english
Follow
0
Design

Clean thing

A film about a man who cleans toilets? Can be wonderful. If Wim Wenders writes the script and directs the film. And if the toilets aren't just any old public conveniences, but potential design icons.

Credit: Satoshi Nagare / Nippon Foundation
  • Text
    Bernd Haase
  • Foto
    Satoshi Nagare / Nippon Foundation

"It's such a perfect day, I'm glad I spent it with you", sings Lou Reed in his 1972 hit. Hirayama loves Lou Reed. And lives his "Perfect Days", the title of the new Wenders film, day after day. Following fixed rituals, Hirayama is happy to spend the day with himself, cleaning Tokyo's public toilets with dedication. Sounds more like monotony than perfection. But when Wim Wenders films a story like this, the end result is a potential candidate for the foreign Oscar as well as the award for best leading actor (devotedly: Kōji Yakusho) at the Cannes Film Festival.


1/5
Following fixed rituals, Hirayama is happy to spend the day with himself, cleaning Tokyo's public toilets with dedication.

The film's genesis is also worthy of a film. Wenders received an invitation from the project "The Tokyo Toilet", initiated by the designer Koji Yanai. 17 public toilets were designed and built for the Olympic Games by 16 star architects, including Tadao Ando and Shigeru Ban. The result is design gems made of wood, glass, concrete and with futuristic lighting effects. Temples of upscale luxury, so to speak. Always clean. Always in perfect condition. Wenders, who has loved Japan for decades and travelled there regularly, was supposed to document this project. But he didn't. Because: "Places are better off in fictional stories than in documentaries."


So it was supposed to be a feature film. About one of the people who keep these toilets clean. The result is a portrait of a modern-day lonesome cowboy who has settled into the routines of his life, barely talks, spends his lunch breaks in the park photographing trees and exploring his city. A quiet film that celebrates the beauty of small things. And is critically acclaimed. "The quintessence of Wender's work", the "best of his career", is the verdict of Deutschlandradio Kultur, for example.

We don't just want to celebrate the film here, but also these toilet blocks, which have already become an Instagram sensation. In the rampdesign 2023 "Success by Design" countdown, we already celebrated them as the logical main event. Because design doesn't stop at any place in the world. Especially not when it's such a clean thing.

Credit:
Credit:
Satoshi Nagare / Nippon Foundation
Satoshi Nagare / Nippon Foundation
Bernd Haase

Bernd Haase

Head of Text & Editor
He had a very clear career plan from a very early age: He wanted to be a rock star. Then he was allowed to join the school band. Because he wrote the lyrics (and because nobody, but really nobody, wanted to play bass). But it didn't last long. He switched basses with his father's Triumph Adler, realised that it also sounded nice, and decided to write about the dark side of the music business. But it turned out to be an internship at the local newspaper. Stayed quite a long time. It was much more exciting than I thought. After that, I worked as an editor for various newspapers, covering the finer things from cinema to music to travel. I also came across ramp. And stayed. It really is as exciting as I thought.
rampdesign: Success by Design
Clean thing

rampdesign: Success by Design

Ein Design, das den Unterschied ausmacht? Immer eine schöne Aufgabe. Viel spannender ist es aber, ein begehrenswertes Design zu entwickeln, das sich schlüssig aus der Marke ergibt und das mit einem modernen Blick konsequent für die Positionierung der Marke und deren nachhaltige Wahrnehmung arbeitet. Daher geht es immer darum, ein Markendesign zu entwickeln, das differenziert UND positioniert.

