Tokyo Toilet Project Private Architecture Tour by Minivan

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• 1
  Nabeshima Shoto Park

  The five huts, each covered with eared cedar board louvers installed at random angles, are connected by a walk in the woods that disappears into the forest. Each toilet that makes up the village is designed with a distinct layout, facility, and interior to accommodate different needs (family, dressing and grooming, wheelchair, etc). By dividing each section into separate buildings, we created a “public toilet village” that is open, breezy, and easy to pass through, a design appropriate for the post-pandemic times. Even in our toilet design, we are entering the age of diversity and a time to go back to the forest.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 2

  Ando sought for this small architecture to exceed the boundaries of a public toilet to become a “place” in the urban landscape that provides immense public value. Using this clear and simple reasoning for the concept of this structure, he chose to utilise a circular floor-plan with a spanning roof and engawa. It was vital for him to make a space that was comfortable and safe. Visitors can move inside a cylindrical wall of vertical louvers to feel the comfort of the wind and light from the surrounding environment. A feeling of safety emphasised by the free and centripetal circulation which passes through to the other side. This toilet tucked away in the greenery that is Jingu-Dori Park will be known as “Amayadori.”

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 3

  The concept of this design is about learning from the past. First and foremost, Nigo thought about its accessibility and ease of use. In contrast to the ever-changing city of Tokyo with its sky-high buildings, he envisioned a toilet that feels like a good old home that stands quietly on a corner of Harajuku. The toilet may feel nostalgic to some and new to others, depending on their age and generation.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 4

  Central to the design is the reference to vernacular Japanese architecture, including the copper Minoko roof. Often found in shrines, temples and tearooms and in rural areas, Newson wanted the roof form to trigger a subconscious feeling of comfort and peacefulness amid its busy, hypermodern location. The patina on the copper pyramidic roof integrates the structure into the city over time, so it becomes part of the fabric of Tokyo. It is important that the Toilet feels trustworthy and honest inside and out: the bright interior is seamlessly and hygienically finished in a monochromatic green, one of Newson's favourite colours. The design for the Toilet focusses on functionality, simplicity, and creating an inviting and enduring space.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 5

  Fujimoto believes that a public toilet is an urban watering place, a fountain in the city. He designed a public hand-washing facility that is open not only to those who use the restrooms but also to a wide variety of people with different purposes. The toilet acts as a single large vessel made for everyone’s use. The shape of the facility, with its large concave center, is the result of incorporating hand washing stations of various heights. It is intended to create a small community of people, from children to the elderly, to gather around the vessel to wash their hands, drink water, and engage in conversation. It's a new type of public space where people can gather and communicate around water.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 6

  A large, yellow oval-shaped awning hangs over a series of cylindrical toilets of various heights, with silhouettes of rabbits peeking out from the round windows installed on the exterior walls. Site-specific circumstances required a lightweight construction, so they decided to use a weather-resistant steel plate panel structure for the facility design. They also made the large awning hang overhead, creating a sky-like opening to eliminate the dark and closed feeling of the area underneath the Keio Line elevated railway tracks. The weather-resistant steel plate panels have been rusted once to retain their strength and texture indefinitely. They wanted to create a public toilet that has a strong presence, like a stubborn old man who is always watching over the people, while also creating a fun and entertaining atmosphere at the same time. The opening to the facility is wide, giving it a massive yet open feel, with a bright and clean interior that is also secure and safe.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 7
  Shinjuku 3 Chome

  Does a public toilet ever try to be the centre of attention in a local community? Public toilets can often become underused, lose their value to people and gradually forgotten. To try and reverse that trend they created ‘...With Toilet’. It is a public toilet combined with an additional functional space which can be used for various purposes by everyone. They hoped that it would be used as an exhibition space, pop-up kiosk, small information centre or a cozy meeting space, and become the centre of the local community.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 8

  The inspiration to design a fully voice activated toilet came about after much research and reading around users' behaviours in public toilets across Europe and the US to avoid contact with the surface; 60% stepping on toilet levers to flush, 50% opening the door with toilet paper, 40% closing the door with their hip, 30% avoiding hand-contact as much as possible by using an elbow. After three years of research, planning and designing, they came up with the concept of the VOICE COMMAND Toilet, “Hi Toilet” where all commands were activated by voice. This idea has been in place long before the arrival of COVID-19, but COVID accelerated the acceptance of this unique user experience in terms of “toilets being contactless”. If this toilet could deliver a “Clean City Tokyo” image to the world, Sato would be extremely happy.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 9

  The toilets resemble three mushrooms that sprouted from the forest around Yoyogi-Hachiman shrine. Despite being built along the main thoroughfare of Yamate-Dori, they sit at the footsteps that lead to the shrine. The impression of mushrooms creates a sense of harmony with the forest in the background. Having three separate toilets with circulation space in between makes it easy to navigate. Connecting paths with no dead-ends also allow good visual connection, creating a safe environment and preventing crime. By securing ample space and by equipping elderly and parental functions that are usually only available in accessible toilets within each toilet ensure that the facility is truly public and accessible by everyone.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 10
  Yoyogi Fukamachisho Park

  There are two things we worry about when entering a public toilet, especially those located at a park. The first is cleanliness, and the second is whether anyone is inside. Using the latest technology, the exterior glass turns opaque when locked. This allows users to check the cleanliness and whether anyone is using the toilet from the outside. At night, the facility lights up the park like a beautiful lantern.

  20 minutes • Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Specialized infant seats are available
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels

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