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

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.

私も清掃員です清掃員って底辺って言われたりいろんな人に笑われたりしますが、なくてはならない仕事だと思ってますこれからも誇りを持って仕事をしていこうと思います

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

トイレ掃除は神事です。この方に、皆様に良きことが雪崩れのごとく起きます✨

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.

観光地の是非はトイレの綺麗さによって決まるといっても過言ではないほど重要

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 ❤

掃除は神事だそうです。掃除された場所は空気感が違います。誇りを持ってお仕事をされる大井さん、カッコいいです❤

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

私も清掃員してます！頑張ります

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.

人間が生きるのに絶対必要な仕事をしてくれる人に感謝しかないです。汚したくない。という思いで綺麗に使おうと思わせてくれます。

@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 ☂️💪

そのように思っていただき本当に嬉しいです！利用者さんのご協力があってこそ、はじめて綺麗なトイレは創られます。一緒にトイレ掃除している感覚です。これが最高に気持ち良くて楽しんですよね😊今日も皆さんを巻き込んで理想に近いトイレを創って参ります☂️💪

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.

トイレを使用して命を断つ事をやめた人は確実にいると思います。愛のエネルギーすごいもん。本当に尊敬します。

@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 ✨✌️✨

トイレは単なる場所ではなく、人生の最期に向き合う場所になってしまうことも残念ながらあります。だからこそ、そこを清潔で安心な喜びで感情を満たし、もう一度生きようと思える温かさを灯し続けたいと本気で願っています！こんな素晴らしい温かい言葉に、ボクの方が命を救われた気持ちです😭ご視聴やコメントをいただきまして本当に有り難う御座いました✨✌️✨

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.

人間レベルが高すぎて、言葉にならない。カッコいいを超えている。自分のために、最高の自分のために働く。勉強させてもらいます。ありがとうございます。

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

やばい、カッコ良すぎる！こういう人は起業したら、なんでも成功させると思う

@大井朋幸 — Official

Oh man, that’s way too kind!!

うぁっ、嬉しいすぎます！

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.)

オピトさん達が掃除したトイレは強力なパワースポットですね😭

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.

自分も病院の清掃員をしていました。正直周りの人には言いにくい仕事だと感じていました。だけど、OPTさんの活動を見て感動しました。本当にすばらしい。全国に広まってほしいです。

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

OPTの活動が世界中に広がりますように。

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.

小学生たちの「自分たちの街をきれいにしたい、素敵にしたい」っていうまっすぐな気持ちを感じて涙が出てきた

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.

こりゃ日本一カッコいいわ。間違いない。もちろん全国の清掃員の方や交流してた高槻の小学生達もカッコいい。地域は違うけどいつもありがとうございます。

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

同じ清掃員として頭が下がります。明日からあらたな気持ちで便器を磨いてみよう❗

@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 ✨

いつもお仕事ご苦労様です😊 ボクも新たな気持ちで便器と戯れて参ります！心の中で鼻歌でも歌いながらお互い楽しんで行きましょう✨

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.

かっこいい！！以前に電車でいきなりお腹が下りそうになって、凄まじい吐き気で駆け込んだ大江戸線の青山一丁目のトイレ。そこがすごくきれいで、いい匂いで、トイレが終わった後に吐き気も治まりました。本当にあのトイレがなければ人間の尊厳を失ってたところで、他にもトイレをきれいにしてくれている方には感謝しかないです。海外に行くことが多いですが、日本のトイレのきれいさは本当に誇れることで、これは清掃員さんたちのたゆまぬ努力のおかげです。一種の医療行為というか、人を癒していると思いますよ。感謝する機会がなく直接伝えられないことが残念ですが、いつも大変感謝しております。

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.

素敵です❤ 今、日本人がおかしな方向に行ってるけど、大井さんのような心の人達が少しずつ日本を取り戻してくれると思ってる。大袈裟ではなくてホントに！！子供達の生き生きした発言聞いてると嬉しくなりました。

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.

トイレ清掃に誇りを持ってるのが伝わってめちゃくちゃカッコイイファッションもイケてるし心も綺麗に輝いてるわこういう人の存在は必要不可欠

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.

