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With its frequent earthquakes and other natural calamities, Japan is a world leader in disaster preparedness, so much so that places like the Disaster Prevention Underground Temple have become unique tourist attractions.
But there's more than one way to prep for an emergency – enter the 'waterless' toilet in Tokyo's Nakameguro Park that you may have seen in the news or on social media lately.
Installed in April, the park's new loo is solar-powered and not connected to any external water or sewage systems, relying instead on bacteria and other microorganisms to break down human waste, plus methods like UV radiation and carbon filtration to further the decontamination process.
The setup is indeed eco-friendly, though to describe the toilet as 'waterless' is misleading. Water is definitely present: it's just recycled. The toilet can be used up to 10 days – or around 4,000 flushes – before its solid waste receptacles need to be emptied.
The unisex stall on the left is wheelchair-accessible and has a toilet and changing table (no urinal), while the female stall on the right has only a toilet. One downside is that because both stalls are so conservative with water usage, there are no bidets or even a sink for washing your hands.
If you'd like to wash your hands, use the nearby public bathroom instead, which has a urinal, a squat toilet and a sink (no soap though).
Time Out tip: Due to the bio toilet's low ventilation, the stalls were quite hot and humid even on the relatively mild day that we visited. On a proper scorching Tokyo summer day, things might get unpleasant – do your business fast!
The concept of bio toilets may sound like fancy new tech, but loos that rely on microbial decomposition, UV radiation and other forms of sustainable, non-chemical waste treatments have been dotted about Japan since at least the late '90s.
You tend to find them in areas where sewage systems or waste-water treatment facilities prove challenging to construct or maintain, including on Mt Fuji, which has bio toilets like the one pictured above. (Registration to climb Mt Fuji is now open, by the way, so keep your eyes peeled for one of these lavatories if nature calls during your hike.)
Mountain trails and public parks aside, bio toilets aren't yet as commonplace as they probably could be, and though one eco-friendly toilet might not make a trip to Nakameguro worth the effort, the neighbourhood's dozens of restaurants, cafés and shops certainly do. Feel free to stop by and explore to your heart's content – just remember to wash your hands.
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