OSAKA—The maker of the futuristic bathtub pod exhibited at the recently concluded Osaka Kanasi Expo here has decided to accept a limited number of orders for what was originally meant to be an exclusive design after numerous inquiries.
“We have already sold eight units in Japan,” said Yasuaki Aoyama, 65, chairman of Science Holdings Co. “We are also close to finalizing deals with clients outside the country, and 15 or so units will likely be sold by the end of the year.”
The company manufactures showerheads that, like its “Mirai (future) Human Washing Machine,” eject microbubbles.
The eight domestic sales were delivered to six locations, a number of which are not private homes but spaces that intend to invite customers to hop in for a bath.
The Dotonbori Crystal Hotel III in the city’s lively Minami district is one place that will let non-guests try out the bathtub for a fee from mid-November, according to the Crystal Hotel Group.
Reservations will be accepted through the hotel’s official website.
The machine is also expected to appear at an electric appliance retailer, a model unit for an apartment complex in Tokyo and a leisure facility scheduled to open in a hot spring resort in Kumamoto Prefecture.
The model featured at the expo is now in Science’s showroom near Shin-Osaka Station.
The original human washing machine was exhibited by Sanyo Electric Co., now a subsidiary of Panasonic Holdings Corp., at the 1970 Japan World Exposition held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture.
That first iteration never reached the commercial market despite its popularity.
The futuristic machine stunned Aoyama. And, after later founding Science, the company’s modern take on it debuted at the expo after six years.
Aoyama initially had no intention of selling the machine commercially and only developed it as an exhibit for expo visitors.
Shaped like the cockpit of a jet fighter, the bathtub measures 1 meter wide, 2.5 meters deep and 2.6 meters high with the hatch open.
Its weight from the water system in its base and other parts also limits where the bathtub can be set up, while its price tag is equivalent to that of an imported luxury car.
Even so, many approached Science about purchasing one after about 1,300 visitors tried it at the Osaka Healthcare Pavillion throughout the expo’s run from April 13 to Oct. 13, prompting the company to change its mind.
While it receives a constant stream of inquiries from inside and outside Japan, Aoyama said he intends to only sell between 40 to 50 units. He believes that the bathtub is more so a means to introduce people to what a hot bath of microscopic bubbles feels like.
“The Mirai Human Washing Machine attracted attention at the expo and widely spread the idea of washing the body without scrubbing,” Aoyama said. “The same thing can be done with commercially available bathtubs and showerheads that utilize microbubbles, so we want to promote their social implementation.”
AloJapan.com