Similar articles

Our Bestsellers

  • The Porsche Book
    The Porsche Book
    100,00 EUR
    An opulent and entertainingly informative coffee table book about the elite of automobiles – Porsche! It offers a comprehensive view of the brand's significance in pop culture and automotive history.
  • rampstyle #32 Stay Cool
    rampstyle #32 Stay Cool
    20,00 EUR
    A professional survival tip for beginners: If you become lost and a search is initiated for you: Stay put. This may sound simple, but it is not. In stressful situations, our brain releases a substantial amount of norepinephrine into the relevant receptors, which unfortunately significantly impairs cognitive function.
  • Mercedes-Benz Milestones
    Mercedes-Benz Milestones
    50,00 EUR
    In the visually stunning coffee table book Mercedes-Benz Milestones, the ramp editorial team takes you on a journey through the history of the internationally coveted German car manufacturer.
  • BMW Milestones
    BMW Milestones
    50,00 EUR
    The ultimate BMW guide: The icons of the car brand in a visually stunning coffee table book.
  • ramp #64 How About That!
    ramp #64 How About That!
    20,00 EUR
    Surprises open our eyes to new things, which now isn't really a big surprise. The unexpected simply stays in memory longer, sparks curiosity – and prompts action. Essential for adapting to a changing world. The future might just be warming up for progress. It's meant to move forward effectively.
  • ramp #65<br>Surfing Cowboys
    ramp #65
    Surfing Cowboys
    20,00 EUR
    If you think "Surfing Cowboys" refers to neoprene-clad prairie riders or surfers wearing cowboy hats, you're slightly off the mark in this case. In the latest issue of our Car.Culture.Magazine, it's about the meeting of two quintessentially American archetypes, both embodying a deep longing for lived independence and untamed, self-determined freedom.
  • rampstyle #31 Isn't That Something?
    rampstyle #31 Isn't That Something?
    20,00 EUR
    Focusing on the essentials, blocking out everything else... If you’re focused, you’ve already mastered one important key skill. In our multimodal world, focus is, unfortunately, a rather limited resource. In particularly focused moments, we forget all about time. But do we run the risk of developing tunnel vision? Does focus lose its power over time? Do we become habituated? Far from it. Unexpected surprises? Bring ‘em on!
  • ramp #63 Happy on the Road
    ramp #63 Happy on the Road
    20,00 EUR
    Happy on the road? You bet. For any respectable car culture magazine, after all, being happy on the road is a mandatory prerequisite. Over time, and with a little bit of luck (which is, after all, a close relative of happiness), these feelings cheerfully blossom into an emotional foundation that ...
  • rampstyle #30 Blue Skies
    rampstyle #30 Blue Skies
    20,00 EUR
    After “All Summer Long” here’s our follow-up issue with the title “Blue Skies”. Of course. Because readers who know a little something about the English singer and songwriter Chris Rea will have already noticed how we’ve come full circle here. The blue sky as a symbol of hopeful optimism about what’s to come.
  • ramp #62 Wild Things
    ramp #62 Wild Things
    20,00 EUR
    Just heading along, the journey itself a wonderfully blank page that presents itself to us with a cheerful unpredictability, as an inspired playing field for trial and error, for curiosity and spontaneity, unexpected surprises and flights of fancy. Wild and untamed. Just like life itself.
  • Director’s Cut: Luxury
    Director’s Cut: Luxury
    125,00 EUR
    Luxury is enticing and exciting, polarizing and provocative, not to mention that it is good for the economy. But the essence of luxury goes far beyond the material. Luxury appeals to our senses, our dreams and our desires. It immediately evokes images that are as precise as they are diverse. Luxury also triggers some pretty clear opinions – both favorable and unfavorable.
  • rampdesign: Success by Design
    rampdesign: Success by Design
    20,00 EUR
