A Japanese cultural heritage worker’s week got off to a horrible start when he smashed his automobile into a historically significant restroom he was tasked with preserving.
Monday at 9:30 a.m., an unidentified 30-year-old guy was on a business trip to the Tofukuji Temple in Kyoto. He is an employee of the Kyoto Association for the Preservation of Ancient Cultures, according to the Sankei Shimbun.
According to the Sankei Shimbun, quoting a Japanese police source, the man mistakenly stepped on the pedal while driving in reverse on shrine grounds. The automobile then crashed through the doors of the historic communal toilet at the Tofukuji Temple.
The Sankei Shimbun stated that while the row of latrines within the wooden construction was unharmed, the temple toilet’s doors and pillars were destroyed. There were no injuries.
According to a source, the heritage worker then reported the incident to the police himself.
—Mulboyne (@Mulboyne)
17 October 2022
The bathroom at Tofukuji Temple was constructed at least 500 years ago during the Muromachi period of Japan and is the country’s oldest surviving public toilet. A row of approximately 11-inch-deep trenches may be found within the outhouse of the temple, exemplifying the primitive bathroom facilities of the time.
According to The Asahi Shimbun, citing Kyoto Prefecture’s cultural treasures protection office, the temple’s latrine was dubbed the “hundred-person toilet” because it was used by more than 100 novice monks.
According to The Asahi Shimbun, the toilet is located in a wooden structure designated by the Japanese government as an important cultural site.
Fortunately, the unidentified man can mend the doors.
Keishu Nagai, chief of the temple’s management office, told The Asahi Shimbun, “We are relieved that the damage can be repaired.” We would like to return it to its original condition.
The Kyoto Association for the Preservation of Ancient Cultures made an online apology on Tuesday for an employee’s driving error.
The statement from the group stated, “We sincerely apologize for creating an accident involving a car that destroyed a valuable cultural property.” We sincerely regret for the significant inconvenience caused to Tofukuji Temple and all affected parties.
The association noted that it will educate its members on safe driving practices. The company did not immediately react to Insider’s request for comment regarding the man’s termination.