The Nippon Foundation approached the Shibuya district with the idea of creating public toilets that can be used comfortably by all people, regardless of gender, age or disability. The project was funded by the foundation and the initiator YANAI Koji, vice president at Fast Retailing, the parent company of “Uniqlo”, and son of YANAI Tadashi, one of Japan’s richest entrepreneurs. Planning began in 2018 and the toilets were installed one after the other between 2020 and 2023. YANAI Koji commissioned famous architects and designers – Pritzker Architecture Prize winners ANDÔ Tadaô, BAN Shigeru and MAKI Fumihiko – to design a total of 17 toilet facilities in his hometown. To drive the project forward, YANAI Koji had a film made by Wim WENDERS: “Perfect Days”. The story of a toilet cleaner was awarded the best actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
other architectural joint projects
1988-1991 – Nexus World, FukuokaHartmut Pohling2026-03-02T17:54:37+01:00
1988-1991 – Nexus World, Fukuoka
2020-2023 – The Tokyo Toilet, TôkyôHartmut Pohling2026-03-10T19:22:58+01:00
