日本打造水晶坐便器价值连城

　　First, Japan gave the world hi-tech lavatories. Now, a crystal lavatory – studded with more than 72,000 pieces of Swarovski cut crystal and valued at over $100,000 (£64,000)。

　　Lavatory manufacturer INAX teamed up with the Austrian jeweller to create the ornate fixture, which is on display in a showroom in the posh Ginza shopping district, an effort to draw more customers in a year fraught with economic gloom and natural disaster。

　　In a nod to traditional belief, the sparkling lavatory was created to please the "god of lavatories," said Kazuo Sumimiya, director of the showroom for the Lixil interior fixture company of which INAX is a part。

　　"In Japan, we believe a deity exists in the lavatory. That's why keeping lavatories clean and taking good care of it have been a Japanese custom since long ago," he added。

　　"If we were to sell it, it would probably be worth around 10 million yen ($130,000)."

　　Visitors admired the dazzling fixture, with one woman saying she'd like to invite her friends and hold a party around it。

　　But others said it might be a bit too exalted to be useful。

　　"It'd be hard. I don't think I'd feel comfortable enough to use it even if I had this at home," said 22-year-old Chikako Kawanami, an art museum receptionist。

　　The lavatory will be on display until the end of December。

　　之前，日本曾发明过高科技坐便器，而今，又推出了水晶坐便器，镶满了超过7.2万颗施华洛世奇切割水晶，价值超过10万美元(6.4万英镑)。

　　卫生器具生产商INAX与奥地利珠宝公司施华洛世奇共同打造了这款华丽的设备，并在豪华的银座商业区的一间展览室中展出，此举是为了在被经济阴霾和自然灾害笼罩的一年吸引更多的顾客。

　　INAX 所属的Lixil室内设备公司展览室的主管Kazuo Sumimiya说，为了向传统致敬，生产商打造出这个耀目的坐便器来取悦“洗手间女神”。

　　他补充说：“在日本，我们相传有女神守护洗手间。这也是为什么保持卫生间清洁、打理好卫生间长久以来就是日本的传统。”

　　“如果我们出售这个坐便器的话，大概价值在1000万日元(13万美元)。”

　　参观者都非常欣赏这个眩目的设备，一位女性称想邀请朋友们来这里举办派对。

　　但其他人说，这个坐便器太尊贵了，不太实用。

　　22岁的艺术博物馆招待员Chikako Kawanami说：“它太坚硬了。即使我有一个这样的坐便器在家里，我也不觉得用起来会很舒服。”

　　这个坐便器将展出到12月底。