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Whoops!Motorist damages Japan’s oldest toilet
The incident took place at Tofukuji Temple in the Kyoto area. The famous toilets date back to the 15th century.
Tofukuji Temple is located in western Japan.
AFP
A Japanese man in charge of preserving cultural heritage accidentally rammed his car into the country’s oldest toilet, located in a centuries-old Buddhist temple, partially destroying it, police said on Tuesday.
Tofukuji Temple in the Kyoto region of western Japan is home to toilets believed to date back to the 15th century, earning it designation as an Important Cultural Property.
But the original wooden door leading to the toilet was ‘damaged’ after the driver – a 30-year-old man from the Kyoto Heritage Preservation Association – accidentally pressed the accelerator not realizing his car was in reverse, police told AFP.
“We were told it was going to require extensive restoration work,” a Kyoto police official said.
Interior walls also suffered minor damage, but the actual latrines – two rows of openings in the floor – are intact, according to Norihiko Murata, an official in charge of Kyoto’s cultural heritage preservation.
These toilets were once frequented by monks as part of their ascetic training, but are no longer used today.
“It is of course disappointing that part of this important cultural property has been damaged in this way,” Murata said. We will discuss how to restore it in a way that retains as much of its cultural value as possible.”
(AFP)