Yep, you heard it right. The results of what you do in the bathroom behind closed doors—and what you do it in—are now on full display at Odaiba Miraikan’s newest special exhibition titled “Toilet?! Human Waste and the Earth’s Future.”
Curated by the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation and Fuji Television, Inc, the exhibition aims to not only talk freely about a subject that is typically considered a taboo in some places, but also to present both the importance and challenges of sanitation and the toilet worldwide.
Japan has been known for its high level of sophistication when it comes to their bottom-washing, seat-warmed toilets, and many can be seen on display at the exhibition, including diamond encrusted and gold plated designs. And if you’ve ever been curious about what it would be like to be a feces, the exhibit has you covered: a five-meter high toilet with a slide down the middle allows you to feel what it’s like to be flushed down a toilet, all while wearing a poop hat provided by the exhibit.
Talking about poop is not a taboo anymore
Interviewed for a CNN report, exhibit staff member Tami Sakamaki explains, “Toilets and feces are normally thought of as very unclean topic. But I would like for people to actively talk about them instead of thinking that they’re dirty.”
If you’re still uncomfortable with the topic after entering the exhibit, a choir of singing toilets with friendly faces on the lids might help soothe your nerves, as well as a series of poop samples from different animals to assure you that you’re not alone in the act. You can also recreate the poop you had this morning with blobs of clay and play games involving a target and a urinal.
The exhibition is not all about the entertainment, though, as it also educates people on the challenges the world faces on a global scale. According to Miraikan, 2.5 billion people around the world are unable to use a toilet and many die from the lack of sanitation. The future of sanitation and toilets is also an educational topic for both children and adults.
Check out “Toilet?! Human Waste and the Earth’s Future,” open until October 5, to see this all for yourself! And here are some photos in the meantime, just in case you can’t contain yourself:
–Sami Kawahara
Images: Getty Images/Keith Tsuji
