It’s been controversial since it was first installed. But a new report from a celebrity in Japan raises concerns about men who are using Shibuya’s (in)famous transparent toilet installation to sexually assault women.
The Tokyo Toilet
The toilet, officially known as “The Tokyo Toilet” (I swear – they have a domain name and everything!), is located in Shibuya City, Tokyo, in Yoyogi’s Ogawa Community Park. The park is immediately outside an entrance to the Yoyogi Park Station, a common transit point for people traveling to the much larger and more famous Yoyogi Park.
The structure is the work of architect Ban Shigeru (坂茂). Ban is known for his work establishing the Voluntary Architects Network, which provides architectural assistance for disaster recovery for homeowners, museums, and others.
The Toilet is unique in that it’s transparent if it’s unoccupied. The walls become opaque only after you enter and lock the door. Ban says he designed the facility so that you can see if it’s clean and unoccupied before you try to enter. An additional benefit is that it looks pretty at night.
When I visited this week, the park consisted mainly of two groups” locals who’d brought their kids to play in the park (it was Sports Day, a public holiday, so the park was pretty busy) and tourists who’d come to gawk and take pictures of the unique attraction. I didn’t see anyone actually use the toilet.
A transparent controversy
Unfortunately, the installation has been problematic from the get-go. When it opened, multiple people on social media reported that the doors didn’t work. I.e., they didn’t become opaque when you locked them.
It turns out the problems were caused by cold weather. When the temperature drops, it can take a while for the glass to frost over. In response, the agency maintaining the facility said that it would switch the glass to be fully opaque at all times from late October to May.
Japanese talent: “A new form of abuse”
Now, a Japanese celebrity has sounded the alarm over an intentional abuse of the facility in order to harass and assault women.
Fujita Nicole is a Japanese model and talent whose most recent variety radio program, Fujita Nikoru no Ashita wa Nichiyoubi (Tomorrow is Sunday), airs on Saturday at 7 pm JST on TBS Radio. On her broadcast on October 12th, she shared a disturbing incident regarding the Tokyo Toilet.
According to Fujita, a taxi driver pulled up to the park and used the toilet while she was there. But he refused to lock the door, which left the glass transparent, while he did his business.
“He looked at me and smiled,” she said on her program, making it clear the man acted intentionally.
“I was subject to a new form of abuse,” she said. “This wasn’t an accident. He didn’t close it properly.”
“This dude’s a repeat offender,” Fujita insisted. “Everyone should be on guard.”
It’s not clear what – if any – steps authorities will take regarding Fujita’s report. A sign at the facility indicates it’s already monitored 24/7 by security cameras.
Japan struggles to reign in sexual assault
Japan hasn’t made the same sort of headlines that South Korea has with outright misogyny. If anything, the country’s belated #MeToo movement has led to a greater awareness of sexual assault against women.
Progress, however, is slow. Japan’s government last year told schools nationwide to stop docking students for tardiness if the students had to take time to report a sexual assault on the train. Statistics from victim advocacy groups show that as many as 80% of groping assaults on trains go unreported.
In recent years, sports venues have begun to forbid photography, as some men have resorted to taking sexualized pictures of female athletes and posting them online. Some even use special infrared cameras to capture the outlines of athlete’s undergarments. The problem has become so severe that sportswear manufacturers in Japan are developing anti-infrared fabric.
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Sources
藤田ニコル、渋谷の“透明トイレ”で新手の「露出見せつけ男」被害「絶対に常習犯、あいつ」. Nikkan Sports
藤田ニコル 新手の“痴漢被害”に遭ったことを告白 「絶対アイツは常習犯…みんな気を付けて！」. Sponichi Annex
THE TOKYO TOILET. Official website
