Heartwarming Society

All by Hand: A Day with Japan's 'Coolest' Toilet Cleaner

Tomoyuki Oi scrubs public restrooms in the mountains by hand — and he's quietly changing how Japan thinks about the people who clean them.

Apr 9, 2026 · 10 min · YouTube

What's going on

ONEDAYs is a documentary series by the Nippon Foundation that spends one day with people navigating life on the edges of mainstream Japanese society. Episode 45 follows Tomoyuki Oi, the president of OPT (Opito), a small company that cleans public restrooms at tourist facilities in Okutama — a rugged mountain area at the far western edge of Tokyo, popular with hikers and day-trippers from the city. Oi has given himself the title "Japan's coolest toilet cleaner," and the video takes him at his word: every surface gets scrubbed by hand, on hands and knees, until it gleams.

Cleaning occupies a particular cultural space in Japan. Children are expected to clean their own classrooms; temples and shrines treat sweeping as a form of spiritual practice; and a certain strain of Japanese work philosophy holds that willingness to clean a toilet reveals a person's true character. What makes this comment section worth reading is how many people in it are themselves cleaners — hospital workers, convenience store staff, janitors — watching Oi and quietly deciding to go back to work tomorrow with their heads a little higher.

Comments

I’m a cleaner too. People call it a bottom-rung job and laugh at us, but I genuinely think it’s work the world can’t do without. Gonna keep doing it with my head held high.

Cleaning a toilet is a sacred act. May good things come avalanching down on this man and everyone watching ✨

It’s not an exaggeration to say the reputation of a tourist destination is decided by how clean its toilets are. That’s how much it matters.

They say cleaning is a sacred act, and you can feel it — a place that’s been properly cleaned has a completely different atmosphere. Oi, taking real pride in his work. Genuinely cool ❤

I’m a cleaner too! This gave me the push I needed.

I have nothing but gratitude for the people who do work that is absolutely essential to human life. Watching this makes me want to use public restrooms carefully — out of respect for whoever has to clean them.

@大井朋幸 — Official

That means so much to hear! A clean restroom only comes into existence through the cooperation of the people using it. It’s like we’re cleaning it together — and that feeling is the best part of the job 😊 Today I’m going to drag everyone along with me in building something close to the perfect toilet ☂️💪

I’m certain there are people out there who chose not to end their lives because they stepped into a clean, welcoming restroom. The energy of that kind of care is powerful. I have so much respect for this.

@大井朋幸 — Official

A restroom can, unfortunately, become the last place someone faces their life. That’s exactly why I want to keep it filled with warmth and safety — a warmth that might make someone decide to live one more day. It’s your words, honestly, that feel like they’re saving me 😭 Thank you so much for watching and for this comment ✨✌️✨

The depth of this man’s character is beyond words. “Cool” doesn’t even cover it. Working for yourself — for the best version of yourself. Learned something today. Thank you.

This guy is way too cool. Someone with this mindset — put them in charge of anything and they’ll make it work.

@大井朋幸 — Official

Oh man, that’s way too kind!!

The restrooms OPT cleans must be serious power spots by now 😭 (Power spots are locations believed to radiate spiritual or natural energy — a popular concept in Japanese wellness culture.)

I used to work as a hospital cleaner. Honestly, it was hard to talk about around other people — felt like something I had to hide. But watching OPT work, I’m genuinely moved. This is something special. I hope it spreads across the whole country.

May OPT’s work spread to every corner of the world.

The elementary school kids and their pure, direct feeling — “we want our town to be clean, we want it to be a nice place” — that part got me crying.

This is genuinely Japan’s coolest, no question. And that includes the kids from Takatsuki he connected with (Takatsuki is a city in Osaka Prefecture) — different part of the country, but thank you for what you do.

As a fellow cleaner, I bow my head. Going to polish that toilet tomorrow with a completely fresh attitude ❗

@大井朋幸 — Official

Thank you for all your hard work 😊 I too shall go frolic with a toilet bowl in a fresh new spirit! Let’s both hum a little song in our heads and enjoy it ✨

So cool!! Years ago on the subway my stomach suddenly went south — I made a frantic dash to the nearest restroom, nausea spiking. The place was spotless and smelled clean, and after I came out, the nausea was actually gone. If that restroom hadn’t been clean I’d have lost all my dignity. To everyone keeping these places clean: it’s basically a form of medicine. A healing act. I travel abroad a lot, and I’m always proud of Japanese restrooms — that’s 100% because of the cleaners. I never get a chance to say it directly, but thank you, always.

