Atlas Obscura
Tousu at Tofuku-ji Temple in Kyoto, Japan
The oldest surviving toilet in Japan can be found at Tofuku-ji, a major Zen temple in Higashiyama Ward, Kyoto. Dating back to the early Muromachi period (1336–1573), this historic restroom is over 500 years old. Known as tousu , this type of toilet is one of the seven facilities that comprise a Zen temple complex. As every act of living is part of the training in Zen, monks were required to rel…
major Zen temple in Higashiyama Ward