Tired of rummaging for bottles of hand sanitiser in the bottom of your bag? A new initiative by Wota, a water treatment company, might just be the next revolutionary solution for keeping your hands clean when you’re out and about.
This weekend, Ginza is installing 20 of the company’s portable hand-washing stations called Wosh along its outdoor pedestrian walkways. You’ll find them near major shopping landmarks including Ginza Itoya, Ginza Six, Ginza Sony Park, Ginza Tokyu Plaza, Ginza Matsuya and Ginza Mitsukoshi.
The hand-washing stations don’t need to be attached to a separate pipe or water supply – they have built-in tanks that recycle and treat the water with chlorine, membrane filtration and UV to make it safe and sanitary for the next user. What’s more, each of these stations will also be equipped with a UV sterilisation function for smartphones that is able to kill 99.9 percent of bacteria on the surface of your phone. So that you don’t re-contaminate your newly washed hands with your dirty phone.
While the technology could be especially helpful in seeing us through the coronavirus pandemic, the innovative project can also solve issues of water shortage in the event of natural disasters.
The hand-washing stations will only be there this weekend (December 19-20, 12noon-5pm). If you make use of the machines, you could score a free handkerchief plus a ¥500 coupon redeemable on those two days at selected shops and restaurants nearby.
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