This is beautiful ❤ I feel like Japan’s been drifting in a strange direction lately, but people like Oi are slowly bringing something back. I mean that seriously. And the way those kids spoke — with such life in them. That made me happy.

The pride he takes in this job comes through so clearly, and it’s incredibly cool. His fashion is on point, and his heart shines just as bright. People like him are absolutely essential.

I’m a cleaner too. It’s hard, really hard — especially the restrooms, and honestly the men’s side is the worst. But watching this, somehow I’m completely fired up to go clean toilets. I don’t even know why. Thank you, genuinely.

I’ve never looked down on toilet cleaners. Everyone cleans their own toilet at home.

The way this presents cleaning work as “cool” — that’s so good. I want one episode like this in every grade’s ethics textbook. I want kids to see that taking pride in your work is cool, full stop. It would change how they approach school cleaning too.

A real man’s man. Genuinely, sincerely cool.

Watching this just feels good. Alright, I’m going to go clean something.

@大井朋幸 — Official

Alright, me too!! Thank you so much for watching ✨✌️✨

This man is genuinely what the world needs.

Keeping a toilet clean — it polishes the spirit of both the cleaner and the people who use it. A clean toilet is a mirror of a person’s character.

So cool. He’s the toilet god, no less. Please take care of yourself.

The way they extend their care beyond the cleaning itself — the connections they build, the acts of warmth. OPT’s hands and hearts are genuinely warm. The real ones are always humble.

@大井朋幸 — Official

My late grandmother, born in the Taisho era (roughly the 1910s–20s), always said a man who carries a handkerchief is a cool man. The world I’m working toward looks something like this — “Let’s wash our hands, dry our hands, and then hold each other’s hands.” Just catching a glimpse of that world makes me glad I became a toilet cleaner 🙌

Being cool matters 💓 It really does 💓 Japan should stay beautiful.

I hope Japan never loses its spirit of wanting to be clean — even in Kabukicho and places like that (Kabukicho is Tokyo’s major nightlife district, known for its chaotic energy). For now: I’ll carry a handkerchief. Wipe things up if they’re dirty. Sort my trash. Do what I can. May Japan stay beautiful a hundred years from now 🇯🇵

I genuinely think this man is cool. When something struck him at his temple like a bolt — was that the toilet god saying “don’t leave, I need you”? Polishing a public restroom by hand is not something just anyone can do. You have to be a truly humble person. I respect that.

@大井朋幸 — Official

Watching my daughter cry, I actually felt a small sense of relief — the coward in me thought I finally had an excuse to quit. I’d never told anyone I was working as a toilet cleaner. I was ashamed. Every day I went in nauseated, staring at the ground. I couldn’t even enjoy my favorite curry rice. I lost weight. I was diagnosed with depression. All the pieces were in place to quit with my head held high — and then something struck me like a lightning bolt through my whole body. From that moment I threw myself into scrubbing every toilet bowl I could find. And without even realizing it, I found myself with pride in this job. That day, the old me died. The me that exists now is stronger, and trying to live with joy 😊 Thank you so much for watching ✨✌️✨

So freaking cool. There’s just something different about the way he approaches his work, isn’t there.

@大井朋幸 — Official

I don’t like work, so I decided to just play instead. Turns out I ended up loving it 😆

It’s shigoto (志事).

The word “shigoto” (仕事) means work or job. This commenter swapped the first kanji character: instead of 仕 (a neutral character meaning “to serve/do”), they wrote 志 (meaning “aspiration,” “will,” or “calling”). Same pronunciation — entirely different spirit.

@大井朋幸 — Official

Yes! Being a toilet cleaner is a wonderful shigoto (志事) 👏

I clicked thinking this was just a video about a pro cleaning crew — and yes, their technique and philosophy are great. But I ended up crying at all the other things they’re doing too 🥹 The whole team’s mindset and attitude left an impression. OPT, you’re all way too cool 👏 I feel genuinely cleansed watching this. Thank you 🙏

My take

There's no such thing as an uncool job. There's only an uncool way of doing it. That's what I came away thinking.

Comments loosely translated for tone.

Source https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nitiPljCOpY