Tokyo Toilet Project: Nao Tamura @ Higashi 3-chome
Nao Tamura is a product designer based in New York, where diverse people, including LGBTQ+ people, proudly pursue what feels right for them. When she was tapped to design a public restroom in the middle of cosmopolitan Shibuya area as part of “The Tokyo Toilet” project, she took the opportunity to revisit the requirements for public restrooms, which obviously are used by all kinds of people who may have all kinds of preferences and needs. What kind of public restrooms will make people feel themselves, and what kind of society do we have to have in order to embrace them as they are? The key is to be able to provide comfortable experiences no matter who they are. As far as the restrooms are concerned, privacy and safety is the most important elements, Tamura concluded, which is represented by the design that is made of three personal spaces.
As the facility is located in the center of Tokyo, which is visited by a lot of people, she decided to express hospitality that welcomes everyone. She got inspiration from origata, traditional decoration for gifts made with paper, like origami, wishing that the restroom will provide comfort and safety for every visitor.