The Tokyo Toilet

I finally watched Wim Wenders’ ‘Perfect Days‘ which came out in 2023 only to discover that the wonderful movie was commissioned as a marketing pitch for the ‘Tokyo Toilet‘ project.

The ‘Tokyo Toilet’ project was an initiative of Nippon Foundation under which 17 toilets were redesigned by 16 world famous architects including Pritzker awardees, in Shibuya, Tokyo. The movie shows the precision, dedication and meditative state (its Japan after all) of Hirayama as he goes about his daily task of cleaning and maintaining each toilet. They definitely looked swankier and shinier than the workstation I’m currently sitting at and typing this on.

This NYT piece had this cautionary take too:

Yet some viewers have found the character to represent an unrealistic fantasy. A man who lives an isolated life, satisfied with a low-wage, grimy job is “the dream of men and Western people” who valorize what they see as Japanese equanimity, said Kaori Hayashi, a professor of media studies at the University of Tokyo. “I think those who think this is great are people who are already rich” and who want an escape from overstuffed executive schedules, Hayashi said.

The official Website of the Tokyo Toilet. Do check it out!