Photo/Illutration The men's and women's sides of a new public restroom in Ueno Park are directly connected. This photo was taken in Tokyo’s Taito Ward on Dec. 25. (Takahiro Ogawa)

The Tokyo metropolitan government installed a temporary partition in a new public restroom in Ueno Park on Dec. 26, just two days after its opening, following concerns that its design could facilitate harassment or worse. 

The restroom is a joint project of the Tokyo metropolitan government and Tokyo University of the Arts. A graduate school team specializing in architecture designed the structure built by the government on the northwest side of the park.

The facility opened for use around noon on Dec. 24.

In the center is a multipurpose restroom, flanked by a men’s section with three urinals and one stall on one side. On the other is a women’s section with three stalls.

The men’s and women’s area are connected inside, allowing users to move between them, and men and women can see into the other’s section.

While the doors of the women’s stalls are not visible from the men’s side, a pictogram that represents the women's area can be seen. 

After some users posted the image of the restroom on X, formerly Twitter, on Dec. 24, many responded with comments such as, “sexual crimes may occur,” and “I’m scared to use it.”

TEMPORARY FIX

A 20-year-old female university student living in Tokyo was surprised when she unexpectedly made eye contact with her male friend after each entered their respective sides of the restroom.

One mother also voiced her concerns. The 32-year-old corporate worker who lives nearby went into the multipurpose bathroom with her 3-year-old daughter and had her 8-year-old son use the men's restroom alone.

“Because this structure is easy to see across and voices carry well, parents who need to accompany children of the opposite sex may feel it's convenient,” she said. “At the same time, however, I feel uneasy about men entering and being able to see. Partitions are necessary.”

The Tokyo metropolitan government has received similar opinions, and installed the partition in the corridor connecting the two sides as a temporary measure until making a final decision on addressing the problem.

“We used gender-neutral restrooms as a reference when designing the facility,” said an official from the park planning division of the Tokyo metropolitan government. “During the planning stage, various opinions were discussed within our department, including concerns about crime prevention. But we concluded there wouldn’t be a problem because the doors of individual stalls are not visible from the corridor.”

The official added, “However, many have shared their concerns. So, we will carefully review and discuss how best to address the issue.”

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