Photo: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation
Photo: Satoshi Nagare, provided by The Nippon Foundation
neon colours add a neat, eye-catching touch, which also illuminate the parks at night with a striking, vibrant glow.
At first glance, the toilets appear to be little more than attention-grabbing, headline generating novelties – and they certainly are, to a point. Beyond the bright exteriors, the meaning behind the design goes to the character of public facilities themselves. Despite Japan’s reputation for cleanliness, it’s by no means a perfect record. Let’s face it: there isn’t a person alive in any country who hasn’t experienced having to visit a dark, smelly and unclean pubic toilet at some point.
The transparency offers a couple of benefits. The first is that the level of hygiene and cleanliness inside can be easily ascertained, giving you reassurance that the facilities are well maintained. The Tokyo Toilet has a team of cleaners who maintain and clean the toilets at least three times a day, so more often than not, it’s going to be crystal clear that they’re hygienic.
Secondly, it also gives you the chance to get a clear indication of occupancy, alleviating any concerns about the danger of encountering any unsavoury types lingering within – something that can be a big concern when visiting
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isolated public washroom facilities, especially at night. Visitors are more likely to trust public toilets if they can ensure that they’re both safe and hygienic without even having to venture inside.
A big focus of the project has been accessibility, with most of the builds including a combination of different features. These include accessible cubicles, ostomy facilities, changing boards, care beds, baby care and priority spaces for the elderly and pregnant women. That’s not to mention the basic features – sinks, toilets and urinals – are all of the highest quality, as TOTO was on hand throughout planning and construction.
At the time of writing, Japan is still in the midst of the pandemic, with Tokyo going in and out of states of emergency as the country battles to vaccinate and keep the numbers of Coronavirus infections low, and The Tokyo Toilet's installations have understandably had to slow down a little. Originally all the facilities were all due to open by Spring 2021, but the deadline for this has been pushed back to March 2022. The other washrooms that have managed to open might grab fewer headlines than the see-through cubicles, but they are nonetheless inimitable takes on the public lavvy.
twitter.com/TomoCleaning
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