In an effort to encourage proper cleaning and management, two small parks in Tokyo’s lively Shibuya district have installed transparent public toilets. Now, you may think that it’s inappropriate to have see-through walls when doing your business, but in this case, technology has come to the rescue.
Titled the “Tokyo Toilet Project,” the newly installed spaces utilise smart glass that can turn opaque with the flick of a switch. Interestingly, Shigeru Ban, one of Japan’s leading architects, designed the restrooms to privatise themselves once the door is locked.
The project was made possible after the designs underwent a series of tests, unsurprisingly, this included a rigorous privacy test. Furthermore, the toilets have been praised for their warm aesthetic at night, being described as “beautiful lanterns” that light up at night.
Take a look at Tokyo’s transparent toilets in action below.
