Have You Seen This? A see-through loo — the bathroom that puts the 'public' in public restroom

Tokyo has a public restroom in a park that's "completely see-through," the video shared by Povs Adventures shows, with its walls composed of glass.

Tokyo has a public restroom in a park that's "completely see-through," the video shared by Povs Adventures shows, with its walls composed of glass. (Povs Adventures via YouTube)


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NIGHTMARE LAND — Do you ever dream that you're desperately searching for a restroom, and you can only find ones that are out in public for all the world to see?

Think that could only happen in a nightmare?

Well, turns out such a bathroom does exist in the real world, according to a viral video. Tokyo has a public restroom in a park that's "completely see-through," the video shared by Povs Adventures shows, with its walls composed of glass.

"On the inside, I felt like a fish in a fishbowl," the video creator notes.

You can see a person walk into the restroom — which actually looks quite spacious, clean and fancy for a park bathroom — and take a seat on the "loo."

The glass is supposed to become tempered, blocking the view from both the outside and inside, when the door locks. When it unlocks, the glass becomes clear again, according to the video.

Still not private enough, in my opinion.

My biggest question is, why did the builders decide to make a see-through bathroom — so everyone passing by would know it's there as they pass and think, "Hey, I was looking for one of those?"

NPR reported in 2020 the see-through bathrooms were created to make park bathrooms "more inviting."

"There are two things we worry about when entering a public restroom, especially those located at a park. The first is cleanliness, and the second is whether anyone is inside," the unique restrooms' architect firm wrote.

"Using the latest technology, the exterior glass turns opaque when locked. This allows users to check the cleanliness and whether anyone is using the toilet from the outside. At night, the facility lights up the park like a beautiful lantern."

All right, all right, it does sound kind of cool.

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Ashley Imlay is an evening news manager for KSL.com. A lifelong Utahn, Ashley has also worked as a reporter for the Deseret News and is a graduate of Dixie State University.

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