This “phantom” loo roll is so popular it sells out every time it’s released to the public. 

Japan is known for its luxury toilets, which come with heated seats and nozzles that spray your nether regions with pulsating jets of water. This attention to design and detail isn’t just reserved for toilets, though, as careful thought and planning has been given to the nation’s toilet rolls as well.

Some loo rolls are so rare and sought after they can be almost impossible to find, earning them the nickname “phantom toilet paper”. Our Japanese-language reporter Masanuki Sunakoma recently stumbled upon one of these phantom loo rolls, and immediately wasted no time in purchasing one, despite its unusually high price tag of 500 yen (US$4.81) plus tax.

▼ These rolls were found at Hiroshima’s Asa service stop on the Chugoku Expressway.

After checking the official site, Masanuki discovered that this product really was popular, selling out at the online store for 20 consecutive months. Cutely named “Usagi“, which means “Rabbit“, the luxury product has been manufactured by Mochizuki Seishi in Kochi Prefecture, a company that has the esteemed privilege of supplying toilet tissue to the Japanese Imperial Family.

▼ Mochizuki Seishi has been reportedly pursuing “softness of paper” since the year 2000.

Masanuki was keen to discover what the Emperor’s toilet paper felt like, but first he had to make his way through the fancy packaging. High-quality paper is the star of the show here, featuring on the paper bag it’s sold with, the cute rabbit label sticker, and the wrapping, which unfurls itself beautifully for premium presentation of the luxury contents.

Rabbits are known for their softness, and this toilet paper aims to be just as soft, by stacking three sheets of paper together to create a padded, fluffy three-ply experience. The colours are striking too, as the pure white paper is wrapped around a bright red roll, creating lucky hues of red-and-white often seen during celebratory events like New Year’s.

Gently pulling out the end of the paper, Masanuki got his first touch of the product, which was silky smooth. Popping it into his toilet paper holder at home, he now felt like royalty, who use luxury paper born from the combination of premium pure pulp and fresh water from the Niyodogawa, a river in Kochi known for its “miracle clear” waters, on a daily basis.

Masanuki had been holding on for this moment all day, and once he’d dropped the kids off at the pool (if you know what we mean), he reached for the toilet tissue and folded it upon itself to create a gentle pillow of comfort.

Our reporter showed his commitment to this very important story by photographing the moment tissue hit skin. You don’t get news like this anywhere else, folks!

Behind his closed eyes, Masanuki was thinking about the incredible softness, which was…powerful, yet gentle. It was a sensation his rear had never experienced before, and it was wonderful.

All jokes aside, Masanuki highly recommends trying a luxury roll like this at least once in your life. Unfortunately, the rolls have sold out online yet again, with the next sales date being 5 January, but you might be able to find one at a luxury store or souvenir area like Masanuki did.

Despite being a widely sought-after premium toilet tissue, this isn’t even the creme de la creme of Japanese loo rolls. That award goes to Hanebisho, also made by Mochizuki Seishi, priced at 5,000 yen for a set of three, which tickled Mr Sato’s rear back in 2018.

Photos © SoraNews24
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