Design for community: interview with Koji Yanai The son of the founder of Uniqlo talks about his project "The Tokyo Toilet" that arrived in Milan last week
«Going to the bathroom is an activity that people must do as long as they are human, regardless of gender, nationality, politics, religion, disability, and many other factors», tells Koji Yanai, son of Uniqlo's founder as well as vice-president of the company and the mastermind behind The Tokyo Toilet project, which has seen Japan's top designers build a series of state-of-the-art public toilets in major areas of Tokyo. Many think the project was born in the context of the past Tokyo Olympics - yet this is not the case, because the real occasion was the Paralympics held immediately afterwards: «Since the past, I've been interested in the Paralympic Games», explains Koji. «There’s always excitement for the Olympic Games but there still less excitement about the Paralympics Games. So I wanted to do something to make excitement for the Paralympic Games. That’s my starting point». The project, among others, came to Milan during the just-concluded Design Week 2022 and saw the SKWAT collective carpet the bathrooms of Milan's Duomo metro station with photos by Daido Morayama. «From the beginning, I decided to expand my project outside of Japan. Milan was the best city – of course you guys have a great understanding about art, fashion, creativity, innovation and design. And Milan’s Salone was the best opportunity for us to introduce the project».
The idea is one of democratic design that reflects the philosophy cultivated by Koji and the Yanai family: «I believe that a company must exist for the benefit of society. In other words, I believe that companies must make contributions to society, to the community». And speaking of the union of design and cultural contribution, we have come to the next chapter of The Tokyo Toilet project-the film that Wim Wenders, the director of such masterpieces as The Sky Above Berlin and Paris, Texas, shot in Tokyo to narrate the project. As Koji Yanai explains, the central theme is that of cleanliness and hygiene, of the noble humility of public toilets that manifest not only Japan's taste for design and sense of hospitality but are meant to start from a small detail to tell the larger values that underpin the entire project. Wenders' film, therefore, will feature the cleaners of those restrooms:
«We actually clean them every day, but it is also true that they get dirty every day. I wanted to convey the importance of cleaning in a natural way, so I chose the method of art. When I thought of a filmmaker with the best understanding of architecture, art, and the beautiful human mind, I could think of no one but Wim Wenders. I believe that he will beautifully portray the toilets themselves and the beauty of cleaning in the deep level of spirits.».
