A run event to visit toilets in Shibuya Ward! We asked Ryo Rombo and other organizers about the aims and thoughts behind the project.

Not a trail run, but a toilet run! A unique running event that tours public restrooms in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, "Shibuya de Treerunwill be held on October 14, 2024, on Sports Day.

The event starts and ends at Yoyogi Park. Participants go into town in teams of three and compete to see how many public restrooms they can visit within a four-hour time limit.

Points are assigned to each restroom, including the 17 toilets in THE TOKYO TOILET designed by leading Japanese architects and creators such as Kengo Kuma, Tadao Ando, and NIGO, and visitors can earn points by taking pictures and posting them on Instagram when they arrive. You are free to choose your course and the order in which you go around.

THE TOKYO TOILET

The event was initiated by Ryo Tamura of London Boots No. 1 and No. 2, 104 Hiroshi Tahara of MOBSTYLES, and Naoyuki Akiba of Shibuya Future Design. Why did they focus on "toilets"? What was the background that led to this event? We asked the three.

(Left) Naoyuki Akiba / Producer, Shibuya Future Design Incorporated Association
(center) Ryo Tamura / London Boots No.1 and No.2
(Right) 104 Hiroshi Tahara / MOBSTYLES Designer

Public restrooms in Shibuya Ward can be enjoyed by running and visiting!

A running event to visit public toilets in Shibuya Ward. It is a very unique project, but how did it start?

Tamura:I have a radio show on Shibuya Cross FM called "Learning about SHIBUYA with Ryo Rombu," and I heard from a staff member there that there was a stylish and unique restroom in Shibuya.

something like "THE TOKYO TOILETI heard that there is a project to renew public restrooms called I looked it up on the Internet and found that it is indeed stylish and unique. And it seems that there are several of them in Shibuya Ward.

I enjoy running, so I thought it would be fun to go for a run. So I asked my running buddy, Toshi-chan (104 Hiroshi Tahara), to join me on the tour.

Tahara:It was the spring of 2020, right in the middle of the Corona disaster.

Ryo-san running around the restrooms in Shibuya Ward. In front of the Higashi 3-chome public restroom.

Tamura:That's right. When the competitions were cancelled across the board and my motivation to run was low. We decided to run around the restrooms because we wanted to come up with something interesting to play with on our own.

Tahara:Running and touring the restrooms of Shibuya Ward. When I first heard about it, I was like, "? but when I actually tried it, it was a lot of fun.

Tamura:It was a lot of fun. Each of the toilets in Shibuya Ward has a unique shape, and it is fun just to look at them as architecture. And when you run through them, it is both fun and difficult to find them. It was almost like orienteering or logging. Then, I started thinking, "Can't we make this into a project? I started to think about it.

Tahara:No, no, it wasn't at the level of just starting to think about it roughly. I called the Shibuya ward that day (laughs). (Laughs.) "Can I take a picture of the bathroom, add a hashtag, and post it on Instagram?" (laughs). And they said, "It's a public facility, so feel free to use it. That's right (laughs).

Tamura:That's right, come to think of it (laughs).

So your run at that time led to the "Shibuya de Treerun" this time.

Tamura:Yes, I am. It seems that our activities caught the attention of Mr. Akiba of Shibuya Future Design.

Autumn Leaves:I am a producer for Shibuya Future Design, an organization affiliated with Shibuya Ward, and when I learned of Ryo's unique activities, I approached him.

Shibuya Ward is working to expand the possibilities of "city and sports" by utilizing public spaces as sports fields, and is promoting urban development so that both daily exercise and sports for pleasure can all be integrated into daily life. In the midst of all this, when I heard about Ryo's activity of running around the restrooms, I thought this fits with Shibuya Ward's vision and efforts.

I was also approached by Yoyogi Park about the possibility of doing a logging-type event in the Shibuya area. The combination of these various factors led to the realization of this event.

Timing-wise, the public toilets in Shibuya Ward attracted worldwide attention with the movie "Perfect Days," didn't it?

Autumn Leaves:That's exactly what it is. It seems to be unusual for people overseas to design a public facility such as a restroom in such a way. I heard that there are even tours of restrooms on location for movies.

Tamura:No really, I think the toilets in Shibuya Ward are interesting and highly valuable as a tourist resource. They are clean.

The event is just a fun run. Beginners are welcome!

Shibuya de Treerun" will be held on October 14. What kind of event do you want it to be?

Tamura:Rather than a serious competition for time and rank, this is just supposed to be a fun run. There is no rule that says you have to run, but you can walk through the whole thing, no matter how fast or slow you are.

We will be a group of three, so we can have fun while discussing what to do, what not to do, and what to do.

Autumn Leaves:As the three of us discussed, we came up with various opinions and sometimes got into trouble (laughs). As for me, I want people of all ages and genders to participate, both hard runners and loose runners, people from within and outside of Shibuya Ward. Shibuya Ward is a city that promotes a society that recognizes diversity.

Tahara:I hope you will enjoy yourselves, with a minimum of etiquette, following the rules, and not getting hurt or overexerting yourself.

Tamura:If you suddenly need to do your business while running, don't worry. Because the destination is the restroom (laughs). And after the run, there will be an after-party with all the participants. Personally, I'm looking forward to that more. ...... (laughs).

Photo_Erina Takahashi
Text_Issey Enomoto