Why “Great” American Cities Have a Toilet Problem...

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A NOLLISTUDIO/NOLLIMEDIA Production

00:00 INTRO
01:13 NORTH AMERICA
02:12 DESIGNER TOILETS IN JAPAN
03:37 AUTOMATIC PUBLIC TOILETS LIMITATIONS
05:53 YOKOCHOS & THE NETWORK OF PUBLIC TOILETS IN JAPAN
08:37 JAPAN'S BEAUTIFUL TOILETS: WHERE IS THE TRICK?
09:55 OBSESSION WITH TOILETS
13:06 INDIANS DO IT BETTER (GARV & LOOTCAFE)
14:30 CONCLUSIONS

#tokyo #toilets #japan #architecture

Synopsys

After visiting well-maintained public toilets in Japan, I wondered why we lack them. Public toilets are scarce in North America, forcing people to buy items just to use facilities. Homeless people and those with medical conditions struggle the most. Public toilets in Japan are clean, artistic, and cost-effective due to private-public partnerships, unlike North American toilets that face vandalism and high maintenance costs. Clean, accessible toilets could improve public life and reflect cultural values. Do we see toilets as a basic human right?

[Stormtrooper--dxxj]

The Japanese culture of taking care of things perhaps plays an important role why public spaces are clean.

[TheFinius]

I understand you're trying to keep this upbeat but I think you missed part of the problem in North America. I'm a janitor and I assure you not all the problems with public restrooms are from the homeless, that has just exacerbated the problem. People are if not self-centered, at least not thinking about others when they use any public facilities. Throwing trash on the floor and minor and major vandalism are common even in commercial restrooms. There is a systemic cultural bias towards selfish thinking. Any public area is someone else's problem to take care. Put as many public restrooms up as you want and someone will scrawl on the walls, throw trash on the floors, and not flush the toilets leading to a decline in the restroom and increasing upkeep. They'll look you in the eye when they do it as well, daring you to say anything, I have it happen on a regular basis. I wish we had places like you describe in Japan but I don't believe it's possible in our culture.

[tats]

There is also the fact that schools in Japan do not have janitors, the students actually have to clean the school themselves, so if they trash it then they have to clean it. It's something that is taught from kindergarten, so it is ingrained in the culture. Which is why if someone litters in Japan, like even tossing cigarette butts, the general reaction from everyone around even if they don't say it is, "Gross! Do you not realize someone else has to clean your mess?! Are you really that childish, irresponsible, or just some type of sociopath?!"

[Vidsandso]

You should look into Singapore. The founder of Singapore actually made it a cornerstone of building Singapore to have clean toilets everywhere. Having unclean toilets will actually shut down your business here.

[thehellezell]

My first thought: “Why do you have to ask that question? 😂”

Then: “Yeah, why DOES she have to ask it?? 😢”

[zankouh_wd]

In Japan real estate developers are also sometimes required by zoning laws to build public toilets in certain areas

[BenovskyGM]

My intuition tells me that the reason is that our culture is more interested in money/power and individualism, those two things combine mean "Why waste money on a communal wellbeing if it will not net me any immediate tangible gain?".

[michaelweedall]

It isn't just that North America has a homeless problem. It is cultural. The Japan had a homeless problem spike about 15 years not as bad as what is happening in the US or Canada but big here. Osaka Castle Park had a large tent city. The homeless on their own set up a neighborhood association. Set out the tent spaces. They organized government garbage pick up. Policed themselves to a large extent. Helped residents with mental problems etc. The public toilets in the park could still be used by park visitors and tourists no problem. There was a shanty built by a couple under a bridge next to the river in the center of Kyoto. They lived there for 3 years. They took up half of the bike/walking lane. There was never any garbage or dirtiness. They had a sign on the building apologizing for being an annoyance.

[zeldamaniac]

I'd like to see a study on how lack of public toilets in north america has contributed to people not leaving their house as much.

You can only go to the bathroom if you're near a store, and then only during store hours. People plan their trips based on being able to use the bathroom. At some point people give up and only visit known "safe" areas that will have a bathroom.

[brain_respect_and_freedom]

In 2022 we can read in the article: Germany's capital Berlin is the European city with the worst public toilets, with a cleanliness score of just 0.16/5, and almost one in ten (9.58%) of its reviews including words synonymous with "dirty". London is also among the cities with the dirtiest toilets, with a score of just 0.32/5. The best 4.85/5 Finland's capital city Helsinki👍

[kirkjong]

I live in Vancouver. We cannot maintain clean, quality public washrooms for the same reasons we cannot leave our bicycles unlocked and our windows unbarred. Our society and value system is simply just not built up the concepts of respect for the greater good and community importance. Everything here needs vandalism/theft mitigation and overwhelmingly expensive maintenance and repairs. It's disheartening.

[MichiruEll]

In Switzerland we're probably kinda in the middle.
What always bothers me in the US is that there are never any toilet brushes available to clean after yourself if needed. I was raised to check the toilet after I flush it and clean it if there's a trace. I do that no matter if I'm at my home, at a friend's, at work, at a hotel or in a public restroom. And in Switzerland, there is alwas a brush available right next to the toilet. But for some reason, it's not the case in the US.
TMI: I remember how horrified I was when I was in the US in a hotel with my partner for the first time, and I could not clean the streak I had left in the toilet.

[doggytheanarchist]

It's opposite world. The more people you have living on the streets, the more public restrooms you need to make available.
You can't just refuse people housing and toilets and then arrest them and put them on the pervert list, coz they had to go piss in the bushes.

[xBris]

5:34 - that should tell you a lot. The US *IS* in many regards a developing nation. It lacks behind so many metrics compared to other developed nations. It's really astonishing how little Americans know about the state of their country.

[thomashiggins]

In Germany, toilets in public places usually have attendants.

Frequently, retirees work there to supplement their pensions (I think...).
They sit in secure booths behind thick glass and keep an eye on the place.

Suspicious behavior results in a quick call to building security; they keep everything stocked up; and when nobody is around, they clean the place.

They always have a tip jar, and people frequently drop in a one or two euro coin.

Seems to work pretty well.

[DressedRunner]

I read somewhere that the Japanese sees the toilet space as something sacred and essential. It's a place where they can unwind after a long day and just be alone. That is why even though houses in Japan, especially in Tokyo, despite being notoriously confided, will somehow always fit in a proper toilet and an actual bathtub!

[NachtmahrNebenan]

"Perfect Days" by Wim Wenders shows the transparent/opaque toilets embedded in a beautiful story. This film is really about clean toilets! 😄

[delwoty]

1:57 first toilet must've been hell

[djangokill]

Just got back from Japan last week (with two young children in tow) and was amazed by Japanese infrastructure, transportation and PUBLIC TOILETS!

[Ilyak]

"Do we think that access to a decent public toilet is a human right?"

See, I don't think it's the infrastructure that's a problem. Yes, there can be more of it--however, it's the PEOPLE that are different. In Japan, the people believe in keeping the community safe, clean, pristine, etc. Granted, Japan's population isn't perfect, but in terms of why Japan has better communal spaces? Because Japan has better *communities*.

The infrastructure can stand to be improved, yes. But the difference in people is night and day--something that's a stubborn fact that some do not like to acknowledge.