第2170期:In Tokyo Neighborhood, Artistic Toilets Get Attention

Tokyo visitors can now join a special tour of one of the Japanese city's modern wonders: its public toilets.东京游客现在可以参加一次特别游览，参观这座日本城市的现代奇观之一：公共厕所。Penelope Panczuk recently went on the Tokyo Toilet Shuttle for a two-hour visit of artistic public bathrooms.佩内洛普·潘祖克 (Penelope Panczuk) 最近乘坐东京厕所班车，参观了两个小时的艺术公共浴室。Panczuk got the idea after seeing "Perfect Days", the Oscar-nominated film about a toilet cleaner in the city's Shibuya district.潘丘克在观看奥斯卡提名影片《完美的日子》后萌生了这个想法，这部影片讲述了涩谷区厕所清洁工的故事。"In the U.S. or in France where I originally come from, you just don't go," Panczuk said of using public bathrooms.“在美国或我的祖国法国，你就别去，”潘丘克在谈到使用公共浴室时说道。She added that in Tokyo, the bathrooms are "extremely clean, they're very safe and each one is so different it feels like it's a new discovery each time."她补充说，在东京，浴室“非常干净，非常安全，而且每间浴室都如此不同，感觉每次都是一个新发现。”The shuttle began in March with visitors coming to Japan in record numbers. A drop in the value of the Japanese yen has made it less costly for many lovers of Japanese culture to visit for the first time.班车于三月份开始运营，前往日本的游客数量创下了历史新高。 日元贬值使得许多日本文化爱好者首次访问日本的成本降低了。Among Japan's most-loved technological exports in recent years are its toilets produced by TOTO. The devices have cleansing sprays, heated seats, music, and more.日本近年来最受欢迎的技术出口产品之一是TOTO生产的马桶。 这些设备有清洁喷雾、加热座椅、音乐等等。The American animated comedy show South Park recently had a whole program on the toilets. Hip-hop music star DJ Khaled announced on Instagram that he appreciated a gift of four TOTO bowls from the rapper Drake.美国动画喜剧节目《南方公园》最近有一整套关于厕所的节目。 嘻哈音乐明星 DJ Khaled 在 Instagram 上宣布，他很欣赏说唱歌手 Drake 赠送的四个 TOTO 碗礼物。The nonprofit Nippon Foundation started the Tokyo Toilet Project in 2020. It asked creators including Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando to develop new toilets. The goal was to increase accessibility and artistry in 17 public toilets in the Shibuya district.非营利组织日本财团于 2020 年启动了东京厕所项目。它要求包括普利兹克奖获得者建筑师安藤忠雄在内的创作者开发新厕所。 目标是提高涩谷区 17 个公厕的无障碍性和艺术性。The project was not meant to be something foreign visitors would want to see. But Shibuya's government saw a chance to increase interest in the area beyond its famous street crossing.该项目并不是外国游客愿意看到的。 但涩谷政府看到了一个机会，可以提高人们对该地区除了著名的十字路口之外的兴趣。"The highlight for visitors is that they can be driven around the less-visited parts of Shibuya and enjoy the entire district while checking out the toilets," said Yumiko Nishi, a tourist association manager for the area.该地区旅游协会经理西由美子 (Yumiko Nishi) 表示：“对游客来说，最大的亮点是他们可以开车游览涩谷人迹罕至的地区，并在检查厕所的同时欣赏整个地区。”People on the tour pay $32.76 to visit nine different toilets, including one with clear walls that turn opaque when users enter. Another is operated by voice commands.参观者支付 32.76 美元参观九个不同的厕所，其中一个厕所的墙壁是透明的，当用户进入时，墙壁就会变得不透明。 另一种是通过语音命令操作。Takao Karino, visiting from Japan's western city of Osaka, wondered at the wide entrance of a facility created by British designer Miles Pennington.从日本西部城市大阪来访的卡里诺高夫 (Takao Karino) 对英国设计师迈尔斯·彭宁顿 (Miles Pennington) 设计的设施的宽阔入口感到惊讶。"There's nothing else like this in Japa" 69-year-old Karino said about the tour. "It's unusual, it's unique, it's honestly brilliant."69 岁的卡里诺 (Karino) 谈到这次巡演时说：“在日本没有其他这样的地方。” “这很不寻常，很独特，确实很出色。”