Toilet paper on the floor, the soap dispenser empty, the walls scrawled, the air bad: Public toilets are usually not very inviting - and yet everyone has to visit them once. In Japan, however, one finds toilets, which do not correspond to the impression of these dirty cabins, at least from the outside, they greet with a more positive image.

Since 2017, Hidefumi Nakamura has photographed freestanding public toilets in Japan - especially in Tokyo. They are in parks, in front of station buildings, on squares or in residential areas. They are available as wood-paneled huts, with paintings at the entrance or with a tent roof in church tower look.

Some are small, others are brightly painted, some are modern, others are designed to blend in with the surroundings. They are small architectural jewels in the middle of the city. According to the Nakamura, they are easy to find - so many are there. He has documented more than 200 toilets on his Instagram account so far.

photo gallery


12 pictures

Public toilets in Japan: Hokus Lokus

What fascinates Nakamura about toilets? "I see them as buildings, I find it exciting how diverse they are." Each has a unique architecture that he wants to capture.

From the outside, the toilets look great, but what about inside? Nakamura does not want to show that in his pictures, he is concerned only with the external design. "But it is probably no different than in Germany," he says.

Even though Japan's toilet culture is actually highly developed: there are high-tech toilets with remote control, heated toilet seats and music sound. But according to Nakamura, this is rarely found in public toilets.

His project is far from finished for him: even in Tokyo there are countless toilets, which he would like to photograph.