Japan’s hi-tech toilets are a thing of wonder: some play music to you, others heat your bottom – and there are some that will even give you a wash and a blow-dry.
Not all of the loos are this luxurious – 40% of public toilets in the country’s main tourist destinations are still traditional squats. But this is all set to change as the government plans to update and “westernise” them in time for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
As an apparent authority on toilets, Japan is also reportedly offering its expertise to China to help it improve its public bathrooms across the country – part of president Xi Jinping’s own “toilet revolution” launched in 2015.
Aside from the jets and heated seats, public loos across Japan’s cities are often equally wacky on the outside, as captured by Japanese photographer Hidefumi Nakamura through his Instagram account @toilets_a_go_go.
“I was interested in Japanese public toilets of various designs for some reason. I saw many toilets and started to think it was more and more fun,” says Nakamura.
The Tokyo-based photographer says he loves the diversity of Japanese toilets, and is “looking forward to meeting a toilet” that he hasn’t yet seen.
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