A Japanese neighborhood is home to 17 state-of-the-art luxury public toilets — see them all

One of the designers commissioned for the project created toilets with transparent walls that "frost" over when occupied.Satoshi Nagare, courtesy of the Nippon Foundation

• The Shibuya district of Toyko is home to 17 über-modern public toilets.
• In 2020, the Toyko Toilet Project invited renowned creatives in Japan to design the facilities.

Tokyo's Shibuya ward is quickly becoming a popular tourist destination, especially among fashionable young people.

As international tourists flock to the area, Shibuya's local administration partnered with the Japanese social-innovation hub the Nippon Foundation in 2020 to create the Toyko Toilet Project.

The project invited 16 world-renowned architects and designers to produce 17 state-of-the-art public toilet facilities in the ward. The project aims to welcome tourists back to the area after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The facilities are maintained by the Shibuya city government, the Shibuya tourism authority, and the Nippon Foundation.

Many of the 17 locations incorporate traditional Japanese design elements. Some of the designs are rooted in nature, including some made of wood and some that resemble mushrooms. One facility is voice-operated and another uses advanced glass technology to "frost" when the door is locked.

The toilets incorporate universal-design elements, such as flexible use and equitable use, and are accessible to people with physical challenges.