In Japan, a public toilet certification system aims to help tourists in a pinch
Japan is already known for its high standards of hygiene, but an eastern 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.
GUNMA, 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 at fiscal 2024. Facilities are judged on cleanliness, safety, ease of use and other factors based on around 25 points, with certified loos bearing a plaque with the prefectural mascot Gunmachan.
Cleaner Hisako Kobayashi, who works at the Kannonyama Family Park in Takasaki that boasts seven accreditations, attributed their success to regular daily maintenance of the toilets.
Individuals seeking an accredited toilet can use a map provided on the website of NPO Gunma, the organisation that runs the scheme. The organisation'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. KYODO
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