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Love and music may not have borders, but neither do other universal concepts like the call of nature.

Although Japan is famous for its modern toilet technology (there’s even a museum now), many non-Eastern Asians are often taken aback when they visit the country and have their first encounter with the older, squatting kind. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, they’re a staple in most Japanese schools, parks, and stations.

The fact that there’s such a gap in modern toilet technology got us curious about how toilet models and their degree of upkeep varies worldwide, and fortunately one brave soul has gone through the trouble of filming bathrooms across the globe to answer this very question.

We’ve all had that sudden urge to go after a long drive, ride, or  lunch bought from a questionable-looking street vendor. As you make a beeline to the nearest public restroom, you mouth a silent prayer to the toilet gods, asking that whatever awaits you in the stall you’ve chosen doesn’t look like it came out of a nightmare. That prayer can quickly become an even more fervent one when you’re in another country checking out their take on modern plumbing for the first time.

That’s where Cut.com comes in, offering a video by one of their producers showing off some of the best, and a couple of the worst, bathrooms from 12 different countries around the world. (Warning: it’s not a disgusting video per se, but you may not want to watch this while you’re eating all the same.)

A few choice moments:

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Japan isn’t the only country to use squat toilets, but this one in China doesn’t really leave much room for error, does it?

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Some of the countries featured seem to have embraced automatic flushing mechanisms for public restrooms, but others require you to go on a hunt for the handle or manually flush your own business afterwards.

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Perhaps the most surprising was this outdoor urinal in India, where someone ungraciously decided the one on the left would be a perfect place to take a dump. I’m not even sure how that would work without showing off your family jewels in broad daylight, but maybe that’s just another added benefit of the recent yoga trend.

On reflection, it might seem like you’ve possibly reached a low point in your life if you’ve spent two minutes of your day watching someone visit the bathroom, but now that you’ve been reminded of the endless possibilities of toilet technology or lack there of, it should give you some quality material for any office conversations you get roped into today, or at the very least a way to kill them with fire fast. You can thank us later!

Source: YouTube/Cut.com
Top/feature images: YouTube/Cut.com
Insert images: YouTube/Cut.com
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