When it comes to quirky tours that stick in the mind forever, very few can touch the interactive experience of 17 toilets around a Tokyo district. Many will turn their nose up at the thought, but Wise Traveller lift the lid on a real gem that'll have you gushing!
First, let's get the obvious out of the way. This is a perfectly legal tour. Many on the tour will leave feeling enlightened and marvelling at the architectural delights. The fact it's located in Japan, the land of the unusual, is somehow oddly comforting.
Background
In 2018, an urban regeneration project took shape in the bustling commercial district of Shibuya, Tokyo. Ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games, the local authority wanted to replace existing but inadequate public toilets that had seen better days.
Sensing an opportunity to tap into the capital's enduring tourism potential, the Tokyo Toilet Project took off. It was conceived as a collaboration between the Shibuya government, Koji Yanai of clothing giant Uniqlo and the philanthropic nonprofit Nippon Foundation.
Famous and international designers were invited to rethink the toilets as artistic architectural creations that are accessible to all and serve a purpose in society.
Ultimately, the Games were delayed due to Covid-19. However, the project pressed ahead and between 2020 and 2023, 17 structures were designed and built by 16 architects.
The creators included such luminaries as Pritzker Prize winners Fumihiko Maki, Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando and Toyo Ito. Other designers were Junko Kobayashi, Kashiwa Sato, Kazoo Sato; Kengo Kuma, the designer of the revamped Tokyo Olympic Stadium; Marc Newson, Masamichi Katayama; British designer Miles Pennington, Nao Tamura, NIGO®, Sou Fujimoto, Takenosuke Sakakura, and Tomohito Ushiro.
The highly-tech quality restrooms are located across an area spanning the Hatagaya, Yoyogi and Ebisu neighbourhoods. Global interest in visiting the locations was boosted by their appearance in "Perfect Days", a 2023 Oscar-nominated film by German director Wim Wenders about a Shibuya toilet cleaner's daily life.
Highlights
In Nabeshima Shoto Park, Kengo Kuma's wooden structure is designed with cedar planks to enable the facility to blend within its surrounding environment.
Other eye-openers are ones created in Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park and the Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park by Shigeru Ban. They come complete with walls of coloured glass that become opaque when entered, and the door is locked. Ban said: "When using a public restroom, especially in parks, people are concerned about two things: cleanliness and occupancy."
Other restrooms include 15 random concrete walls of the Wonderwall Public Toilet in Ebisu Park, a luminous Samurai facility and Nao Tamura's Sanchome Public Toilet, inspired by the traditional Japanese decorative wrapping method of Origata.
Kazoo Sato's Hi Toilet is a contactless innovation in which everything is voice-operated – a reflection of the cleanliness obsession that pervaded the pandemic era. The white walls and undulating curves of Sou Fujimoto's Vessels and Fountains, a combination of toilets and public handwashing facilities positioned at different heights, was the final restroom inaugurated in March 2023.
Yet, for all the modernity of the toilets, they are still lovingly cared for by a group of humans several times a week and checked monthly by inspectors.
The Tour
Since March 2024, the public has been able to take advantage of the tours twice a week. Reservations for December are scheduled to begin the week of November 18. The tour is split into two:
East Tour: This covers nine locations: Ebisu East Park Toilet, Ebisu Station, West Exit Public Toilet; Ebisu Park Toilet; Higashi Sanchome Public Toilet; Hiroo East Park Toilet; Jingumae Public Toilet; Urasando Public Toilet, and Jingu-Dori Park Toilet. The tour takes between two and three hours. Maximum passenger capacity is eight.
The tour is scheduled Thursday from 14:15 and Saturday from 10:15. Price: 4.950 Yen.
Boarding/Alighting: is at Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu 5F Main Entrance (East Wing of Shibuya Mark City).
West Tour: This includes eight locations: Nabeshima Shoto Park Toilet; Yoyogi-Hachiman Public Toilet; Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park Toilet; Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park Toilet; Nishihara Itchome Park Toilet; Sasazuka Greenway Park Toilet; Hatagaya Public Toilet; Nanago Dori Park Toilet, and Nishisando Public Toilet.
The tour also takes up to three hours. Maximum passenger capacity: 8. Time slots are Thursday 10:15 and Saturday 14:15. Price is 4,950 Yen.
Boarding/Alighting: Shibuya Excel Hotel Tokyu 5F Main Entrance (East Wing of Shibuya Mark City).
For more information on reserving a place: Click Here.
Andy Probert is an independent journalist and PR writer. He writes about travel, aviation, new tech and business. His work has appeared on the BBC, in The Daily Telegraph, Hurriyet Daily News and other newspapers worldwide.
