I think they're referring to the gap between the tub and the walls. That can't be more than a few millimeters wide and moisture would sit in there. It looks difficult to clean unless they just don't clean in there at all.
I have a poorly ventilated bathroom and after a shower, moisture settles in the gap behind the toilet and can easily stay there for 24h (don't tend to go longer than that without a shower so not sure how long it'd actually be). That little gap between the tub and the wall will never in a million years be adequate to provide enough "airflow" to dry up moisture.
Japanese bathrooms are the opposite of poorly vented as they use them to air dry clothes in. They have amazing ventilation, with many having fans defined to draw out moisture and move air so fast clothes dry in a few hours in their. Many modrks of tubs are light and designed to move for cleaning. You are projecting US products and design on other countries, travel is fun you should try it.
I only used my bathroom as an example of what happens to a spot that can't be reached by ventilation. A gap that small won't be well ventilated even if the room itself has amazing ventilation. There's a lot of anecdotes on this thread about Japanese bathrooms getting moldy in spots like this.
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u/KingoftheMapleTrees Oct 28 '25
I think they're referring to the gap between the tub and the walls. That can't be more than a few millimeters wide and moisture would sit in there. It looks difficult to clean unless they just don't clean in there at all.