Hi fellow hivers and fellow members of the Architecture+Design community.
In this post I thought I’d share with you an interesting experience I recently had at a cafe. I heard about Hipopo Papa Cafe, a cafe with an aquarium toilet, from a friend just a few months ago. Just a few days ago, I was hanging out with two other friends of mine. They picked me up and drove to a restaurant in Akashi. While I had been to Akashi before, I wasn’t very familiar with some of the areas but I did remember hearing that Hipopo Papa Cafe was located there.
After having lunch and some good chat, I mentioned that I had heard about the aquarium toilet and wanted to see it. My friends mentioned that they often went there when they were much younger, that it was and still is a popular date spot and that it had been around for quite some time. I was surprised to hear that. Though I didn’t know much about it, I had (wrongly) assumed that it was a fairly new cafe. After about a fifteen or twenty minute drive (from where we were), we arrived at what was far more famous than I knew, Hipopo Papa Cafe. They were several things about the design, location and the cafe itself, that grabbed my interest.
Sign by the parking lot
Translated version of the sign, with use of the “Google Translate” App.
“Japan’s first aquarium toilet” stood out.
Front view and entrance of the cafe.
The Cafe
I felt a bit excited to get in. The first thing I noticed was the color of the cafe. The delicate green created a sense of calm. The fauna that greeted us outside, gave a tropical vibe.
We were seated and had a clear, lovely and stunning view of the ocean. It was an ideal location to relax with friends and I could imagine partners having a relaxing time there as well.
On a table were some lovely pink flowers. There were other seats (without a view of the ocean) and there was a set of spiral stairs that seemed to have led to another floor.
Before placing our drink orders, we looked out at mild waves crashing by the shore. We saw a few people walking along the beach and a few swans swimming. Though a winter day, it was a bit warmer than usual. It was beautiful. I thought the layout of the seating created awesome views for customers.
The Aquarium Toilet
While we waited for our drinks to arrive, my friends told me to go use the restroom. Yes, I wanted to go and yes, I wanted to see it. I opened the door and closed it behind me (as a sign on the door advised users to do). The path leading to the face basin was quite spacious and had some interesting furniture made from solid wood. I took some photos of them.
First door leading to the aquarium toilet.
To my right was another door. From outside, I could see the reflection of water. I pushed the button to the sliding door. As the door slowly opened, I could see different kinds of fish and the renown aquarium toilet. I initially froze and then slowly made my way in. It seemed cool and made me wonder how exactly they constructed it. What a unique design!
Somehow I also felt uncomfortable and slightly scared. With all those fish and fish eyes moving around, my clothes certainly remained in place. I wasn’t sure about the intellect of the fish and how they’d react to whatever they saw. It just felt like “someone was watching”.
“Hold up!”, I said to my pee.
“Don’t move! You ain’t going here”.
The glass of the aquarium wasn’t very clear at the time but I managed to get a few shots.
Second door leading to the aquarium toilet.
Aquarium toilet
The “roof” of the toilet aquarium.
I wanted to meet the owner to ask the reason behind the concept. I also wondered why only the female restroom had an aquarium. I searched for it (the cafe) online and that’s when I realized that it was a very popular attraction. For my Japanese friends, it was a cafe they had been to so many times when they were much younger. They just needed a drink and more chat time. Haha!
You can read more about Hipopo Papa Cafe by clicking the links below:
https://www.asahi.com/sp/ajw/articles/13856899
https://www.odditycentral.com/travel/japans-famous-aquarium-toilet.html
Do you think you’d be comfortable to use an aquarium toilet? What are your thoughts on it?
Please comment below.
Our cold drinks came with cookies and then we were given warm cups of tea. We had a good time. Thank you for reading my post. Have a lovely weekend and a great week ahead. 😃
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Wow! Love the ocean view from this unique restaurant. Even more so, the aquarium toilet is pretty interesting. What a unique concept! Thank you for sharing it with us :) Glad you enjoyed your visit there. Have a fantastic week ahead!
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😃Thank you @iamraincrystal. It was a fairly short stop but it left quite an impression. I loved the view best. I’d have loved to curl under a blanket with a book and occasionally look out at the ocean. My only concern is that as unique as the toilet is, I can’t see myself using it. 😂🤣🤣
Maybe it takes time to get used to it.
This I can relate with. !LOL still it's fun to experience it for sure. Keep the fascinating adventures coming!
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Lol! Yes, still an unusual and interesting experience. Thank you. Have a great week. 😃
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The Japanese are good about coming up with unique concepts! Cool spot! Thanks for sharing your visit! 😁 🙏 💚 ✨ 🤙
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Now THAT is something I have never seen before.
It made me laugh when you said you could not "go" in there.
I am not sure how I would have felt about it.
This one was quite unique Jacey. It looked cool but the weirdness of it felt so strong. I couldn’t “go”. 😂🤣
The cafe is beautiful, with a view of the sea, nothing more comforting than the sound of the waves, what an idea of this aquarium in the toilet you can appreciate a lot of marine diversity in the aquarium, and well, in response to your question, I would dare, no I think that the fish are very surprised with what they are going to see apart from that at least they don't speak 😂
🤣😂Thank you for stopping by. Haha! I really hope those fish don’t speak. Maybe after patrons leave they have a big conversation. I couldn’t handle all the fish movements and all those eyes on me. lol!
The view was really lovely. We weren’t close enough to hear the sound of the waves but seeing the movement of the water was just as relaxing. Thank you for answering the question. Have a great week.
