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Tokyo’s See-Through Public Toilets Let People See How Clean They Are Before Entering

By Emma Taggart on August 21, 2020

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A post shared by shibuyasan_ (@shibuyasan_) on Aug 18, 2020 at 11:14pm PDT

While some people might try to entirely avoid using public bathrooms, sometimes it’s necessary to brave whatever’s behind restroom doors. Understanding people’s concerns with entertaining the unknown, Tokyo has just installed two see-through bathroom facilities in public parks, allowing people to see how clean they are before deciding to use them.

You’re probably thinking there’s no way you would use a public bathroom that’s see-through (even if it’s incredibly clean). However, these particular restrooms are made from “smart glass” that turns opaque when the bathroom is locked and occupied. Designed by Shigeru Ban, the stalls are part of a project organized by the nonprofit Nippon Foundation, titled The Tokyo Toilet. The project asked 16 different artists to redesign 17 public bathrooms throughout the district of Shibuya, in the hopes of making them more accessible and appealing.

One set of Ban’s see-through stalls can be found at Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park and the other at Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park. The clever design fights the assumption that public toilets are “dark, dirty, smelly, and scary,” and they’re even available to anyone, regardless of disability. These colorful lavatories are not only practical, but they look great, too. At night, they light up “like a beautiful lantern.”