See-through public loos have been opened in two parks Shibuya – commercial part of Japanese capital – known for shopping facilities and quality of nightlife.
The washrooms use colored “smart glass” which changes to opaque when someone is using the facilities.
Tokyo has implemented the glass technology to help identify whether the toilet is clean – and if anyone is currently using it.
Users have already expressed their fear that once they are inside the toilets, they cannot tell if the glass is opaque or not. The fear has given them a strange feeling that they are on display while using the toilets.
Various top-notch designers helped create the restroom as part of the Tokyo Toilet Project to change individual’s “dark, dirty, smelly, and scary” perceptions of public toilets.
“There are two things we worry about when entering a public restroom, especially those located at a park,” award-winning architect Shigeru Ban who was part of the work and, in a statement said as reported by Sky news.
“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,” he added.
While Nippon Foundation – non-profit charity, that had overseen the project noted that the use of public loos in Japan is limited because of the stereotypes that people have created that they are dark, dirty, smelly, and scary.
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“These public toilets are being designed by 16 leading creators, and will use advanced design to make them accessible for everyone regardless of gender, age, or disability, to demonstrate the possibilities of an inclusive society,” the foundation said in a statement.
Tokyo is planning to open more of these toilets across the same neighborhood by next spring.