私も、清掃員ですが大変で仕方がないですがなんか、この動画を観てたらやる気が出ました有難うございます一番大変なのはトイレ掃除が大変で仕方がないですがなかなか、男性の方は、トイレを綺麗に使ってくれないので一番困っていますがこれを見たら、トイレ掃除とかをなぜかやる気に満ち溢れています。本当に有難うございます

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

トイレ清掃員を蔑んでみたことは無い。自分の家のトイレは皆自分で清掃しているのだから

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.

清掃の仕事を「かっこいい」と紹介してくれるの、すごくいい。道徳の教科書、各学年に1話くらい欲しい。もっと、「プライドを持っててかっこいい」って子供たちにも思ってもらいたい。学校の清掃活動も変わると思う。

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

漢の中の漢だな。本当にかっこいい！

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

見ていて気持ちがいい。よし、掃除しよう。

@大井朋幸 — Official

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

よし、じゃあボクも！！ご視聴いただきまして本当に有り難う御座いました✨✌️✨

This man is genuinely what the world needs.

本当に世の中に必要な人ですね。

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.

トイレを清潔にするってさ、使う人と本人の精神を磨くことなんよな、清潔なトイレはその人の鑑やね、

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

めっちゃカッコえぇ。トイレの神様ですね。お身体に気をつけてくださいね。

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.

トイレ清掃以外にも取り組む慈しみの行為の数々、人とのつながり。OPTの方々の手と心は温かい。本物は、謙虚です。

@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 🙌

こんな素敵なコメントできるyaさんなら日本を美しく行動している方だと思いました！ハンカチを持っている男性はカッコいいと亡くなった大正生まれの祖母が言っておりました。ボクの目指す世界はこんな感じです…「手を洗おう・手を拭こう・そして手を繋ごう」そんな景色に出会うだけでトイレ清掃員になって良かったとほっこりします🙌

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

カッコイイってイイ💓　大事💓　やっぱり日本は綺麗でありたいね。

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 🇯🇵

自分もだけど、日本の美しくする気持ちが消えないでいて欲しい。歌舞伎町とか、東横キッズがいる場所とかも、綺麗になればイイな。まずは、私は、私の場所でハンカチを持つ。汚れてたら拭く。ゴミの分別。やれることやる。日本が100年先も美しい国でありますように日本🇯🇵

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.

本当にカッコいいと思いました。こめかみをズギューン！って撃ったのは「大切な人だから行かないで！」というトイレの神様の願いだったんでしょうか？公衆トイレを手で磨くって本当に謙虚な方でなければできない。尊敬します。

@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 ✨✌️✨

娘の涙を見て卑怯なボクは少し安堵しました。カッコ悪いのでトイレ清掃員として働いていることを誰にも言えず毎日吐きそうになりながら下ばかりを向いていました。大好きなカレーも画的に食べれず体重も減り、うつ病との診断を受けました。これですべての材料が揃い、堂々とヤメラレ・・そんな瞬間でした。こめかみをパーンと撃ち抜かれた電気のようなものが身体中に走りました！そこからボクは一心不乱、無我夢中に便器を擦り、いつの間にかトイレ清掃員という仕事に誇りを持てるようになりました。あの瞬間、今までのボクは死にました。今のボクは確実に強くなり楽しく生きようとしています😊ご視聴いただき有り難う御座いました✨✌️✨

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

めちゃんこかっこいいな〜やっぱり仕事にかける思いが違うのかな

@大井朋幸 — Official

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

仕事好きじゃないので遊んじゃおーって。そうしたら好きになってました😆

It’s shigoto (志事).

志事ですね

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) 👏

はい！トイレ清掃員は素晴らしいお志事です👏

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 🙏

トイレ掃除のプロ集団の動画だと思って見始めたら、トイレ掃除のやり方や志も素晴らしかったけど、それ以外の活動にも思わず感動して涙してしまいました🥹 メンバー皆さんの考え方、姿勢にも感銘を受けました✨ オピトの皆さんカッコ良過ぎ👏 心洗われました、本当にありがとう🙏

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.

#Heartwarming #Society

Source & translation note

Comments loosely translated for tone. Reactions collected from Togetter and X threads.

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