OSAKA—Public restrooms are the backbone of any major event, but how well-designed are the “all-gender” ones at the 2025 Osaka Kansai Expo?

The spaces, named by the expo, are there for any visitors compelled by the call of nature and are being touted as symbols of the international fair themed a “laboratory for future society.”

As for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender patrons, two individuals whose sex does not match their gender identity recently gave feedback on the venue’s go at inclusive washrooms.

COMFORT IS THE GOAL

Eighteen of the 45 restrooms overseen by the event organizers on the expo grounds are gender neutral. Some are located next to men’s or women’s bathrooms. Elsewhere, genderless stalls are arranged within loosely separated cubicle zones.

One setup stood out to both evaluators.

“The facility is particularly easy to utilize and lets me blend in with others since all cubicles are intended for anyone, irrespective of gender,” said a 26-year-old trans woman, who refers to herself simply as Yukie. “I did not have to be overly conscious of my gender, as the gender distribution of the visitors was balanced.”

The restroom sits beside the Azerbaijan pavilion, which is near the north end of the centrally located Forest of Tranquility zone. More than 30 gender-neutral stalls are lined up in parallel.

An X-gender person, 39, born male and now living as a “feminine-leaning” gender-neutral individual who asked to go by the pseudonym Hibiki, noticed that the washroom’s layout encourages a fixed one-way route with its separate entrance and exit.

“It is embarrassing for me to pass by women in a bathroom,” said Hibiki when assessing the restroom. “I am certain that women feel the same way, so it is good that there are a different entrance and exit.”

Hibiki and Yukie visited and inspected a total of nine locations. Some of the lavatory establishments prompted ideas for improvement, with one inspector suggesting that the red external wall be “replaced with a monochrome building, because the red color is so strongly associated with being for women that I feel hesitant to use it.”

As people of different genders, ages and conceivable demographics come with an array of needs, Yukie wants steady refinement.

“There could be 10 different, easier styles for 10 people to utilize a restroom, and it would be unacceptable to make it difficult for those who prefer separate bathrooms to relieve themselves,” Yukie said. “I hope that much better bathrooms will be developed step by step, listening to feedback from people with diverse backgrounds.”

What to label this type of bathroom at the expo was likewise brought into question.

Yukie argued that the Japanese word “danjo-kyoyo” (unisex), rather than the “all-gender,” may be more suitable wording to easily signal that these stalls are there for all attendees.

“Although I am not sure why, it (the term ‘all-gender’) sounds more like the restroom is specifically aimed at people with gender dysphoria,” said Hibiki. “Some might view the terminology as considerate, but others may find it discriminatory.”

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL STRESSORS

Akiko Hino, an employee of housing equipment giant Lixil Corp., always asks her audience one question when lecturing at seminars about washrooms: “Which would you choose if both a unisex bathroom and separate men’s and women’s restrooms were in front of you?”

In posing this question, Hino said she wants attendees to “understand that there are still people who find it difficult to make decisions involving this topic, whereas most would be able to choose in an instant.”

She believes that preparing easy-to-use restrooms for everyone at not only schools, workplaces and playgrounds but also experiential venues such as the expo is essential. Hino stated that a society without such restrooms cannot be considered equal for or open to all.

“Providing readily accessible washrooms is part of protecting human rights,” Hino said.

The inclusion of gender-neutral stalls at the Osaka Kansai Expo was achieved in a similar vein as they are the result of an Osaka-based citizen’s group advocating their necessity. Shinsetsu C Team Kikaku (newly introduced C team planning) is committed to activities that raise awareness of the challenges that LGBT individuals face within the greater local community.

Sexual minorities are sometimes hesitant about entering gender-segregated restrooms out of fear of being stared at by others if their appearance does not align with their self-identified gender.

Physical health risks can also follow the mental stress—some individuals reportedly developed inflamed bladders after putting off a bathroom trip for too long in particularly terrible cases. Limiting how much they drink to avoid going to a public restroom can similarly lead to dehydration.

More gender-neutral bathrooms would benefit other demographics as well.

Tsukumo Shioyasu, 44, head of Shinsetsu C Team Kikaku, said, “It's not just sexual minorities who need all-gender restrooms.”

The reasoning is that caretakers of a different gender may have to assist disabled and elderly charges in bathrooms. Users with intellectual disabilities occasionally cannot figure out the concept of gender.

Despite this, there is still a lack of widespread understanding about gender-neutral bathrooms, such as those who claim there is potential for sexual harassment in these spaces.

“I have never heard of any surveys or research results that support this claim,” Shioyasu said.

(This article was written by Itsuki Soeda and Asako Hanafusa.)