Never seen a restroom like this! I understand how you feel that the fish might be watching you. And not just one, but many....🤣🤣🤣
Thanks for sharing your interesting experience😀
😂😂Haha! So many of them. I guess it would take time for one to get used to it. Never had I seen anything like it either. Such an interesting concept. Lol!!The owner is smart. Maybe it doesn’t even matter if the food is good. 😆🤣People will go just to see the aquarium toilet.
Thanks for reading about the experience.
Do you think you’d be comfortable using it?
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Hello, the place is very simple and I love the sea view, that is, the sea is the protagonist of the place.
Now the bathroom is another story. First of all I thought I would spend hours in there admiring the fish... I think I would have a queue and people would be knocking on my door. hahaha .... can you imagine someone in a hurry and one admiring the fish.
I hadn't thought about being watched until you mentioned it hahahahaha, maybe they are intelligent fish? maybe they don't care what you do in that bathroom?
😃Thank you for stopping by. You’re so right. The sea view was quite outstanding.
I had similar thoughts re people queuing to use to restroom. I was there for quite some time even though I didn’t actually “use it”. Lol
Luckily not too many people were at cafe at the time I went. 😆
🤣Haha! I hope that’s the case.
I trusted fish before. Maybe because they were so close and “all around me”…
I had questions. Lol!
Thanks for commenting. Have a great week.
Such an interesting and lovely place! That toilet is pretty wild! Since I live barefooted and naked, off-grid in the jungle, I'd be more uncomfortable that it's a toilet rather than who may be watching. We have composting 'toilets' or the jungle...😂! 😁 🙏 💚 ✨ 🤙
Lol! Quite interesting. Different perspectives. Thank you for stopping by. 😃
Hehe...indeedy! Absolutely @fruityfruitz! 😁 🙏 💚 ✨ 🤙
😃Have a great week.
Thank you! May your week be a brilliant one, too! 😁 🙏 💚 ✨ 🤙
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OMG! This is quite a pleasant surprise @fruityfruitz! I've never seen or heard about an aquarium toilet and your post definitely shows the countless possibilities of man's imagination with architecture. I'd probably feel overly conscious too if I was answering the call of nature there especially with too many eyes looking at me, haha. 🤣 Who knows what the fish might be thinking? lol 😆 Too bad the men's toilet doesn't have an aquarium. I'm truly glad you had this incredible design experience and thank you for your amazing contribution! 👍😊
😃Thank you @storiesoferne. It was my first time seeing one. Great concept and imagination. The owner must have even thought of or built something else that’s also unique.
😂🤣I heard the call but couldn’t answer. Never had I been so conscious of the thoughts and vision of fish. It would have been even more interesting if the men’ s restroom also had something unique.
Thank you for your support.
Yeah, you'll never know what these fish are capable of nowadays, right? They might possess x-ray vision and have been trained by Ai or humans thus can see thru our clothes, lol 🤣 I wish there would be similar installations like this one in other parts of the world so we could experience a different kind of architecture. Glad you had lots of fun there! 😊👍
😂🤣 Fish these days are so fishy. While elements of this could be true, it’s sooo funny! Lol! Oh my! Had I thought about this, I’d have just partially opened the door, kept my body against the concrete section, put one hand in with my phone, snap away and hope to get some good shots. But, if any of those fish had the audacity to grab my phone, I’d have headed straight in to see which one got too fishy. 😂😂
I think I read in one of the articles that it took a few failed attempts. I can imagine the feeling of satisfaction when the owner saw his plan come to fruition. Interesting architecture. 😃Fun way to have a restroom “interact” with patrons. Unique experience.
Well said @fruityfruitz. Keep sharing unique experiences of architecture and design from the beautiful country of Japan and beyond. And we won't hesitate to discuss them with entertaining interest and laughter. 😁 Thanks again for this fun conversation! 😊👍
😃Thank you too @storiesoferne. It’s great being a part of this community and it’s so great seeing the various kinds of designs and architecture represented here across different countries. It’s my pleasure to learn more about this field and to post information I think may be relevant to the community. Thanks too for the fun conversations. Have a great weekend.
It's my first time hearing about an Aquarium Toilet. And to know it is in Japan, well, it fits to the narrative. By the way, the place have interesting aesthetic (somehow I feel it mismatch but it seems it does good really well as you have shared). Keep sharing your journey!
It was my first time hearing about it as well. You’d never tell what’s on the inside without reading the sign or actually going inside.
I know what you mean when you say it seems like a mismatch.
It has a stunning ocean view but still a bit distant from the sea itself. I guess having the aquarium there brings many fish closer. 😂
It so like "never judge a book by its cover". It was indeed a pleasant surprise. Keep sharing interesting places!
😃So true. Thank you. Enjoy your week. 🎶
Hello @fruityfruitz
That is so crazy and so creative. I would feel same like you using that restroom, all fishes watching me and judging LOL!
Great post, keep sharing.
😃Hi @sahiba-rana. Thank you for stopping by. It’s kind of crazy right! What a creative mind. Haha! I knew there must be someone else who would feel the way I felt.
Thanks re the post and enjoy your week. 🎶
Hello @fruityfruitz
That is so crazy and so creative. I would feel same like you using that restroom, all fishes watching me and judging LOL!
Great post, keep sharing.Hello @fruityfruitz
That is so crazy and so creative. I would feel same like you using that restroom, all fishes watching me and judging LOL!
Great post, keep sharing.