In February, bidet-type commodes equipped with built-in washers and pre-warmed seats made news after Japan's media reported that they were enjoying heady demand by Chinese tourists visiting Japan during the lunar new year holiday.
The reaction to this in Beijing’s state-run media was largely negative. The Global Times, a tabloid affiliated with the Communist Party organ People’s Daily, protested tourists misplaced priorities in a commentary titled “Popularity of Japanese toilet seats overstated."
The writer denounced such purchases as "making a mockery of China’s boycott of Japanese goods" and complained that "Chinese tourists swamping Japanese stores "at a time when the country is facing a sluggish domestic demand is certainly not something to be proud of."