Turn the call of nature into a call to adventure!

In a lot of ways, Japan is extremely forthright about bowel movements. This is, after all, the home country of that classic of children’s literature, Everybody Poops. 100 yen store Daiso has created multiple poo-themed novelty goods (which we, of course, immediately bought), and for a while there was even a Poo Museum.

And yet, Japan is also the country that invented the otohime, or “sound princess.” Not to be confused with an utahime (“song princess”/era-defining female vocalist), the otohime is a special Japanese toilet feature. When you press the otohime button on the toilet’s control panel, a speaker plays a pre-recorded sound, usually of a softly flowing river, to mask any noise trumpeting from your butthole as you drop a load.

▼ You can even buy aftermarket stick-on otohime, like the one we got for our office (and tested in an…unusual way)

The “princess” part of the sound princess is there, ostensibly, because Japanese women are, on average, more likely than Japanese guys to want zero sounds from their number-two sessions to be heard by other people in or near the restroom at the time. The word “princess” doesn’t just evoke a prim and proper feel, though, but a historical one too, which is why Japanese Twitter user @TOPGUN_Aki got to thinking “Why not a sound shogun instead?” After a bit of tinkering, he’d made the concept a reality and quickly shared an amazing video demonstration.

▼ This would make for the most dynamic and dramatic deuce deposit ever.

As fans of old-school samurai TV dramas will recognize, that’s the opening theme music for Abarenbo Shogun, also known as The Unfettered Shogun, a historical fiction series starring actor Ken Matsudaira as wandering do-gooder Tokuda Shinnosuke. Unknown to the people he helps, Tokuda is actually the shogun Tokugawa Yoshimune, who conceals his identity in order to more effectively fight evil at the ground level of feudal society.

▼ Opening sequence for Abarenbo Shogun

And given how much time the main character spends in disguise, Abarenbo Shogun’s theme song does feel like an appropriate choice for a way to conceal the sounds of what you’re doing in the bathroom.

Source: Twitter/@TOPGUN_Aki via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso (edited by SoraNews24)
Insert image ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!