Japan’s unko experts prove that poop goes beyond potty humor—it might just save your life.

If you spend any length of time in Japan, you’ll quickly realize that there’s one thing that captures the attention of young children: unko, or, as we call it in English, poop! To this day, I still can’t fully explain why, but the brown stuff endlessly entertains Japanese kids. Their feces-induced giggles make it impossible to get an explanation.

Of course, where there’s demand, supply soon follows, with many merchandisers making all manner of ridiculous unko-themed trinkets. From glowing poop on a stick to turd-shaped pudding makers, Japan has wholeheartedly embraced the humor of the ‘chocolate log’, turning it into an iconic symbol for novelty goods.

Kids are even learning from it, with the popular Unko-sensei (a cartoon teacher with poop as a head). Unko-sensei has a series of books that teach children everything from kanji to taxes.

However, unko is not all fun and games. There is a serious side too, and the Japan Unko Society has been an advocate for healthy butt nuggets for over 10 years. The society’s president, Yosuke Ishii, is a practicing gastrointestinal surgeon who has long had concerns about the condition of people’s colons. In some cases, patients arrived far too late for any meaningful medical intervention. Distressed by the situation, he wanted to raise awareness about colonic health, helping people notice symptoms before diseases progress too far. So, he started writing books, participating in awareness activities, and even developed an app that lets players unlock characters by submitting photos of their stool.

The Unko Society made a big splash on November 10 with the First Japan Unko Society Academic Conference, hosted at LOFT9 Shibuya in downtown Tokyo. This lively gathering featured lectures, presentations, and even an award ceremony, entertaining attendees with a day packed full of learning, laughs, and surprising discoveries. Following an opening speech by the society’s president and an enlightening talk about the link between constipation and hemorrhoids, attendees were treated to the revival of a fan-favorite discussion from an earlier event this year.

▼ Constipation is some tough shit to deal with.

Dr. Kutsuna, a professor of Infection Control Sciences at Osaka University’s Graduate School of Medicine, hit the stage alongside Shimiken, a former adult video actor, to tackle a topic that’s both serious and intimately relevant: sexually transmitted infections. Shimiken shared some moments from his battles with giardia and shigella infections, both notorious for causing unpleasant bouts of diarrhea, while Dr. Kutsuna offered insights from his experience treating these conditions. The duo also walked attendees through a list of diseases that can hitch a ride through oral and anal contact, with familiar names like Hepatitis A, dysentery, Norovirus, and Rotavirus making the list, among perhaps lesser-known ailments, such as amebic liver abscesses, and giardiasis—the infection Shimiken himself suffered from.

▼ A slide showing the various diseases

Following that enlightening talk, the event plunged into its first major focus: exploring unko from lifestyle and disaster prevention perspectives. The audience got a look at emergency toilet maps, like a polished example from Osaka’s Asahi Ward.

▼ Yellow locations are for when you can afford to take your time, whereas red screams “Emergency! Explosion imminent!”

To avoid any ‘caught with your pants down’ moments, the session provided tips, preventative measures, and some practical wisdom for handling unexpected nature calls. For instance, when using a portable emergency toilet, line the bowl with a bag, take care of business, and dispose of it—along with the toilet paper—in the burnable garbage.

If you thought one poop-centric game was enough, think again! UNKOMON, a fusion of ‘unko’ and ‘monster’, challenges players to snap photos of their ‘daily toilet creations’ to power up their in-game monsters and unlock special rewards. Unfortunately it is still in development, but the app’s creators hope to one day transform these uploads into valuable data for researching early colon cancer detection, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) studies, and potential uses for fecal transplants.

▼ Which will get you more experience, many pellets or a mighty snake?

Next, Japan’s poop tracking app, UnLog, revealed a treasure trove of data, including an analysis of stool consistency by occupation. Surprisingly, those in ceremonial roles, like priests, topped the charts with the firmest logs. Close behind were individuals with jobs contributing domestically or abroad, such as diplomats and military members. Medical professionals took third place, with the unexpectedly firm droppings.

▼ But are the statistics more impressive than the poop hat?

The second main section shifted its focus to medical and health perspectives on unko, exploring areas like fecal incontinence treatment, revolutionizing toilet habits through poop curling, the significance of toilet accessibility for IBS patients, and the role of colonoscopies in treatment.

To wrap up the day, a final talk delved into the transformation of unko over the past decade: from a simple word to a bona fide cultural phenomenon. They reflected on whether the Society has succeeded in one of its key missions: to make saying “I’m off to poop” as ordinary as any other daily announcement. Had I been in the audience, perhaps I’d finally understand why poop has grown into such an iconic cultural symbol.

▼ “Keep it up you guys! I’m just going to take a dump.”

With a successful academic conference under its belt, the Japan Unko Society remains dedicated to raising awareness of intestinal and rectal health, while championing the freedom to say “I’m going to poop” without judgment. To support their mission, they’ve introduced seven Sustainable Unko Goals (SUGs), ensuring everyone can share in both peace and healthy bowel movements.

  1. No more holding poop in
  2. Zero deaths from colon cancer
  3. Responsible creation and excretion of waste
  4. Appropriate responses to changes in stool
  5. Protecting the richness of the intestinal environment
  6. Global access to safe toilets
  7. Promoting regular bowel movement checks

The Society encourages everyone to take proactive steps for better rectal health. So, next time the urge hits, ditch the clenching and proudly announce you’re off to drop a deuce. Keep track of your bowel health with apps like UnLog, or contribute to research through games like UNKOMON. If learning about the joys of poop piques your interest, consider joining a future conference. For those who prefer hands-on fun, the fecal wonderland, Tokyo’s Unko Museum, awaits. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go drop the kids off at the pool.

Related: Japan Unko Society, First Japan Unko Society Academic Conference
Source: Twitter/@unkogakkai via Hachimakiko
Top Image: Pakutaso
Insert Images: PR Times, Pakutaso (1, 2), Twitter/@unkogakkai (1, 2, 3, 4), Asahi Ward Toilet Beautification Committee
Photos ©SoraNews24
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