    A design that makes all the difference? Always a nice task. An even more exciting task is the development of an attractive and desirable design that is derived coherently from the brand and which creates long-term brand awareness using a modern approach. Which makes it so important to come up with a design that differentiates and positions the brand effectively.
  • rampstyle #29 All Summer Long
    rampstyle #29 All Summer Long
    20,00 EUR
    Barcelona in summer. With Alvaro Soler - and a Porsche 911 SC. An approach to the phenomenon and the person Yves Saint Laurent. We spoke with Udo Kier in Palm Springs, and Luc Donckerwolke in his garage. And then there's the cover - and the associated story of House of Spoils.
  • Porsche 911 Everlasting Love Stories
    Porsche 911 Everlasting Love Stories
    99,00 EUR
    Sixty years of the Porsche 911 – sixty years that stand for very personal, highly emotional relationships of love involving this sports car. Stories marked by love, lust and passion. Captured in this high-quality illustrated book.
  • ramp #61 Love Is in the Air
    ramp #61 Love Is in the Air
    20,00 EUR
    Blue skies, the scent of fresh grass, the warmth of the moment – but above all: sunshine. The light of the sun’s rays, scientists say, is the decisive factor at the beginning of the warm season that triggers the merry mix of happiness hormones which energetically drive us headlong into the summer.
  • rampstyle #27 <br> By the Way
    rampstyle #27
    By the Way
    20,00 EUR
    Did you know that between thirty and fifty percent of all scientific discoveries are the result of coincidence? Velcro, Viagra, X-rays – sometimes people find things without even looking for them, but they are rewarded with an unexpected alternative.
  • rampstyle #28 Into the Great Wide Open
    rampstyle #28 Into the Great Wide Open
    20,00 EUR
    An exclusive fashion editorial with Tim Bendzko. Unseen pictures by photographer Anouk Masson Krantz. A conversation with star director Guy Ritchie and a somewhat different interview with musician Dan Auerbach. All this and much more awaits you in this issue of rampstyle.
  • Director’s Cut: The Lamborghini Book
    Director’s Cut: The Lamborghini Book
    100,00 EUR
    Author texts, expert interviews and aesthetically pleasing imagery do the brand justice in all aspects and make the book a must-have for all car fans and Lamborghini enthusiasts. Alongside exclusive design sketches, an overview of all series models with full technical specifications completes this extraordinary and ambitious book project.
  • The Lamborghini Book
    The Lamborghini Book
    100,00 EUR
    Author texts, expert interviews and aesthetically pleasing imagery do the brand justice in all aspects and make the book a must-have for all car fans and Lamborghini enthusiasts. An overview of all series models with full technical specifications completes this extraordinary and ambitious book project.
  • ramp #60 Too Cool to Handle.
    ramp #60 Too Cool to Handle.
    20,00 EUR
    A magazine about coolness? Among other things. But one thing at a time. First of all, it’s off to the movies. There’s this businessman from Boston who helps relieve a bank of a substantial amount of money. The insurance companies are on to him, but they can’t prove a thing. That, in a nutshell, is the plot of...
  • ramp #59 Tomorrow Is Yesterday
    ramp #59 Tomorrow Is Yesterday
    18,00 EUR
    “Tomorrow Is Yesterday” was the title of an episode of the television series Star Trek, and although it was the nineteenth episode overall, it was the first to flicker into German living rooms fifty years ago this May. The story revolved around timelines and time travel.
  • rampstyle #26 Good News
    rampstyle #26 Good News
    15,00 EUR
    Two thin ovals far up inside a circle, a curved arc below, sketched on sunny yellow. In a split second, our brain has combined the elements into a smiling face, instantly putting us in a good mood. Wonderful! A smiley like that just feels good.
  • Men’s manual - Best of rampstyle by Michael Köckritz
    Men’s manual - Best of rampstyle by Michael Köckritz
    29,90 EUR
    Existential questions are answered here: How do I build the perfect sandcastle? How do I start a band? Is there a perfect record player? (Spoiler Alert: yes, there is). Men´s manual is a supergroup of sorts: ramp and teNeues throw together their concentrated expertise in lifestyle.
