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Public toilets are one thing that I really appreciate about living in Japan. It seems like you're never too far away from a toilet - whether it be in a neighbor

Public toilets are one thing that I really appreciate about living in Japan. It seems like you're never too far away from a toilet - whether it be in a neighborhood park, a roadside parking area, train station, convenience store, etc. And they tend to be pretty clean (at least as far as public restooms go), not something that I dread using like I do many public restrooms in the US. Japan seems to be just about a best-case scenario, due to the ubiquity of convenience stores, the government's seemingly high prioritization of building and maintaining public toilets, and a culture which places a high value on cleanliness. It seems like it would be hard to replicate in countries that lack clean and plentiful public toilets without changing the culture first. But reading another comment it sounds like China has made great strides in improving the state of their public toilets due to a strong push from leadership. So it is possible, but again it would start with actually wanting to improve things.

spike021 1mo ago
I've just about never had an issue finding a toilet, like you said. Parking/service areas are great and nothing like rest stops in, say, California There are _some_ neighborhoods, especially in Tokyo, where sometimes it can be difficult. Like certain parts of Koenji you can walk into random conbini that have locked bathrooms and signs saying no public use. Fortunately it's not all too common. Only thing about public toilets in places like parks or neighborhoods is they almost never have soap.
- freetime2 1mo ago
  Yeah there are two convenience stores that I know of within about an hour of me that are a bit defensive of their toilets. One is near a popular fishing spot, and probably got tired of people coming in smelling like dead fish, using the toilet, and not buying anything. They have a big sign saying the toilets are for customers only, and a map with directions to nearby public toilets. They don't actually lock the doors, though. The other one I'm not really sure what their reasoning is, but the owner installed a button behind the counter to remotely unlock the bathroom door, and you have to ask the guy behind the counter to use the toilet. There are a ton of 1-star reviews on Google mentioning the toilet situation. But other than those two I don't think I've ever had an issue using a toilet at a convenience store. Also on a side note - it's pretty hilarious reading reviews of convenience stores in Japan. Lots of 1 star reviews because someone was cut in line, the worker didn't say thank you on the way out, the manner in which the worker placed items in the bag, an item was not microwaved enough, etc.
nobinsjapan 1mo ago
But then japan has the opposite problem with trash bins. There was a stretch of road around 600m long, where there were at least 100 vending machine and exactly ZERO trash containers. And no, people did not keep after themselves, I saw plenty of discarded cans on the floor, just slightly outside of vision. Tokyo, 2025.
- freetime2 1mo ago
  Generally the norm is to have a recycling bin for cans and plastic bottles right next to every vending machine (or group of machines). At least that’s the case 99% of the time when I buy a drink at a vending machine. And vendors that sell food/drinks will typically allow you to dispose of any remaining trash when you are finished. In heavily touristed areas, though, it’s become a topic of much outrage on social media where people are illegally dumping garbage in recycling bins. A lot of times foreigners are blamed - and to be fair there are lots of videos out there of foreigners disposing of trash incorrectly - but of course it’s not just foreigners who are responsible. And this illegal dumping seems to have led to some vendors not putting out recycling bins in heavily touristed areas. A new law was passed in December 2025, in response to increasing amounts of litter in some areas of Tokyo, which requires vendors who sell food to install trash cans. It also imposed new fines for littering [1]. So possibly the area where you experienced this issue has already seen some improvement in the past year. However, the linked article also says that vending machine operators in those areas were already required by law to put out recycling bins. I’ve also noticed that a lot of people will just leave a can on the ground next to the vending machine if no bin is provided (or if the bin is full). The expectation is generally that if you sell some food or drink item, you also should accept the trash after it’s consumed, even if it's not legally required. So it seems like vendors are “punished” with a pile of trash for breaking that social contract, or people just otherwise feel entitled. On a similar note, if you ever buy food from a food truck or stall, the vendor will usually happily dispose of any trash when you’re finished - even if they don’t explicitly put a trash can out. In my opinion though public trash cans and public toilets aren’t really equivalent. It may be inconvenient, but you can always just hold onto trash until you reach a suitable place to dispose of it. But when it comes to using the toilet - and especially for children or people with certain disabilities - there’s a limit to how long you can hold it in. [1] https://soranews24.com/2025/12/11/tokyo-considering-law-requiring-more-trash-cans-following-litter-increase-in-heavily-touristed-area/ https://soranews24.com/2025/12/11/tokyo-considering-law-requ...
Aachen 1mo ago
Do they cost money in Japan, typically?
- m4rtink 1mo ago
  I don't think I ever saw paid toilet in Japan. A paid toilet was actually one of the gotchas of "oh, right, we are back home". :)
_rwo 1mo ago
I just LOVE that you can find a public (and well maintained that) toilet in Japan within a walking distance wherever you are. It's just so... civilized. I often see ppl urinating in the public here in Europe - taxi drivers in the bushes where I talk walks, two days ago I saw elder folks just doing it near the sidewalk; but can I blame them? - often you just can't find a goddamn toilet even if you want to; so humiliating when you're just forced to do it because of - you know - body

