Japanese driver crashes into the country's oldest bathroom

2022-10-18

I’ve had a little accident in the bathroom… Japanese driver crashes into the country’s oldest toilet

Toilet is hundreds of years old and was damaged inside temple in Kyoto
Alleged that the man accidentally accelerated while car was in reverse
Backed into the wooden door of the building and walls suffered minor damage
Officials have been told that it is going to require a lot of work to restore

An unlucky Japanese driver accidentally crashed into the country’s oldest bathroom.

The toilet, which is hundreds of years old, was damaged by the 30-year-old driver, who has not been named, inside the Tofukuji temple in Kyoto yesterday morning.

It is alleged that the man accidentally accelerated while the 20-year-old Toyota WiLL VI was in reverse and backed into and hit the wooden door of the building.

He called police straight after the incident happened and was unhurt. There was no one inside the temple when the smash occurred.

According to Sora News 24, the 2 metre tall double door and interior pillars were damaged.

Walls inside sustained minor damage but the actual latrines, two rows of pits, survived intact.

The toilet, which is hundreds of years old, was damaged by the 30-year-old driver, who has not been named, inside the Tofukuji temple in Kyoto yesterday morning. It is alleged that the man accidentally accelerated while the 20-year-old Toyota WiLL VI, pictured, was in reverse and backed into and hit the wooden door of the building

The toilet was built during the Muromachi period 500 years ago. It is a ‘tosu’ toilet which was designed to be used by trainee monks.

There is a row of about 20 toilets in the temple, which could accommodate up to 100 monks at a time, Ashai Shimbun reported.

According to the newspaper, the toilets were in use up to the start of the Meji era.

The 30-year-old driver had been visiting Kyoto on business. Luckily, the damage to the old toilet can be repaired.

Director of the temple’s research institute, Toshio Ishikawa, told the Kyoto Shimbun: ‘We’d like to restore it before the autumn foliage season, but it will probably take until the new year [to repair it].’

A Kyoto police official said: ‘We’ve been told it’s going to require a lot of work to restore.

Norihiko Murata, a Kyoto official in charge of cultural heritage preservation, said:

‘It is of course disappointing that part of this important cultural property has been damaged like this.

‘We will discuss how to restore it in a way that will retain as much of its cultural value as possible.’

Rows of toilets in the building, which is usually closed to visitors, can be seen through gaps in the exterior of the building.

The ancient toilets which are circular holes cut into stone were located next to the Monk’s meditation hall.

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