  • The Porsche Book
    The Porsche Book
    100,00 EUR
    An opulent and entertainingly informative coffee table book about the elite of automobiles – Porsche! It offers a comprehensive view of the brand's significance in pop culture and automotive history.
  • rampstyle #32 Stay Cool
    rampstyle #32 Stay Cool
    20,00 EUR
    A professional survival tip for beginners: If you become lost and a search is initiated for you: Stay put. This may sound simple, but it is not. In stressful situations, our brain releases a substantial amount of norepinephrine into the relevant receptors, which unfortunately significantly impairs cognitive function.
  • Mercedes-Benz Milestones
    Mercedes-Benz Milestones
    50,00 EUR
    In the visually stunning coffee table book Mercedes-Benz Milestones, the ramp editorial team takes you on a journey through the history of the internationally coveted German car manufacturer.
  • BMW Milestones
    BMW Milestones
    50,00 EUR
    The ultimate BMW guide: The icons of the car brand in a visually stunning coffee table book.
  • ramp #64 How About That!
    ramp #64 How About That!
    20,00 EUR
    Surprises open our eyes to new things, which now isn't really a big surprise. The unexpected simply stays in memory longer, sparks curiosity – and prompts action. Essential for adapting to a changing world. The future might just be warming up for progress. It's meant to move forward effectively.
  • ramp #65<br>Surfing Cowboys
    ramp #65
    Surfing Cowboys
    20,00 EUR
    If you think "Surfing Cowboys" refers to neoprene-clad prairie riders or surfers wearing cowboy hats, you're slightly off the mark in this case. In the latest issue of our Car.Culture.Magazine, it's about the meeting of two quintessentially American archetypes, both embodying a deep longing for lived independence and untamed, self-determined freedom.
  • rampstyle #31 Isn't That Something?
    rampstyle #31 Isn't That Something?
    20,00 EUR
    Focusing on the essentials, blocking out everything else... If you’re focused, you’ve already mastered one important key skill. In our multimodal world, focus is, unfortunately, a rather limited resource. In particularly focused moments, we forget all about time. But do we run the risk of developing tunnel vision? Does focus lose its power over time? Do we become habituated? Far from it. Unexpected surprises? Bring ‘em on!
  • ramp #63 Happy on the Road
    ramp #63 Happy on the Road
    20,00 EUR
    Happy on the road? You bet. For any respectable car culture magazine, after all, being happy on the road is a mandatory prerequisite. Over time, and with a little bit of luck (which is, after all, a close relative of happiness), these feelings cheerfully blossom into an emotional foundation that ...
  • rampstyle #30 Blue Skies
    rampstyle #30 Blue Skies
    20,00 EUR
    After “All Summer Long” here’s our follow-up issue with the title “Blue Skies”. Of course. Because readers who know a little something about the English singer and songwriter Chris Rea will have already noticed how we’ve come full circle here. The blue sky as a symbol of hopeful optimism about what’s to come.
  • ramp #62 Wild Things
    ramp #62 Wild Things
    20,00 EUR
    Just heading along, the journey itself a wonderfully blank page that presents itself to us with a cheerful unpredictability, as an inspired playing field for trial and error, for curiosity and spontaneity, unexpected surprises and flights of fancy. Wild and untamed. Just like life itself.
  • Director’s Cut: Luxury
    Director’s Cut: Luxury
    125,00 EUR
    Luxury is enticing and exciting, polarizing and provocative, not to mention that it is good for the economy. But the essence of luxury goes far beyond the material. Luxury appeals to our senses, our dreams and our desires. It immediately evokes images that are as precise as they are diverse. Luxury also triggers some pretty clear opinions – both favorable and unfavorable.
  • rampdesign: Success by Design
    rampdesign: Success by Design
    20,00 EUR
    A design that makes all the difference? Always a nice task. An even more exciting task is the development of an attractive and desirable design that is derived coherently from the brand and which creates long-term brand awareness using a modern approach. Which makes it so important to come up with a design that differentiates and positions the brand effectively.
