The world’s greatest toilet culture
A fine German film director puts Japan’s spotless facilities in the spotlight
The protagonist of “Perfect Days”, a new film by Wim Wenders, a German director, is a Japanese sanitary worker. Each day he rises before dawn to clean public toilets in Tokyo. His job of scrubbing urinals and mopping floors is unalluring—yet the toilets are architectural wonders. One has transparent walls which turn opaque when its door is locked. Another is beautifully clad with wood planks. The domed white structure of one resembles a spaceship.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “The world’s greatest toilet culture”
Asia September 30th 2023
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From the September 30th 2023 edition
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