Question: Are There Mixed Restrooms in Japan?
At older and smaller places in Japan, public restrooms are occasionally mixed, yes. This is becoming less common all the time, but it still exists. Before the extreme Americanization of Japan following WWII, Japan was a far less prudish place. Traces of that Japan still exist, but they are fading away.
I remember the first time I used a mixed toilet in Japan. It was at a small rest stop near Takayama, a somewhat tourist town in Gifu Prefecture. I was standing at a urinal doing my business, when a woman exited a stall and came up to wash her hands at the sink—a sink awkwardly located right next to me. I was a bit shocked to say the least. As I was leaving, a few other men and women entered the restroom.
I have since been in other older mixed restrooms like that. No one makes a big deal of it. They just go about their business and do their best to ignore everyone. You know, pretty much the same as in gender-separated restrooms. (Well, I can't speak for women's restrooms, but in the men's restroom we not only ignore everyone else, but stay as far away from each other as possible).
But is this really so shocking? I have been to sporting events in the US where the line to the women's restroom was so long that women started using the men's restroom right alongside the men. I'm sure this is not an uncommon thing, and I can't recall ever reading about anything bad happening as a result.
Now while you may or may not ever come across a mixed bathroom in Japan, you almost certainly will have female cleaning staff walk in while you are using the room. For a woman, this is no big deal, but for a man from another country this may be a little strange.
But have no fear, it is quite normal in Japan and happens so often that I (and everyone else) think nothing of it. Usually the cleaning staff tasked with this job is an old woman, but occasionally it is a younger one. Everyone ignores them, goes about their business, and leaves.
One more thing. Men's toilets in Japan are often a bit more open to the world than in other places.
The reasoning is that no one wants to look, so why spend the money for an extra wall. Hmm... hard to argue with that.
So no, you probably won't run into mixed restrooms in Japan unless you go to older, smaller places that are off the beaten path, but you almost certainly will come across female cleaning staff in the men's restroom while men are using it, and men's restrooms open to the world.
Ask Me Japan
Do you have any questions about Japan that you just can't find the answer to and are itching to know? Ask me in the comments and if I have any insight I'll address your question in another post.
Thank you for reading. See you next time!
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 | David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time. More? |
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