Japanese Toilet Manufacturer Bio-gas Bike Ride A Big Success

One of the biggest visitor traffic jumps we have ever experienced in the four years in which we have been running this blog occurred when we featured Toilet Maker TOTO's publicity campaign. No doubt many others who featured the story saw public interest peak. It certainly was a very effective campaign at raising awareness of biogas and anaerobic digestion in Japan, and must have been a welcome light relief from all the tragic and weighty events which JAPAN HAS HAD TO DEALWITYH SINCE THE AERTHQUAKE EARLIER THIS YEAR.

At one stage at the peak of the campiagn, our blog was receiving over 1,000 vists per hour according to Google's statistics!

So, we cannot help saying that "Toilet maker is flushed with success after bio-gas bike ride!!

Here is a quote from a recent article about the campiagn:

It's named Neo - part motorcycle, part toilet. Neo runs on eco-friendly biogas. Toto, the toilet company that created Neo, says the biogas that powers the bike was produced from sewage but is quick to point out that the rider does not not contribute to its supply. According to spokesman Kenji Fujita, it's a combination of livestock waste and household sewage, broken down and fermented to create fuel.

"The motorcycle carries two tanks which allow it to run for a total of 300 km at a speed of up to 70 km/h. It's a surprisingly nice way to travel." The toilet bike toured more then 1400 kilometers across Japan in an effort to promote the use of biogas. With a toilet for a seat and a giant role of toilet paper mounted on the rear, Ichie Tanaka, one of six volunteers who rode the bike says Neo definitely attracted attention.

"At first when I saw the bike, I was taken aback, but after riding the motorcycle, I found it quite interesting. It doesn't hurt at all and it's actually quite comfortable to sit on." Toto says while Neo may not run on human waste, it hopes future models will. The company says recycling human waste is a practical solution to the environmental problems caused by the use of fossil fuels.

The company believes it has come a long way toward achieving awareness about the use of biogas. Ichie Tanaka says she's is happy and relieved the journey is over. She says that while the bike was a pleasure to ride, after three long weeks - she is just plain pooped. Ben Gruber, Reuters.

Biogas is one of many forms of alternative energies being promoted as the way of the future, but no one has yet done it in the style of Japanese toilet manufacturer, Toto. The company has created a stir with what it calls its Toilet Bike Neo, a motorcycle that runs on biogas and looks like a toilet on wheels. Ben Gruber reported. ( Transcript )

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Promoting Biogas With Humour! Toilet Bike Rolls Out Biogas-Powered Environmental Message

One for the road -- Toto's Toilet Bike Neo is turning heads as it crosses Japan on the power of animal dung.

Of all the PR-friendly ways there are to spread a message, corporate or otherwise, sending some poor sap out to ride across an entire country on a motorized toilet surely ranks high on the list of “Uh, what?” schemes we've seen.

Allow us to introduce the poop-powered Toilet Bike Neo. It's a three-wheeled chopper-style motorcycle from Toto, one of Japan’s largest toilet suppliers.

Contrary to what you might think (and who can blame any mind for wandering in that direction), the retro steed runs not on human “output” from the unfortunate rider, but on biogas brewed from animal dung and household wastewater.

Um, and it also comes fitted with a tiny talking latrine on the handlebars, a nightclub-style “air-writer” LED device for leaving bon mots trailing in its wake and a high-end sound system.

The Toilet Bike Neo Project is part of the Toto Green Challenge initiative to promote the firm’s goal aim of cutting greenhouse-gas emissions in its customers’ bathrooms (again, say what?) in half by 2017.

Throughout October, the portable pooper will travel 1,000 kilometers across Japan from a Toto factory in Kyushu to its final resting point in Tokyo.

It’s stopping along the way to spread the word about the energy conservation methods that Toto promotes, such as the company's high-efficiency toilets.

Any kids undergoing toilet training should stay away from the front of the Toilet Bike Neo, as the talking commode on the handlebars is more than a little scary, yapping out fortunes, stock quotes and other snippets no one wants to hear right now.

Still, the message is a sound one and the mobile latrine’s photo blog is one of the more unusual Japan travel diaries we’ve seen -- perhaps it’ll one day inspire a new generation of eco-warriors to rise up and festoon the nation in two-ply.

Jane Leung is a Hong Kong-born Canadian who has dabbled in the mixed media bag of film and television production, the professional sports industry and magazine publishing. 

Read more about Jane Leung

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