Why Are Tokyo’s Public Toilets So Plentiful And Clean?

My favorite ice cream flavor is — Tokyo bathroom with a hint of seat disinfectant

A public toilet in the department store above Nishikoyama Station in Tokyo, waiting expectantly for your most august bum to enter. By Tokyo standards, though, this is a bit disappointing: No disinfectant is provided.

In recent posts, I shared some of my favorite things about Japanese social reality: the fact that Tokyo, a 44-million-resident megalopolis, is virtually theft free, and the fact that public services like the police are actual services.