We’ve all heard about how our smartphones can become a haven for germs, so Japan has come up with a solution: Toilet paper for handsets.
It’s true – the smaller-than-usual dispensers have recently shown up alongside their big bros in more than 80 stalls in seven restroom facilities at Narita International Airport, one of Tokyo’s two main air transportation hubs.
It means that while you’re sitting there doing what you gotta do, you can grab a sheet or two of the special paper and give your phone a vigorous wipe, thereby ridding your handset of any bacteria that happens to be clinging to it.
Aimed primarily at incoming tourists, the special paper is the brainchild of Japanese mobile giant NTT Docomo. Besides a “Welcome to Japan” message and another encouraging visitors to use the paper to wipe down their smartphones, the unique toilet tissue also contains helpful information on wi-fi and travel services.
In recent years, a number of surveys have shown that smartphones hold more bacteria than a typical toilet seat, which really makes you wonder what some people are doing with their devices. Using them in restrooms, probably.
It’s fair to say that deep down we all know it’s wise to stay off our phones when answering the call of nature. However, NTT Docomo is clearly aware of how most of us like to multitask on the john, sneaking in a few goes of Words or checking for nearby Pokémon while carefully lightening the load.
Considering this reality, its smartphone toilet paper is likely to be a hit with visitors to the airport’s restrooms, although with all that extra wiping, the stalls are likely to be engaged for double the usual time.