  • rampstyle #29 All Summer Long
    rampstyle #29 All Summer Long
    20,00 EUR
    Barcelona in summer. With Alvaro Soler - and a Porsche 911 SC. An approach to the phenomenon and the person Yves Saint Laurent. We spoke with Udo Kier in Palm Springs, and Luc Donckerwolke in his garage. And then there's the cover - and the associated story of House of Spoils.
  • Porsche 911 Everlasting Love Stories
    Porsche 911 Everlasting Love Stories
    99,00 EUR
    Sixty years of the Porsche 911 – sixty years that stand for very personal, highly emotional relationships of love involving this sports car. Stories marked by love, lust and passion. Captured in this high-quality illustrated book.
  • ramp #61 Love Is in the Air
    ramp #61 Love Is in the Air
    20,00 EUR
    Blue skies, the scent of fresh grass, the warmth of the moment – but above all: sunshine. The light of the sun’s rays, scientists say, is the decisive factor at the beginning of the warm season that triggers the merry mix of happiness hormones which energetically drive us headlong into the summer.
  • rampstyle #27 <br> By the Way
    rampstyle #27
    By the Way
    20,00 EUR
    Did you know that between thirty and fifty percent of all scientific discoveries are the result of coincidence? Velcro, Viagra, X-rays – sometimes people find things without even looking for them, but they are rewarded with an unexpected alternative.
  • rampstyle #28 Into the Great Wide Open
    rampstyle #28 Into the Great Wide Open
    20,00 EUR
    An exclusive fashion editorial with Tim Bendzko. Unseen pictures by photographer Anouk Masson Krantz. A conversation with star director Guy Ritchie and a somewhat different interview with musician Dan Auerbach. All this and much more awaits you in this issue of rampstyle.
  • Director’s Cut: The Lamborghini Book
    Director’s Cut: The Lamborghini Book
    100,00 EUR
    Author texts, expert interviews and aesthetically pleasing imagery do the brand justice in all aspects and make the book a must-have for all car fans and Lamborghini enthusiasts. Alongside exclusive design sketches, an overview of all series models with full technical specifications completes this extraordinary and ambitious book project.
  • The Lamborghini Book
    The Lamborghini Book
    100,00 EUR
    Author texts, expert interviews and aesthetically pleasing imagery do the brand justice in all aspects and make the book a must-have for all car fans and Lamborghini enthusiasts. An overview of all series models with full technical specifications completes this extraordinary and ambitious book project.
  • ramp #60 Too Cool to Handle.
    ramp #60 Too Cool to Handle.
    20,00 EUR
    A magazine about coolness? Among other things. But one thing at a time. First of all, it’s off to the movies. There’s this businessman from Boston who helps relieve a bank of a substantial amount of money. The insurance companies are on to him, but they can’t prove a thing. That, in a nutshell, is the plot of...
  • ramp #59 Tomorrow Is Yesterday
    ramp #59 Tomorrow Is Yesterday
    18,00 EUR
    “Tomorrow Is Yesterday” was the title of an episode of the television series Star Trek, and although it was the nineteenth episode overall, it was the first to flicker into German living rooms fifty years ago this May. The story revolved around timelines and time travel.
  • rampstyle #26 Good News
    rampstyle #26 Good News
    15,00 EUR
    Two thin ovals far up inside a circle, a curved arc below, sketched on sunny yellow. In a split second, our brain has combined the elements into a smiling face, instantly putting us in a good mood. Wonderful! A smiley like that just feels good.
  • Men’s manual - Best of rampstyle by Michael Köckritz
    Men’s manual - Best of rampstyle by Michael Köckritz
    29,90 EUR
    Existential questions are answered here: How do I build the perfect sandcastle? How do I start a band? Is there a perfect record player? (Spoiler Alert: yes, there is). Men´s manual is a supergroup of sorts: ramp and teNeues throw together their concentrated expertise in lifestyle.