Latest news with #Toto
Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- Times
I tried the Japanese loo taking the world by storm
During the Nineties, bidets were seen as the ultimate bathroom status symbol for those with enough space and a desire for cleanliness. However, with the French plumbing fixture never quite taking off, it appears an increasing number of Britons wanting to take their bathroom hygiene to the next level are now looking to Japan. Bathroom retailers are citing an increase in demand for Japanese lavatories, which has in part been put down to an heightened awareness for personal hygiene due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Ilter Gokceoglu, director of Specifo, a bathroom shop in Mortlake, southwest London, said demand for toilets made by the Japanese manufacturer Toto had risen significantly since the pandemic as hygiene became 'more important to people'. Gokceoglu said: 'In the past these toilets have simply been a luxury toy for rich people and every rich person has wanted to have them in their bathroom as a status symbol.' But Gokceoglu claimed that had changed as people were drawn to the functionality of the toilets, which are increasingly seen as a status symbol among the middle classes, many of whom have travelled to Japan or stayed in plush Asian hotels. • 23 of the world's best luxury holiday destinations Toto's 'smart' lavatories come equipped with an auto-flush, a heated seat and a lid that opens and closes at the press of a button. The company's top-of-the-range models, such as their Neorest washlet, even include a lamp to assist those struggling to find the light switch during a late-night bathroom trip. As I sat on a Toto toilet seat in a showroom in Battersea, I found the seat was more comfortable than most office chairs and could be heated to a temperature of your choice. Inside all of Toto's loos there is a piece of apparatus named a wand from which water is squirted at an intensity of your choosing. It also has a deodorant spray for those really wanting to freshen up at the click of a button. Specifo, which entered the UK market in 2009 and supplies luxury hotels in London, has sold 50 per cent more smart lavatories in the past year than in the previous year, Gokceoglu said. He estimates that more than half of luxury hotels in London now have Toto washlets in their guest rooms. Louise Ashdown, the in head of design at West One Bathrooms, which has ten showrooms across London and the southeast, said the more people travelled and went to luxury resorts, such as the ones depicted in the HBO series The White Lotus, the 'more people were inspired to get the toilets in their own bathrooms'. • How to get the White Lotus look in your home Ashdown said Toto's lavatories had become an 'aspirational product', as they could be purchased for as little as £2,000, with the more expensive models costing between £12,000 and £14,000. In the same way the vacuum cleaner became synonymous with Hoover and, later, Dyson, people have begun to use Toto as shorthand for referring to a washlet toilet, Ashdown said. 'People want to have a spa feeling at home and even just a heated seat to sit on when they get up for the toilet in the middle of the night,' Ashdown said. However, there are also far cheaper options for people who want some of the functionality without the premium price tag. Generic seats with built in washlets that fit to a conventional lavatory and are easily attached to the existing plumbing are available from online retailers for about £100.
The Star
9 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
One ticket wins S$12.3mil Toto jackpot draw
A queue at the Singapore Pools branch in Lucky Plaza on June 19. - ST/ANN SINGAPORE: A single ticket has won the S$12.3 million (US$9l58 million) Toto jackpot on June 19 after the past three draws saw no winners. The winning numbers were 1, 10, 37, 40, 45, 47. The additional number was 19. The winning ticket was bought at the NTUC FairPrice at Yew Tee Point under the QuickPick System 7 Entry. It is not known if the ticket belonged to an individual or was shared among several people. Meanwhile, 13 tickets won the Category 2 prize, which had a share amount of S$108,637. Earlier, the Singapore Pools' website showed that the prize money for the Group 1 category had snowballed from almost S$1.3 million on June 9 to S$2.9 million on June 12. The last draw on June 16, which had a prize money of S$5.6 million, had again yielded no winner. The Group 1 prize amount will snowball only up to the fourth draw. Thereafter, the amount will be shared among the winners in Group 2. The last Toto draw that had a prize sum of over S$10 million was on April 28, with two winning tickets sharing S$12.9 million. On May 9, 2024, a single ticket won S$13.1 million. Singapore Pools confirmed that it was the highest single winning so far. - The Straits Times/ANN
Daily Mail
9 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Albanese faces backlash for 'tone-deaf' action upon Canberra return
Anthony Albanese has sparked mixed reactions online after returning to Australia without securing a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump - only to post a photo of his dog lounging in Parliament as global tensions escalate. The Prime Minister used his return to Canberra to post an image of his cavoodle Toto sitting on an orange lounge suite in his Parliament House office. This lighthearted post came as the U.S. was focused on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran , and while Australia faced pressing issues like trade tariffs and AUKUS discussions. 'Today is International Take Your Dog to Work Day,' he said on Instagram with an image of his cute companion. The Instagram post had supporters with one woman saying: 'I love it. Please don't join the war.' But one man slammed Albanese for being focused on trivial issues, during a time of economic and geopolitical upheaval. 