Hi everyone, what do you look for when searching for a restroom while you're out and about?

Is it cleanliness? Is it safety?

Public toilets in Japan are starting to take on new roles.

What do I mean by that? Let's go and find out.

Japan's public toilets are famous for their cleanliness and functionality.

But now they're evolving even further.

"I'll turn on the sink."

I'll be visiting a public restroom that's becoming a hotspot for communication.

It's just one of the new roles that restrooms are taking on.

I'll be checking out an eco-conscious restroom that uses biotechnology.

Join us on a fascinating exploration of restrooms!

The city of Tokorozawa, in Saitama prefecture is a well-known commuter town for Tokyo workers.

Is this?

Yes, this is it.

Public toilets.

What an interesting structure.

That huge circular roof.

It's held up by this?

Now this is unique.

- Andy-san?
- Yes, Takahashi-san?

- Hello, great to meet you.
- It's a pleasure.

Architect Marina Takahashi.

Tokorozawa is her hometown and place of work.

A public restroom?

The restroom is actually part of a facility run by a private firm.

- That's very unusual. May we?
- Please!

The entrance is around the back.

Wow, it's gorgeous!

And so clean as well.

People feel that public restrooms are awkward and uncomfortable.

I wanted a design that appealed to women. Something like a powder room.

Oh, look up there! Why is the ceiling so high?

There's no mechanical ventilation. The tower lets in daylight.

The light warms the walls which creates an upward air current.

Interesting.

That current carries away smells.

The tower space creates natural ventilation.

I see. And is that a light?

A custom pendant light.

The translucent walls light the restroom during the day.

At night, that huge pendant illuminates the space instead.

To integrate it into the neighborhood, it's been named the "Infrastructure Plaza."

The light serves another important function.

Public restrooms are seen as dirty, dark, even a little scary.

Very true.

At night, this light shines out into the street.

It becomes a huge lantern.

- That's lovely!
- It makes the neighborhood feel safer.

I hope that changes local perceptions of public restrooms.

As night falls, the Infrastructure Plaza slowly makes its presence known,

shining a watchful eye and enhancing security in the neighborhood.

Where did you get the idea?

I had a request from a plumbing firm that specializes in toilets.

They wanted a restroom that showcased their ideas and philosophy.

A sort of showroom public toilet.

And the design?

Most folks avoid public restrooms.

They'd much prefer to go at home.

Just building a public toilet is seen as devaluing a neighborhood.

We wanted a showcase that drew people, the way a park might.

Like an event space.

It feels like a gathering place for locals to come together.

The whole structure is held up by three pillars. That's all?

We worked hard on that!

Thick columns would destroy the airy park feel, so they had to be delicate.

You want them to vanish.

It's tricky in terms of structure.

The foundation had to be stronger.

Most buildings have concrete foundations poured into the ground.

Takahashi raised her foundations, making the pillars shorter.

That made them both slim and strong enough to support the roof.

It functions as a bench.

A perfect resting place.

Yes, exactly! That's what I wanted.

A little break.

It's what I hoped the foundation could become.

- You made it functional.
- Exactly!

Some are much higher. That's very interesting.

Yes, you could use it as a counter for your drink.

Oh, that's amazing!

- Have a chat.
- That's perfect!

That one there has a sink.

Yes, to wash your hands, maybe at an event with food trucks.

- Tidy up after eating.
- Exactly, yes.

This is amazing. It's a park!

It really is, yes.

The restroom is on a road that leads to the station and a large park.

All sorts of people stopped by while we were filming.

- May I have a chat?
- Sure.

Do you often come here?

Yes, to use the toilet on the way back from the park. It's lovely!

- Isn't it? Is this your daughter?
- Yes.

- You were out together?
- Yes, that's right.

We pass by on the way to the station.

That's great.

Takahashi is also involved in organizing events in Tokorozawa, and actively designing her hometown.

She even built a private library.

You're working on a lot of projects for the city.

Is this another community space?

My field is architectural design.

I built a small private library near my office with public open days.

It's a chance to chat to residents.

