Public toilet certification system aims to help tourists in a pinch

Kyodo News

6 days ago

MAEBASHI, Japan - An eastern Japan prefecture's quality certification system for public toilets to boost cleanliness and reassure visitors has been gaining praise and influencing other parts of the country.
The visitor toilet accreditation system in Gunma Prefecture began in 2003, with conditions at 259 bathrooms meeting its standards as of fiscal 2024. Facilities are judged on cleanliness, safety, ease of use and other factors based on around 25 points, with certified lavatories bearing a plaque with the prefectural mascot Gunmachan.
Hisako Kobayashi, who cleans toilets at the Kannonyama Family Park in Takasaki that boasts seven accreditations, attributed their success to regular daily maintenance.
"We work hard to make sure visitors feel comfortable using them," Kobayashi said.
Individuals seeking an accredited toilet can use a map provided on the website of NPO Gunma, the organization that runs the scheme. The organization's Kaori Hasegawa, responsible for inspections, said there were cases where people with disabilities decided their travel destinations based on accessibility to certified public toilets.
All awarded bathrooms are subject to on-the-spot inspections and accreditation renewals every two years.
The system has made a splash elsewhere in the country, with western Japan's Kochi Prefecture implementing a version from fiscal 2012 and Nagano Prefecture in central Japan doing so from fiscal 2014. "Toilets are part of the spirit of hospitality," a Nagano official said of the scheme.
Kohei Yamamoto, chairman of the Japan Toilet Association, praised the Gunma Prefecture initiative as "a great, progressive approach with detailed criteria," adding that he hopes it "could be a point of reference" for bathroom services nationally.