Is lack of toilet paper a common occurrence in Japan?
Lonely Planet advises people to carry tissues with them in case there isn't any toilet paper
Toilet paper isn't always provided, so it is always a good idea to carry tissues with you. You may also be given small packets of tissues on the street – a common form of advertising.
I can vouch for small packets of tissues being a common form of advertising, but a lack of toilet paper, not so much. Maybe the author of that advice got the wrong idea of what people use the tissues for.
Is lack of toilet paper a common occurrence in Japan?
Best Answer
What I experienced is, that you mostly have toilet paper in the Kanto-Area, but there are many public toilets in the Kansai-Area lacking toilet paper. A friend from Kansai can confirm this fact, too. Maybe, thats why it's written down in a travel guide like Lonely Planet.
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Answer 2
I have just come back from a month in Japan, travelling through Tokyo, Takayama, Kanazawa, Osaka and Kyoto, mainly in tourist sites.
There was toilet paper in every western style toilet except one at the Heian shrine in Kyoto which had a vending machine selling toilet paper right outside.
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