November 19 is the World Toilet Day, the United Nations' official international observance dedicated to inspiring action to tackle the global sanitation crisis. While Japan's sewage systems are well developed, natural disasters regularly put them out of commission, with no power for pumps, and nowhere for waste water to drain. As can be expected, Japan's innovators are thinking up solutions to these and other toilet troubles.

Although Japan's toilets have a reputation for high technology, many public bathrooms are simple affairs, but exhibitors at this year's Toilet Tokyo show are letting the world know that they're thinking about technology, ecology, and a whole lot more.

The Toilet Tokyo 2019 Exhibition, held at the capital city's gargantuan "Big Sight" conference center, is a major show taking on the world's major issue of universal sanitation. Key themes emerging at this year's expo are portability, accessibility, and sustainability.

The country that brought the world the pocket portable radio is now bringing maximum portability to the porta-potty. Japan's tiny but tough trucks are ready to lug little loos wherever they're needed, a frequent occurrence in a land of earthquakes, mudslides, and flooding. The emergency toilets on display at Toilet Tokyo have all the amenities – even a place for aid workers to hang their hat when nature calls.

Yoshimi Kumamoto of Hino Kogyo Corporation, makers of a wide variety of 
clean, high-quality portable temporary restrooms, described her company's products: "These portable toilets are placed in disaster areas.  These are usually for construction or event venues. Therefore, we have to make them good."

Accessibility is also a major theme at this year's exposition, meaning that these commodes can accommodate ages nine months to ninety years, with all handles in reach of the handicapped and elderly.  And "access" now means that seniors, the ill, or those with disability can be rescued from locked toilet stalls by medical technicians via a new type of externally accessible emergency loo latch.

And with water-related disasters being so common in Japan, these "water closets" aim for sustainability by means of electricity-free operation, without reliance on often-overwhelmed water, sewer and drainage systems – and are even independent of water itself.

Seiwa-Denko Company employee Kimitoshi Sato described his company's approach to  temporary toilets, saying "We use sawdust that would usually be disposed of to treat human waste.  And then, the used sawdust can be composted back to the soil."

With good intentions to provide a "convenient place" for all members of society, Toilet Tokyo 2019 still took time for a little fun with the topic. After all, the "swirl," especially when portrayed in gold, is said to be a symbol of auspicious good luck in Japan.