I wanted an event here to do the same.

That's easier said than done.

True.

But the plumbing firm actually held an event here!

- Not at all their area of expertise.
- But they did it!

Ozawa Daigo worked with Takahashi to make the event happen.

What kind of event was it?

Our catchphrase was 'the world's only market by a toilet!'

- That's brilliant!
- Interesting, right?

Community workers helped out. We closed the road.

Here?

We put out more benches, and counters for drinks.

Amazing.

We held it at night, too. There was projection mapping.

How cool!

A steelpan performance below, with lots of excited kids.

What a great night-time event!

It's a restroom, but there were musicians and kids dancing.

It was more than I could have hoped.

It had me in tears!

And people stayed for ages.

- It's comfortable here!
- It just makes sense as a venue.

It's an outside event and people will eventually need a restroom.

There are drinks too.

Few restrooms offer space for casual outdoor events.

It's beautiful and clean and it encourages people to linger.

They can enjoy the event as long as they want. A perfect match.

A space for building community, and a shining beacon that becomes part of the landscape.

I enjoyed discovering this safe, and beautifully clean public restroom!

Did you know that some of Tokyo's restrooms have become tourist destinations?

The Tokyo Toilet project brought together 16 nationally and internationally famous architects and creators,

reflecting their skills and personalities in 17 new public restrooms around the Shibuya area.

This one provides shelter from the rain with deep eaves like a traditional Japanese veranda.

The slatted walls ensure ventilation and a bright interior for users' comfort.

Here, cedar planks surround a forest hamlet of toilets to suit the verdant setting.

Cherry and zelkova wood decorate the interior.

The small paths between each hut feel like a stroll through the woods.

This park features a well-loved octopus slide.

Beside it is a restroom inspired by a squid with outstretched fins.

Talk about unique!

Perhaps the most unusual toilet is this round, white building.

It has one particular function that's drawing interest from all kinds of people.

It's the work of creative director Sato Kazoo.

His unique ideas for adverts, concert performances, and product development have all won acclaim.

When I use a public toilet I don't want to touch the seat.

I'll open the door with my elbow.

But I wanted hard data, so I did research focused on Asia.

A pretty high percentage of folks don't like touching toilets.

So why not create a restroom where you don't have to?

First, you scan a QR code at the entrance.

This pairs the toilet to your phone so that the door only opens for you.

If you don't have a smartphone, don't worry!

You can just press a button.

Hi Toilet, close the door.

"I'll close the door."

You can even use special voice commands to use the toilet without touching a thing!

Hi Toilet, turn on the sink.

"I'll turn on the sink."

Hi Toilet, play music.

You can choose music from over a hundred tracks including classical and rock.

I can see people staying for longer than they need to!

The dome-shaped design includes a special function every restroom needs.

A ventilation shaft hidden beneath the lip.

Air follows the curve of the ceiling to create a constant flow, ensuring that smells don't hang around.

Japanese toilets are known worldwide for their cleanliness.

Why not take that one step further, and give the restroom personality?

You communicate through speech to get what you need from it.

I hope that humanizing the experience makes people think about the space.

I think it prompts us to be more considerate and careful in our use.

A friendly restroom...

I might pay a visit next time I'm in the area.

"Hi Toilet."

Our next stop is a little further afield: The town of Miyoshi, in Saitama prefecture.

Farms here supply Tokyo with a lot of produce.

Hi everyone, I'm Shaula.

We have a lovely weather today; the trees and the fresh breeze feel great.

And, I'm here to find out more about a completely sustainable and circular toilet.

Hi, nice to meet you! I'm Shaula.

Hi, I'm Saito.

Here to meet me is project director Saito Yukako, who oversaw the planning of the restroom.

She works in Japan and Italy, primarily on recycling projects alongside a wide variety of creators.

It looks so chic!

Not much like a toilet.

True, it's not what I'd expect. It offers complete recycling?

Yes, it's a complete loop. Not a drop of water is wasted.

The same goes for the materials used for the entire building.

The walls are completely recycled?

That's right.

