Everybody (loves) poops.
You know, back when I was a kid, drawing a picture of a piece of crap or a detective with a butt for a head would get me into a bunch of trouble, but now it’s celebrated. Indeed, poo is a hot commodity in Japan at the moment. Everybody loves Butt Detective, and the best-selling Unko Kanji Drill practice books have been burning up the charts and even spawned a small merchandising empire.
And now on 15 March, the city of Yokohama has become the home of the Unko Museum (Poo Museum) which celebrates all the whimsy and wonder of crap. We sent Mr. Sato down to the venue, Asobuild, which is located adjacent to the east exit of Yokohama Station and the Yokohama Chuo Post Office.
It was the morning of opening day when Mr. Sato arrived. He had bought his adult ticket in advance for 1,600 yen (US$14), but it is also possible to purchase them at the door.
He wouldn’t recommend it though, because the lines were something else! Even on a weekday morning he had to wait 40 minutes to get in. Mr. Sato knew poo was big in Japan, but he had no idea it was this huge.
Everyone was allowed in in groups of 12 at a time. When Mr. Sato’s time came, his group entered a separate room and the staff led them in a hearty cheer of “UNKO!!!” All of the kids and our own 45-year-old kid shouted back, “UNKO!!!” and everyone was officially in the right frame of mind to begin.
They were then presented with an array of colorful toilets along the walls, one for each person to sit on.
Mr. Sato took toilet number one and posed as if he was a taking number two. He said he went for realism so that we could all see what he looks like when pooping, forgetting that we are all already very familiar with that.
When he got off the throne, our reporter was surprised to find a little pink coil at the bottom of the bowl where there had not been one before. It was a magical delight!
Mr. Sato held the poo in his hand and looked at it. It was a nice little nugget of thanks from the Unko Museum and everyone walked around the museum with it in their hands. It kind of gave them all a sense of community — united in their turds.
But Mr. Sato thought about it some more, and it really wasn’t just about the Unko Museum. Crap is what unites all of us. No matter what race, religion, or political stripe we may be, in the end we are all full of crap, and that’s a beautiful thing. Even the noble animals of the Earth share this common trait.
It gave our reporter a really positive vibe just as he approached the Poop Volcano, which according to the announcement, was set to blow. A countdown commenced and climaxed with a flurry of balls erupting from the top while children played in a ball pit beneath.
There were several other interesting exhibits as well, such as the Pet Poop Room, Flying Poop, Puripuri Gallery, and Kuso Game Corner. But the most interesting one for Mr. Sato was the Invisible Poop.
It’s not “invisible” in any sort of paranormal sense. This is just a pitch dark room with a poop hidden somewhere inside. Rather than their eyes, visitors must rely on their sense of touch to feel the poo within.
Sadly, Mr. Sato was unable to find it and gave up.
On the way out there was a gift shop full of feces-related merch. Mr. Sato assumed a lot of it was limited edition, making this store alone worth the trip.
Overall it was a fun day and a really uplifting look at crap. This was probably good for a lot of kids too, as recent studies suggest many of them are overly nervous about moving their bowels, which may lead to health problems down the road.
After plopping out the exit, Mr. Sato wanted to take one last look at the lineup at the entrance but found that it was all clear. So while Mr. Sato was backed up for nearly an hour, other times you can apparently just walk right through.
If you are planning a visit before it closes on 15 July, be sure to plan ahead, because I guess you could say that the Poo Museum… isn’t regular.
Event Information
Unko Museum / うんこミュージアム
Yokohama Asobuild 2F Ale-Box (Kanagawa-ken, Yokohama-shi, Nishi-ku, Takashima 2-14-9)
横浜アソビル2階「ALE-BOX」（神奈川県横浜市西区高島2丁目14−9)
Open: 15 March – 15 July, 2019
Hours: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. (Weekdays), 10 a.m. – 9 p.m. (Weekends & Holidays)
Images: ©SoraNews24
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[ Read in Japanese ]