Today I am sharing a fabulous Flickr album that features the delights of public toilets in Okinawa, Japan. What a great basis for a Japanese road trip. Whether you call them restrooms, toilets, WCs … here are a few to capture your imagination. (Oh and I’m going to try hard not to accidentally use any loo-like puns in this article. I may fail).

Before we go any further, here’s the link to the album.

My favourite is the one above, the tree trunk loo. Here’s another:

1a
This cute loo (fishy facilities) is designed with an ocean feel to it – note the portholes and the waves on the roof. Although there’s no evident signage, it’s thought that the colours of the archways – the blue and the pink – indicate which loo is for the girls and which for the guys. The Flickr page gives us the information that both ‘sitter and squatters’ are supplied within.

Now we go to the tangerine toilet.

2
The tangerine toilet is located in the mountain village of Izumi. Why the local authorities, assuming the local authorities are responsible for public loo placement, decided to have such a cute little building in a remote area is a mystery. But there’s a soft-drinks bottling company nearby  – which is a liquid connection although I imagine that the company provides facilities for its workers… next, the cathedral comfort station.3
Mildly Gaudi-like, this public facility features small stained glass panels that cast glowing colours onto the interior walls – and its users. To me, the looks of this building are rather compromised by the unfortunately-placed vending machines dispensing soft drinks. Oh, soft drinks again… now for the tiki toilet.

4
The tiki toilet has a genuine (and traditional) thatched roof. The website reports that despite its rustic exterior, these public facilities are hi-tech and once again, ‘sitter’ and ‘squatters’ are supplied to suit patrons’ preferences. And yes, just out of the photograph there are vending machines. Of course.

SEE MANY MORE AT FLICKR

Finally, I love the detailed instructions given in public restrooms in Japan:

WHERE IS OKINAWA?

Fishy Facilities

Kuroshio Park

Tangerine Toilet

Izumi,
Motobu,
Kunigami District,
Okinawa Prefecture 905-0221,
Japan

Tree Trunk

Motobu,
Kunigami District,
Okinawa Prefecture,
Japan

Cathedral Comfort Station

Naha,
Okinawa Prefecture,
Japan

 

Tiki Toilets

MCAS Futenma,
2 Chome-4-5 Oyama,
Ginowan,
Okinawa Prefecture 901-2223,
Japan

Note: The markers in the map above show the villages/towns/cities where the loos are located. They do not show the exact location of the public facilities, just the area. Please do not rely on them to find the restrooms if you are in dire need!
ARTICLE BY:
Jackie

Jackie

JJ is originally from the UK and has lived in South Florida since 1994. She is the founder and editor of JAQUO Magazine. You can connect with her using the social media icons below.
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