- Jimmy Kimmel now thinks the US is gross after he visited the bathrooms in Japan.
- "We are like hogs compared to the Japanese," Kimmel joked on Tuesday during his show.
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel said observing hygiene standards in Japan has drastically changed his perspective of cleanliness in the US, and joked that he's "never felt dirtier" in his home country.
Kimmel said on Tuesday evening episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live" that before going to Japan on a seven-day family trip, he thought the US was "pretty buttoned-up" despite having areas for improvement.
"But now, after traveling to Japan, I realize that this place, this USA we're always chanting about, is a filthy and disgusting country," he said.
Kimmel said he was blown away, in particular, by Japan's bathrooms.
"Not only did I not encounter a single dirty bathroom, the bathrooms in Tokyo and Kyoto are cleaner than our operating rooms here," Kimmel said.
The TV star lauded the loos at Japanese truck stops, which he said were "cleaner than Jennifer Garner's teeth."
"It's like the whole country is Disneyland, and we're living at Six Flags. I've been home 36 hours. I've never felt dirtier," he said.
Kimmel added that he was impressed by how Tokyo residents don't litter despite the lack of public trash cans, which were removed by local authorities in the wake of the 1995 sarin gas attacks.
"They're like, okay, no more trash cans. Everybody clean up after yourselves. And guess what? They clean up after themselves," Kimmel said.
"We are like hogs compared to the Japanese. I can't imagine what they must think of us," Kimmel said. "Oh, the garbage people. Yes, the Americans. Garbage. Yes."
Public bathrooms have become the source of tourist fascination in Japan, where toilets can come with automatic bidets, heated seats, sensors that take your pulse, and sound systems to mask the noise of flushing. In 2019, a Japanese toll operator installed public toilets on the Central Nippon Expressway that could measure driver fatigue.
Japan is typically known internationally for fostering a focus on cleanliness and hygiene. During the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the Japanese national team made headlines for cleaning their dressing room after beating Germany 2-1 in an upset.
At the same tournament, FIFA praised Japanese fans for tidying up the local stadium after watching their matches.
Kimmel is one of tens of millions to recently visited Japan on holiday. A weak yen is thought to be fueling a tourism boom there, with government statistics saying tourists spent about $35.9 billion in 2023.
Monthly visitor arrivals in Japan grew to 2.78 million in February, surpassing 2019 levels in what its tourism industry believes will be a continued, strong post-pandemic recovery.