A sneak peek into Japan's illustrious public restrooms

New project sets out to alter the Japanese aversion to using public facilities in film presenting 17 restrooms built and designed by the country's most famous architects

Amnon Direktor|
Japan is known for being one of the cleanest countries in the world. However, Japanese people themselves rarely use public toilets due to stereotypes that consider them dirty, smelly, and even scary. A new project called The Tokyo Toilet aims to change Japanese perceptions about using public restrooms in public spaces, and it does so, as befits the Japanese, in the most impressive and beautiful way possible.
The Tokyo Toilet brings together about 17 public restroom facilities in the famous Shibuya district, designed over the past three years by important Japanese architects and designers, most of whom are winners of the Pritzker Architecture Prize.
As expected from the high profile of the designers, including Tadao Ando, Kengo Kuma, and Shigeru Ban - some of the greatest Japanese architects of recent decades - these are exceptional creations that have already become a pilgrimage site for design enthusiasts from around the world.

The transparent ones

One of the standout public restrooms is the one designed by architect Shigeru Ban: toilet cubicles made of smart, colorful glass with varying opacity. When the toilets are vacant, the glass is completely transparent, allowing anyone approaching to check if they’re in use, and as soon as you enter and lock the door, the facades automatically turn milky and completely opaque, ensuring privacy.
6 View gallery
שירותים שקופים-אטומים-צבעוניים בפארק, בעיצוב שיגרו באן, שירותים בטוקיו
שירותים שקופים-אטומים-צבעוניים בפארק, בעיצוב שיגרו באן, שירותים בטוקיו
Shigeru Ban's transparent toilets
(Photo: Sergio Yoneda, Shutterstock)
This is a relatively new technology mainly used in office buildings. "There are two things we’re concerned about when entering public restrooms, especially those located in a park," Ban said at the project's launch, "the first is cleanliness and the second is whether someone’s inside."

The octopus toilets

In the center of a public garden in a neighborhood called Octopus Playground, a public restroom facility was built with a white roof designed to resemble an octopus’s arms in a geometric interpretation.
The structure includes four small toilet cubicles made of white walls and frosted glass, one for men, one for women, and accessible toilet, and an additional toilet cubicle intended for everyone that even contains a laundry facility.
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השירותים בפארק התמנון עם הגג הייחודי, בעיצוב פומיהיקו מאקי, שירותים בטוקיו
השירותים בפארק התמנון עם הגג הייחודי, בעיצוב פומיהיקו מאקי, שירותים בטוקיו
Facilities at the Octopus Playground
(Photo: Ned Snowman, Shutterstock)
Behind the project is veteran architect and Pritzker Prize winner Fumihiko Maki, who has designed numerous projects worldwide throughout his career. "The restrooms are located in a popular neighborhood park that serves as a playground for children and is filled with greenery," Maki said. "We wanted the facility to function not only as public restrooms but also as a public space equipped with seating and rest areas."

A journey among the trees

A structure entirely clad in wooden panels marks the special project of Japanese architect Kengo Kuma. Located in a small park in central Shibuya, the structure is covered with wooden panels of various sizes that almost completely conceal the restroom spaces.
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שירותים מפיסות עץ ממוחזרות, בעיצוב קנגו קומה, שירותים בטוקיו
שירותים מפיסות עץ ממוחזרות, בעיצוב קנגו קומה, שירותים בטוקיו
Kengo Kuma's wooden restrooms
(Photo: Caito, Shutterstock)
Kuma decided to break the facility into five small cabins connected by stepped paths, aptly naming the project “A Walk in the Woods." The design aims to have the restroom buildings blend seamlessly with the park's lush trees and vegetation, intended to "change the conventional image of public toilets,” according to Kuma.

House-shaped toilets

Passersby might mistake these public toilets for a private house with a tiled roof. This was precisely the intention of Japanese fashion designer and renowned DJ Nigo – to design public restrooms that look like a house from the outside.
"In contrast to the ever-changing city with its high-rise buildings, I envisioned a restroom that feels like an old, quiet house standing in the corner of the neighborhood," Nigo explained. "For some, the structure may evoke nostalgia, while for others, it may appear new, depending on their age and generation."

The mushroom trio

Among several buildings are three restroom cubicles designed to resemble mushrooms growing in the area. These structures replaced old, neglected restrooms at the entrance to a small neighborhood shrine in Shibuya.
The new restroom structure consists of three cylindrical cubicles clad in small, monochromatic hexagonal tiles. The project was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Toyo Ito, who aimed to create a calm and welcoming facility that encourages people to use the restrooms.
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שירותים בצורת 3 פטריות יער, בעיצוב טויו איטו, שירותים בטוקיו
שירותים בצורת 3 פטריות יער, בעיצוב טויו איטו, שירותים בטוקיו
Tokyo restrooms designed like mushrooms
(Photo: Caito, Shutterstock)
"I hope the restrooms will increase the sense of security among women, so they can use them at night," Ito said. "My intention was to design restrooms that don’t stand out too much and can be used comfortably."

Touch-free semicircular design

In a small public garden in the heart of Shibuya’s financial district stands a semicircular white restroom structure, four meters high, named Hi Toilet. Besides its unique shape, its idea was to create a touch-free restroom experience using voice commands to allow for maximum hygiene.
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בצורת חצי עיגול ובלי מגע בכלל, בעיצוב Kazoo Sato, שירותים בטוקיו
בצורת חצי עיגול ובלי מגע בכלל, בעיצוב Kazoo Sato, שירותים בטוקיו
Kazoo Sato's semicircular toilets
(Photo: Caito, Shutterstock)
Kazoo Sato, the project's creative director, developed the concept following in-depth research on public restroom user behavior, noting their aversion to touching surfaces. "After three years of research, we developed the voice-activated toilet concept," Sato explained. “The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of this technology.”

Fountain-like

The latest addition to the Tokyo Toilet project is a block designed by renowned architect Sou Fujimoto. It is located not far from Shibuya’s hotel district, and its shape resembles a fountain with organic lines and white cladding that includes a shared area for washing hands.
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שירותים בהשראת מזרקה עם כיור משותף ועץ. Sou Fujimoto-designed
שירותים בהשראת מזרקה עם כיור משותף ועץ. Sou Fujimoto-designed
Sou Fujimoto's public restroom
(Photo: Ned Snowman, Shutterstock)
"Public restrooms can be likened to a watering hole in the city, like a spring," Fujimoto said. "Besides serving as restrooms, I wanted to offer a handwashing spot in the public space."
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