Time’s up, TeamLab. The Tokyo-bound tourist has something new in their sights, and it’s neither cultural nor kawaii. Recently, a friend visiting from abroad had one simple request for her itinerary: could I please show her the toilets?
In a short time, a series of public bathrooms designed by some of the world’s best architects even cast the toilets as one of its key characters, bringing the project — spearheaded by entrepreneur Koji Yanai and funded by the Nippon Foundation — to global audiences. In 2022, a fault emerged in Shigeru Ban’s Tomei toilets that stopped the coloured glass from turning completely opaque when the door was locked, leaving users exposed. The facility was promptly closed, fixed and reopened, but the episode has added an element of folklore to the whole thing.