News Treehugger Voices Buttons for Buttocks: Bidet Toilet Manufacturers Agree to Standardized Symbols By Lloyd Alter Lloyd Alter Facebook Twitter Design Editor University of Toronto Lloyd Alter is Design Editor for Treehugger and teaches Sustainable Design at Ryerson University in Toronto. Learn about our editorial process Updated October 11, 2018 09:08AM EDT This story is part of Treehugger's news archive. Learn more about our news archiving process or read our latest news. Share Twitter Pinterest Email ©. Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association News Environment Business & Policy Science Animals Home & Design Current Events Treehugger Voices News Archive In what must be the biggest international news story of the week, the Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association has announced new standardized iconography for fancy Japanese bidet toilets so that the many tourists coming for the 2020 Olympics know what buttons to push when. Apparently all Japanese toilets will have the new standard symbols as of this year, and the hope is that they will be accepted internationally. © Japan Sanitary Equipment Industry Association Apparently the buttons stand for (starting top left) large flush, small flush, toilet lid up/down, toilet seat up/down, stop, rear spray, bidet, and of course hot air. Some think these are self-explanatory; I am not so sure, and find the rear spray and bidet symbols confusing. Lloyd Alter/ Toto Washlet controls/CC BY 2.0 I have a fancy bidet toilet (and you should too) with people in profile for both spray symbols, which makes a lot more sense than the rear bum view for one and a side view for another. But no matter, at least there is now a standard, so that anyone anywhere will know what buttons to push, even in America. Satis/Promo image No word on whether they have also agreed on a standard format for the ubiquitous apps, like this one from Lixil that documents your droppings.