Wow, what are they made from?

The land is owned by an industrial waste firm.

The restroom is made from soil reconstructed from construction waste.

Generated by tearing down buildings.

Yes, rubble and dirt is broken down very finely.

Then it's carefully separated to create usable materials.

I see.

The restroom is part of an eco-conscious sustainable park run by a local industrial waste processing firm.

Here, visitors can learn about natural cycles and processes in a playful way.

And the timber up here?

Discarded at construction sites.

Everything we use is compostable.

So if all of it was knocked down tomorrow, it would cause no harm.

Yes, every single part of it is biodegradable. It will return to soil.

It's a beautiful design. Who came up with it?

Tono Mirai, who's based in Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture.

He's an architect and expert in soil from all over the world.

Architect Tono Mirai sees soil as a material that helps soothe the stress of modern life.

He uses it to create buildings with gentle curves.

He studied the durability, safety and other aspects of reconstructed soil over three years.

Historic plastering techniques were used to carefully build up 27 layers to create these tough, earthen walls.

- May I?
- Please, go ahead.

It feels unusual. Almost soft?

- Very different from concrete.
- It is.

- Almost welcoming.
- Yes, that's it! It feels accepting of touch.

Let's look inside. What's the sink made from?

It also uses materials made from construction waste.

In fact, almost everything we see in here is made from waste.

The toilet itself is cute!

The shape seems a little unusual, am I right?

The material too.

- May I take a closer look?
- Of course.

- It's like wood chips!
- That's right.

It's made from waterproof wood chips.

The toilet is waterproof wood, a new kind of biomaterial.

Amazing. A waterproof wooden toilet is very unique!

We wanted the world's most beautiful toilet, and this is what we got.

Beauty isn't just skin-deep.

Exactly. Every single material was carefully chosen.

Each one had to be good for the planet.

How does the flush mechanism work? A button press?

That's right.

- Like a regular toilet.
- The normal amount of water.

But it doesn't lead to a sewer.

No, it has an old-fashioned storage tank.

How's the smell?

I don't smell anything.

I'm wary of small restrooms in the outdoors, but I only smell wood.

We actually use a specific technology to break down any smells.

Let me show you where the toilet water goes.

This way.

Inside here?

Yes, it's unusual to know where it goes.

It's normally invisible.

Here we use a tank to allow visitors to see the purification process.

This is purified, completely clean water. You can touch it.

There's cloth down below. It's home to various microorganisms.

It functions like a natural stream. We'll see algae growing here soon.

Really?

Yes, a sign of clean water.

The purification setup works exactly like a clean, natural stream.

That's fascinating.

The dirty water in the tanks is cleaned using the latest biotechnology.

It was inspired by the fermentation process used in Japanese sake.

It's filled with microorganisms.

Fermentation uses lots of yeast and microorganisms, right?

We also rely on a wide range of organisms to break down impurities.

So by fermenting the water you create clean, fresh water?

Yes, we can completely break down the contaminants in 48 hours.

Seeing the process for yourself does add weight to the explanation.

I hope it gets visitors interested. What happens to our pee and poop?

This setup is bigger than the toilet itself.

But it reveals all the things we hide away in our daily life.

There's so much we think we know, but don't truly understand.

By making that process visible we hope to inspire our visitors.

Right.

This particular restroom was inspired by traditional farming practices in the local region.

But why build that toilet in this particular spot?

This area has a very special history.

There's a long tradition of returning things to the soil.

Really?

Locals have carefully tended the soil here for centuries.

They used fallen leaves to do so. It takes time, care, and skill.

So I knew this toilet also had to contribute to the local soil.

It's going to see a lot of use. What are your hopes going forward?

People have given up on these hidden sides of life.

I think of this as a kind of environmental textbook.

It shows us what true recycling means. It can be an everyday thing!

I hope it inspires people to understand, and to take action.

An inspirational toilet, I like it!

Let's finish on a high note.

The toilet I visited?

No bad smells at all! Isn't that amazing?

Let's hope this sparks a wave of clean, safe restrooms around the world.