The Tokyo Toilet | Sasazuka Greenway | Junko Kobayashi

Toilet of the town lights

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 we decided to use a weather-resistant steel plate panel structure for the facility design. We 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. We 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.

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The Nippon Foundation’s THE TOKYO TOILET project is building public toilets that can be used by anyone.
The project is building new toilets at 17 locations in Shibuya, Tokyo, as a way of moving toward the realization of a society that embraces diversity.