TOKYO – An American in Tokyo recently entered a restroom in an office building and pressed a button, expecting to hear a recording of rushing water, designed to mask the sounds of nature’s call.

Instead, a loud siren blared and women rushed to her aid.

The visitor had confused two of the many high-tech features of the Japanese lavatory. [Mercury News]

And to make things even better. One Japanese company is looking to bring the Japanese restroom experience to america. Again from the Mercury news:

The company, which logged more than $117 million in 2002 sales in the United States, says now may be prime time to introduce Americans to a cleaner, more intense toilet experience. It’s banking on raised sanitation awareness in the aftermath of health scares like SARS — and the popularity of anything “anti-bacterial” to win over consumers to the combination bidet/toilets that are common in Japan.

More intense? Do I need my toilet experience to be more intense? I’m not sure I want to know.