This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia, which closed in 2021.

Japanese Restrooms Have Special Toilet Paper For Wiping Your Phone

Wipe, then swipe.
A man demonstrates a toilet roll for wiping smartphones, installed by Japanese mobile phone company NTT Docomo, in a high-tech bathroom equipped with bidet and heated seat at Narita international airport in Narita, Japan, December 28, 2016. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
Toru Hanai / Reuters
A man demonstrates a toilet roll for wiping smartphones, installed by Japanese mobile phone company NTT Docomo, in a high-tech bathroom equipped with bidet and heated seat at Narita international airport in Narita, Japan, December 28, 2016. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

When you’re cleaning up after number two, don’t forget your number one gadget.

NTT Docomo, a unit of Japan’s telecom giant, has installed smartphone wipes in restrooms at Tokyo Narita International Airport.

A man demonstrates the new cellphone toilet paper.
Toru Hanai / Reuters
A man demonstrates the new cellphone toilet paper.

The company even posted a helpful instructional video on how to use Japanese toilets and bidets (which it calls a “shower”) as well as the new smartphone wipes.

The wipes will be in some of the Narita bathrooms until March 15, NTT Docomo said.

A close-up look at the new smartphone toilet paper.
Toru Hanai / Reuters
A close-up look at the new smartphone toilet paper.

The wipes also double as ads for NTT’s wifi service, as well as a travel guide app that offers voice translation for visitors to Japan.

But no matter where you are, giving the phone a wipe isn’t a bad idea: A 2012 study for the Wall Street Journal found poop germs on all eight of the cellphones randomly tested, while a University of Arizona study found that phones are 10 times germier than the typical toilet seat.

H/T Manga University/ Reuters

Close
This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost Australia. Certain site features have been disabled. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.