KAMAKURA, Kanagawa Prefecture—In this popular tourist spot, visitors are annoying local businesses. They’re misusing the toilets provided for customers.

Fed up with lines, blockage and expense, some commercial facilities are restricting bathroom access.

A convenience store near Kamakura Station has posted a sign that reads, “Restrooms are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.”

But that’s not all. Inside, another signs reads, “Please enter a key code to open the restroom.”

And another reminds people that the restrooms are for customers only. It politely asks visitors “not to just use the restroom.”

The store first began limiting toilet access four or five years ago.

But that didn’t stem the flow. The line for the restrooms sometimes stretched outside the store, blocking the entrance and deterring potential shoppers.

Moreover, the toilets were often foul. People would flush disposable pocket warmers or plastic lids for cups of liquor, which caused the toilet bowl to back up. Store staff were having to clean the toilets and do unpleasant maintenance, diverting them from serving customers.

The financial costs were met by the store. At one point, it was stung with a monthly water bill of about 100,000 yen ($640).

Tired of the lavatory drama, a year or two ago the store locked the door with a PIN-type latch.

Others have gone down this route, too.

Near the station is MUJIcom Hotel Metropolitan Kamakura, a clothing store and restaurant, which introduced a PIN system for its two restrooms in December 2023. A third restroom at the site, a multipurpose facility, remains unrestricted.

The store installed the lock just before New Year’s because it anticipated a throng of toilet-goers making a New Year’s visit to the famed Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine.

The restrooms had long been a source of stress. People would constantly steal the toilet paper. And in the summer, bathers would often change inside the store’s restrooms, shaking sand on the floor and causing a further headache.

Compounding the problem is the ever-increasing number of foreign tourists. They need to use the toilet, too, but some don’t follow proper etiquette. 

In the restroom at the Zeniaraibenzaiten shrine, a sign in Korean and Chinese in addition to Japanese urges users not to “flush popsicles or dango sticks down the toilet,” which could clog the pipes and cause a backup.

But convenience stores get it the worst. This is because there are many people who rely on convenience stores as public restrooms and plan their day around their locations. 

A staffer at the convenience store near Kamakura Station once found the itinerary for a school trip that someone had left in the restroom. It identified convenience stores as restroom locations.

In some people’s minds, there is no clear distinctions between convenience stores and public conveniences.

Staff at the store once told a toilet-seeker that a purchase was needed, to which the outraged visitor replied: “You’re a convenience store and you won’t let me use the bathroom? I can’t believe it!”

There are public facilities in Kamakura. The city government maintains 39 public restrooms around town.

A city official said building more facilities “is difficult with a limited budget.”

The annual cleaning fee for the 39 public restrooms is about 42 million yen, and the annual water bill for the restrooms is about 12 million yen, the city said.

The restrooms at the east exit of Kamakura Station get particularly heavy use. They need to be cleaned six times a day on weekdays and nine times a day on weekends and holidays, the city said.

Given the burden, the city asks for donations from users. They can deposit cash in boxes at the entrances to both the male and female toilets.

The city said donations amount to 700,000 to 800,000 yen annually, which helps to offset cleaning and maintenance costs.

Japan is known internationally for its bathroom quality.

In 2018, toilet manufacturer Toto Ltd. conducted a survey of 150 foreign tourists. Of these, 45.3 percent cited "the restrooms are well-lit and not smelly" as a factor that makes it easier to visit tourist sites.

In fact, this response was second only to “there are many wireless LAN spots,” which 52.7 percent of respondents chose.

Conversely, the No. 1 deterrent for foreigners at visitor attractions was “restrooms are dim and smelly,” which 30 percent of people affirmed.

Sadahiro Otsu, executive director of the Kamakura City Tourist Association, said the restroom dilemma is a major issue for Kamakura.

It needs to allocate part of the tourism budget to the renovation and maintenance of restrooms, Otsu said.

“I would like to see more awareness that first-class tourist attractions should also have first-class restrooms,” he added.