Last month, Ichihara City officially opened what it
called "the biggest public toilet in the world." A grand gesture that
is slightly misleading — it is in fact the largest plot of land for a single
toilet — but nonetheless, it's not to be sniffed at.
The toilet, which is conveniently located in front of
Itabu Station on the Kominato Railway Line, is boxed in glass and sits smack in
the middle of a spacious garden of potted flowers and plants. For privacy, and to
fend off any peeping Toms, there is a two-meter-high fence surrounding the
garden.
It's a bold use of a lot of space, and that made it
odd enough for the press to investigate: NHK ran a video report, as did Asahi
on ANN News, while several national newspapers ran articles — not to mention
all the blogs that redistributed the story.
Though its strangeness has had quite a few
commentators focusing on the quirkiness of the project, with some criticizing
it as a waste of space and funds — it cost around ¥10 million — not so many
have looked into the "why?" behind it.
"There used to be no public toilets suitable for
tourists' use (here)," said an official from Ichihara City Tourism
Promotion Department, who explained that Ichihara is an area that attracts a lot
of sightseers in spring because of its abundance of natural beauty, which
includes flourishing cherry trees and mustard fields.
The area might be beautiful, but the only toilets
available for visitors were botton benjo, unattractive pit toilets that
appeared old-fashioned and unclean. Those original pit toilets were installed
for train passengers at Itabu Station. But with infrequent trains and the area
still being popular, many visitors now come by car. "We wanted to create
toilets that drivers and their passengers could use as well," the official
said.
But why make it so unusual? According to the official,
it's hoped that the toilet will become a tourist attraction for visitors to
next year's Ichihara City Art Festival, which is currently in its planning
stages. The festival is a government-led initiative to improve the area through
the "renovation of public facilities with the help of arts," which
they hope will attract more tourists and boost the region's economy.
With all this in mind, a budget of ¥10 million seems
less bizarre for a single toilet, as does the choice of designer — Sou
Fujimoto, a globally prominent figure who recently rocketed to international
fame with his company's winning proposal for the new Taiwan Tower, the
"21st Century Oasis," a startling design inspired by the banyan tree.
Fujimoto was recommended by Fram Kitagawa, art
director of Art Front Gallery, the organization that Ichihara city entrusts
with the management of its arts festival.
"I thought it would be quite interesting. Public
lavatories are something both private and public, so designing them can be a
very motivating challenge for architects," explained Fujimoto in an email
interview. "I was also enthusiastic about the fact that Itabu Station is
surrounded by such wonderful wildlife. I thought it was a great opportunity to
rethink the relationship between architecture and nature."
That relationship with nature, however, is not yet
fully realized. Most of the images that have been published in the media so far
were taken on April 6, the day of the toilet's official opening ceremony. The
view of numerous plant pots laid out on the ground surrounding the loo led some
onlookers to question the budget and design. But the area had only just
completed its first stage of construction, and the soil has yet to settle
properly. Since nothing could be planted, the pots were in fact ad hoc
improvisation for the opening. The city assures everyone that in the future,
the garden will resemble Fujimoto's original concept — a wild grassland area
with trees lining the fence.
The fact that the toilet is only for women, which city
officials say is simply to keep the number of users and queues manageable, may
also change.
"I'm hoping to discuss with the city making the
toilet open to both women and men in the future," said Fujimoto. "As
an architect, I'd rather prefer the toilet was used by everyone, regardless of
sex. That would enable more people to share the experience."
In the meantime, Fujimoto has designed another toilet,
which is adjacent to the garden and available for both men and women to use.
The architect himself hasn't actually used the
glass-encased toilet, though he did sit on it its basin at the opening
ceremony. "I could enjoy the spectacular view while still feeling
protected," he said. "No other toilet would allow you a feeling like
that."
