“The Tokyo Toilets” is a project organised by the Nippon Foundation and the municipal administration of Shibuya, a neighbourhood in Tokyo, with TOTO serving as a consulting partner. The new pavilions, designed by prominent international architects like Shigeru Ban and Tadao Ando, are to be completed in time for the Olympics in 2021 – allowing visitors to be able to use a clean toilet anytime, day or night.

The toilet pavilions in Yoyogi Fukamachi Park and Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park, designed by prominent Japanese architect and Pritzker Architecture Prize winner Shigeru Ban, reveal a special feature: The walls are transparent from the outside, allowing passersby to see inside the bathrooms. But there’s a surprising effect: “There are two things that concern people when entering a public toilet – especially in a park. The first is whether or not the facilities are clean. People also ask themselves if anyone is inside,” the architect explained. Thanks to state-of-the-art technology, the glass-enclosed bathroom’s walls are transparent when not in use. Once someone locks the door from the inside, the glass changes colour to become an opaque wall, protecting the user from any unwanted glances. Even if the transparency is a little unusual at first, using the toilet gives people a feeling of safety and comfort.

When working on the new concepts, TOTO explored what would make using a public toilet both safe and comfortable for people. An important aspect was ensuring that people with disabilities could use public toilets easily, including the consideration that those in wheelchairs need extra space. At the same time, bathroom stalls that are too large can be uncomfortable for the visually impaired. The studies also took into account the needs of parents with small children as well as the elderly. TOTO provided information about regular maintenance and cleaning, including details about sterile, antibacterial fixtures. By November 2020, seven of the 13 planned projects had been completed – including ones in Ebisu Park (architect: Masamichi Katayama Wonderwall), Jingu-Dori Park (architect: Tadao Ando) and Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park (architect: Shigeru Ban). “We hope that the project will give international visitors the opportunity to experience a sense of Japanese hospitality. We also hope that we can introduce the culture of clean, comfortable toilets created by TOTO to the rest of the world,” read the statement from Satoshi Shirakawa, Executive Vice President and Representative Director TOTO Ltd.

An overview of locations of the individual toilet pavilions is available here:

https://tokyotoilet.jp/en/

Düsseldorf, November 2020
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TOTO brings luxury to bathroom culture, creating innovations that deliver the ultimate in design, comfort and hygiene without revealing the sophisticated technology integrated within. Japan’s leading supplier of bathroom products, TOTO develops comprehensive solutions for high-end private and public spaces around the world, including the European market since 2009. The company is shaping bathroom design with innovative sanitary ware, faucets, and, most importantly, WASHLET – selling over 70 million worldwide. TOTO’s Japanese design philosophy reflects a respect for others. It centres on people and their needs, inspiring intuitive, easy-to-use products and elegantly understated designs. TOTO shows this same respect for the environment, developing water-saving technologies that help conserve resources while pursuing its sustainability strategy in internationally recognised initiatives like Climate Group RE100 and the Science Based Targets Initiative.