> I lived for many years in China and Thailand, and toilets are free, clean, and plentiful there
I don't know about China but this was the opposite of my experience in Thailand. The majority of public toilets I encountered had an attendant you had to pay for access. Shopping malls / hotels / other places were you were already paying to be there were the exception of course.
In every part of Thailand I've been to outside BKK, there's a gas station almost every few kilometers on every major road. Almost every gas station has a public restroom that's open 24/7, unattended. The ones that don't have a public restroom are typically right next to a string of restaurants that have a restroom you can use during the day for free if you ask.
I am ok with paying for public toilets if they are being kept clean.
In Japan, I've seen attendants looking for some payment to use bathrooms in hotels.
Where? 11 years living in Japan and I've never seen this once, and never heard it from friends or family.
It was in Tokyo. Couldn't tell you the specific hotel. But it had our event coordinator livid and she simply ignored them.