'Nobody cares. Do your job,' he said. Another said the post was 'tone-deaf'. The post was made on Instagram after Albanese had returned from the G7 leaders' summit in Canada without securing a sidelines meeting in person with Trump, who cancelled so he could return to the United States early and focus on the Israel-Iran conflict. A meeting had been promised so Australia could lobby Trump to reconsider 50 per cent tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium, after import taxes on the metals were doubled on June 4, along with 10 per cent tariffs on most other Australian exports to the US. The Trump Administration is also reviewing its commitment to the AUKUS submarine deal, which is set to conservatively cost Australia $368billion so it has underwater defence against a more assertive China. Despite the need for leader-to-leader dialogue, Albanese had to settle for meeting with top economic officials in Calgary, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Trump had left the G7 summit early due to the Israel-Iran conflict, cancelling planned meetings with several world leaders including Albanese, who has only ever spoken to the US President on the phone. Trump was also unable to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi but they held a 35-minute phone call at Trump's request, in place of their planned in-person meeting on the summit sidelines. Albanese, however, was the only leader to miss out, with South Korea's new President Lee Jae Myung also failing to have a promised in-person meeting with Trump at the G7. Albanese last month declined to meet US Vice President JD Vance during his visit to Rome for the Pope's inauguration. When asked at the time if he had spoken or reached out to him for a meeting, Albanese replied simply, 'No'. 'He arrived quite late in terms of just prior to the mass taking place, as you will have seen,' he said later. The White House has confirmed that Trump will attend the NATO Summit in the Netherlands next week, though his presence may now be in doubt because of the rapidly changing situation in the Middle East.
Daily Mail
11 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Anthony Albanese blasted for 'tone-deaf' act on return to Canberra
Anthony Albanese has sparked mixed reactions online after returning to Australia without securing a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump - only to post a photo of his dog lounging in Parliament as global tensions escalate. The Prime Minister used his return to Canberra to post an image of his cavoodle Toto sitting on an orange lounge suite in his Parliament House office. This lighthearted post came as the U.S. was focused on the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, and while Australia faced pressing issues like trade tariffs and AUKUS discussions. 'Today is International Take Your Dog to Work Day,' he said on Instagram with an image of his cute companion. The Instagram post had supporters with one woman saying: 'I love it. Please don't join the war.' But one man slammed Albanese for being focused on trivial issues, during a time of economic and geopolitical upheaval. 'Nobody cares. Do your job,' he said. Another said the post was 'tone-deaf'. The post was made on Instagram after Albanese had returned from the G7 leaders' summit in Canada without securing a sidelines meeting in person with Trump, who cancelled so he could return to the United States early and focus on the Israel-Iran conflict. A meeting had been promised so Australia could lobby Trump to reconsider 50 per cent tariffs on Australian steel and aluminium, after import taxes on the metals were doubled on June 4, along with 10 per cent tariffs on most other Australian exports to the US. The Trump Administration is also reviewing its commitment to the AUKUS submarine deal, which is set to conservatively cost Australia $368billion so it has underwater defence against a more assertive China. Despite the need for leader-to-leader dialogue, Albanese had to settle for meeting with top economic officials in Calgary, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Trump had left the G7 summit early due to the Israel-Iran conflict, cancelling planned meetings with several world leaders including Albanese, who has only ever spoken to the US President on the phone. Trump was also unable to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi but they held a 35-minute phone call at Trump's request, in place of their planned in-person meeting on the summit sidelines. Albanese, however, was the only leader to miss out, with South Korea's new President Lee Jae Myung also failing to have a promised in-person meeting with Trump at the G7. Albanese last month declined to meet US Vice President JD Vance during his visit to Rome for the Pope's inauguration. When asked at the time if he had spoken or reached out to him for a meeting, Albanese replied simply, 'No'. 'He arrived quite late in terms of just prior to the mass taking place, as you will have seen,' he said later. The White House has confirmed that Trump will attend the NATO Summit in the Netherlands next week, though his presence may now be in doubt because of the rapidly changing situation in the Middle East.
AsiaOne
16 hours ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
$7 System-7 ticket wins $12.3 million: One lucky punter takes it all in June 19 Toto draw, Singapore News
One lucky punter hit the jackpot in the June 19 Toto draw with a windfall of $12,323,051. [[nid:719144]] This is also the third highest winning share since October 2014. The sole winner's winning ticket is a System 7 ticket, which costs $7, purchased at a FairPrice outlet in Yew Tee Point. This outlet is not among the top 10 winning outlets. The winning numbers are 1, 10, 37, 40, 45, 47, with 19 as the additional number. According to Singapore Pools, the top winning share of $13,123,509 won on May 9, 2024, was a System 7 ticket purchased online, followed by a winning share of $13,077,918 won on Oct 2, 2023. The punter had bought a System 8 ticket for $28 from a Race Course Road outlet. The Group 2 prize of $108,637 for the June 19 draw was split between 13 people. The next draw will be held on June 23 (Monday), with the prize money reset to $1 million. [[nid:718705]] editor@
