TOKYO — From
American road trips to modern
dance and the pope, German director Wim Wenders’ films are nothing if not
eclectic, and his latest inspiration is Tokyo’s public toilets.
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The giant of European cinema is making a film about
an urban renewal project in which top architects are transforming 17 dingy
downtown loos into works of art.
They include one toilet with colorful see-through
cubicles that turn opaque when the door is locked and another with wooden
panels by
Olympic Stadium designer Kengo Kuma.
All of the eye-catching new facilities in the
capital’s Shibuya district are free, wheelchair-accessible, and kept
sparklingly clean by a team of maintenance workers.
“There is something very Japanese about the idea,
about the whole setting. And I almost think it’s a utopian idea,” Wenders said
at a press conference on Wednesday.
“Because a toilet is a place where everybody is the
same. There’s no rich and poor, no old and young, everybody’s part of
humanity.”
Wenders, 76, has
built a cult following with his arthouse films including “Wings of Desire”,
“Buena Vista Social Club” and “Paris, Texas”.
The director said he was approached by the
organizers of the renovation project, called “The Tokyo Toilet”, who inspired
him to make the film featuring four short stories and starring actor Koji
Yakusho as a cleaner.
“I love architecture. In another life, I’d certainly
want to be an architect,” Wenders said.
He said he is particularly happy to be working with
renowned architect Tadao Ando, 80, whose gleaming circular toilet has thin
slats that let in fresh air as people wash their hands.
“I was so glad when I saw his toilet the other day,
and saw how he worked with the light ... I thought, ‘this is a precious
place.’”
It is not Wenders’ first time in Japan: his 1985
film “Tokyo-Ga” is a homage to the city of cinematic master Yasujiro Ozu, and
he made a documentary in the late 1980s about fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto.
So far, 12 of Tokyo’s 17 new toilets have been
finished and are in use, mostly in parks and next to stations.
Ando told reporters that in many countries, “public
toilets are not considered something beautiful.”
“So, I thought that these magnificent toilets could
convey a sense of Japan’s beauty to people from around the world.”
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