spike021 1mo ago

I've just about never had an issue finding a toilet, like you said. Parking/service areas are great and nothing like rest stops in, say, California There are _some_ neighborhoods, especially in Tokyo, where sometimes it can be difficult. Like certain parts of Koenji you can walk into random conbini that have locked bathrooms and signs saying no public use. Fortunately it's not all too common. Only thing about public toilets in places like parks or neighborhoods is they almost never have soap.

freetime2 1mo ago
Yeah there are two convenience stores that I know of within about an hour of me that are a bit defensive of their toilets. One is near a popular fishing spot, and probably got tired of people coming in smelling like dead fish, using the toilet, and not buying anything. They have a big sign saying the toilets are for customers only, and a map with directions to nearby public toilets. They don't actually lock the doors, though. The other one I'm not really sure what their reasoning is, but the owner installed a button behind the counter to remotely unlock the bathroom door, and you have to ask the guy behind the counter to use the toilet. There are a ton of 1-star reviews on Google mentioning the toilet situation. But other than those two I don't think I've ever had an issue using a toilet at a convenience store. Also on a side note - it's pretty hilarious reading reviews of convenience stores in Japan. Lots of 1 star reviews because someone was cut in line, the worker didn't say thank you on the way out, the manner in which the worker placed items in the bag, an item was not microwaved enough, etc.

nobinsjapan 1mo ago

But then japan has the opposite problem with trash bins. There was a stretch of road around 600m long, where there were at least 100 vending machine and exactly ZERO trash containers. And no, people did not keep after themselves, I saw plenty of discarded cans on the floor, just slightly outside of vision. Tokyo, 2025.

freetime2 1mo ago
Generally the norm is to have a recycling bin for cans and plastic bottles right next to every vending machine (or group of machines). At least that’s the case 99% of the time when I buy a drink at a vending machine. And vendors that sell food/drinks will typically allow you to dispose of any remaining trash when you are finished. In heavily touristed areas, though, it’s become a topic of much outrage on social media where people are illegally dumping garbage in recycling bins. A lot of times foreigners are blamed - and to be fair there are lots of videos out there of foreigners disposing of trash incorrectly - but of course it’s not just foreigners who are responsible. And this illegal dumping seems to have led to some vendors not putting out recycling bins in heavily touristed areas. A new law was passed in December 2025, in response to increasing amounts of litter in some areas of Tokyo, which requires vendors who sell food to install trash cans. It also imposed new fines for littering [1]. So possibly the area where you experienced this issue has already seen some improvement in the past year. However, the linked article also says that vending machine operators in those areas were already required by law to put out recycling bins. I’ve also noticed that a lot of people will just leave a can on the ground next to the vending machine if no bin is provided (or if the bin is full). The expectation is generally that if you sell some food or drink item, you also should accept the trash after it’s consumed, even if it's not legally required. So it seems like vendors are “punished” with a pile of trash for breaking that social contract, or people just otherwise feel entitled. On a similar note, if you ever buy food from a food truck or stall, the vendor will usually happily dispose of any trash when you’re finished - even if they don’t explicitly put a trash can out. In my opinion though public trash cans and public toilets aren’t really equivalent. It may be inconvenient, but you can always just hold onto trash until you reach a suitable place to dispose of it. But when it comes to using the toilet - and especially for children or people with certain disabilities - there’s a limit to how long you can hold it in. [1] https://soranews24.com/2025/12/11/tokyo-considering-law-requiring-more-trash-cans-following-litter-increase-in-heavily-touristed-area/ https://soranews24.com/2025/12/11/tokyo-considering-law-requ...

Aachen 1mo ago

Do they cost money in Japan, typically?

m4rtink 1mo ago
I don't think I ever saw paid toilet in Japan. A paid toilet was actually one of the gotchas of "oh, right, we are back home". :)

_rwo 1mo ago

I just LOVE that you can find a public (and well maintained that) toilet in Japan within a walking distance wherever you are. It's just so... civilized. I often see ppl urinating in the public here in Europe - taxi drivers in the bushes where I talk walks, two days ago I saw elder folks just doing it near the sidewalk; but can I blame them? - often you just can't find a goddamn toilet even if you want to; so humiliating when you're just forced to do it because of - you know - body