the Mainichi Daily News quoted proctologist Masahiro Takano, who said that firing a stream of water into the backside can be an effective treatment for constipation. "It's like how a mother cat licks a kitten's anus to stimulate it and expel its wastes," the article quoted Takano as saying. Leave it to the Japanese to couch even the most elemental functions in a poetic simile.
The same article also cited stories of Japanese women using bidets for sexual stimulation. One woman named Akiko explicitly described to the weekly magazine Shukan Gendai how she sits backward on the bowl and adjusts the water pressure to increase the intensity of the thrill.
"Of course, I could always use adult toys," she said. "But they're fairly expensive, and it's not like I could go out and buy them by myself. I could order them over the Internet, but it's always embarrassing when they're delivered. I like the Washlet because I don't have to care about that stuff. I get myself off on the Washlet a couple of times a week."