Transparent toilets? They now exist in Tokyo

Would you use a public restroom that has glass walls?

It sounds risky, but there's nothing to fear when using these innovative toilets in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan.

Architect Shigeru Ban designed them in a way that the walls are transparent when nobody is inside, but they turn opaque when it's locked and in use.

"There are two things we worry about when entering a public restroom, especially those located at a park. The first is cleanliness, and the second is whether anyone is inside," he explained on The Tokyo Toilet website.

These transparent toilets are located in Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park and Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park.

They are part of the initiative by The Tokyo Toilet, which aims to redesign 17 public toilets in Shibuya. As of now, five have already been completed in various locations.

Check out the rest of the designs, including the transparent toilets, below:

Why all this effort to redesign public toilets? On its website, The Tokyo Toilet said, "Toilets are a symbol of Japan's world-renowned hospitality culture."

This initiative is a collaboration between the Nippon Foundation, the Shibuya City Government and the Shibuya Tourism Association.

—JCB, GMA News