Tourism Shibuya to offer 'Tokyo Toilet Shuttle Tour'

The Shibuya City Tourism Association and NearMe Inc., a ride service provider utilizing artificial intelligence, have jointly introduced the Tokyo Toilet Shuttle Tour. This unique tour showcases restrooms designed by prominent Japanese architects and designers as part of a renovation initiative supported by organizations including the Nippon Foundation. The tourism association aims to position this novel concept as a fresh attraction for both inbound and domestic travellers.

The restrooms featured on these tours underwent renovation between 2018 and 2023, which was carried out by the Nippon Foundation in collaboration with the Shibuya Ward Office. The primary goal was to transform the perception of public toilets from being dirty, malodorous, and dimly lit. Sixteen internationally acclaimed architects and designers, including Tadao Ando and Kengo Kuma, contributed their expertise to design these facilities. Each restroom reflects the creators' unique vision, resulting in intriguing spaces such as the "Jingumae public restroom," which resembles an old-fashioned home in the Harajuku district, and the "Yoyogi-Hachiman public restroom," evoking the image of mushrooms harmoniously growing alongside the nearby forest.

Last May, Koji Yakusho won best actor at the 76th Cannes Film Festival for his role in "Perfect Days," a movie about the daily life of a public restroom cleaner in Shibuya Ward. The tours have been launched just in time to leverage growing public interest in the toilets both at home and abroad generated by the film. There are two tour routes: the East Course, which visits eight locations in the eastern part of the ward, including the Jingumae public restroom, and the West Course, which visits nine locations in the western part of the ward, including the Yoyogi-Hachiman public restroom. The tour fee for is both 4,950 yen (about $33). Tour applications can be made at the NearMe website.

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Were any of these the ones that appeared in the recent movie Perfect Days?

The credits at the end of that did list some info about places, and there are some glimpses in the previews. There was one that was glass that turned dark opaque when the door was locked.

Yes, they were. I should have mentioned the movie:

I wonder if you're allowed to make a deposit during the tour should the need arise.

So far, the tours have been largely successful.

"Many people who join the tour are interested in architecture," said Yumiko Nishi, PR manager of the ward's tourism association, which organizes the tours via shuttle minivan. Although the tour is still in its infancy, interest from overseas visitors has been trickling in, Nishi added, expressing hopes it will become more popular. While the tours are conducted primarily in Japanese, the project has been promoted in English-language pamphlets, websites, and photo exhibitions in the Japanese capital. Some participants have been drawn due to an interest in seeing locations shown in the Oscar-nominated film "Perfect Days," which follows the simple life of a public toilet cleaner in Tokyo, played by Koji Yakusho.

The tours are broken into two parts -- the eastern and western route -- and are held simultaneously on Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for 4,950 yen ($32) per person. They last for around two hours at a time, with participants allowed to use the facilities. "The western route is slightly more popular as it covers many works by famous architects and is a less well-known area within the ward," Nishi said. The route includes works by Shigeru Ban, who was the sole architect who contributed two separate facilities. The colorful, transparent bathrooms that turn opaque when locked are perhaps among the most well-known.

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mdchachi said:

I wonder if you're allowed to make a deposit during the tour should the need arise.

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At the very least, you are allowed to wash your hands.

Multiple faucets in the front of the restrooms are placed on one soft slope at different levels, so that people of all ages can wash their hands simultaneously and with ease.

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