’s metro system, which also includes underground malls, not only are the bathrooms clean, but they also advertise that they sweep for potential electronic devices. In some of the family style hot springs, the woman’s bath has an attendant to ensure that only women walk through. But for the men, things are a little … different. First, there seems to be less of a stigma about visibility and urination. In some of the nicer high rise buildings, lighting is augmented by a floor to ceiling window looking outside.
Bathroom with a view in Sabah mall
But more noticeably, all that cleanliness in the public facilities means that someone has to keep them clean. Enter the Ā mas 阿嫲. Many cleaners are older women who have seen it all before, and they don’t even notice that they are taking care of business while you are doing yours.
Frequently I have found that the cleaning supply closet also happens to be in the men’s room. Maybe it’s because the delivery boys are male. Maybe because they need more cleaning supplies in the men’s room. But don’t feel nervous when you are standing there mid-moment, and a kindly older woman enters the room with a mop or tongs. The tongs are to separate out the trash into recyclables, by the way. Also, not strange for a younger female cleaning staff manager to come in and check the cleaning logs on the wall, by the way.
Toilet paper in Taiwan’s bathrooms
Not facial tissue.
Once again, can’t stress the importance of scanning the general area for the single toilet paper dispenser on the wall in a common area before heading into a stall. Especially since there isn’t much rhyme or reason. Some nicer facilities don’t have paper in the stalls, some of the more “rustic” do. Just don’t get caught with your ahem, pants down, as they say. One last note, this wasn’t as much as a surprise for us, as we lived in the Jungle in Costa Rica for years. But sometimes you can’t put toilet paper in the toilet. If that is the case, there will be a small can for used paper products next to the toilet. Usually if it’s really important that only bodily wastes go into the pot, there will be a sign. Now this will probably seem extremely strange for most westerners. But it’s not just Asia where this happens. My suggestion is to bring just a bit extra TP with you to make a nice clean wrapped bundle for the trash can just in case.
Where’s the bathroom?
Really, it’s hardly necessary to know how to ask where the bathrooms are in Chinese. Usually they are well-marked with universal signs, or with English subtitles. The only time we had difficulties with asking about the bathroom was in an Indian restaurant.”Toilet” or “washroom” is more universal than bathroom for other English speakers, so keep that in mind during your travels!