A video by Indian travel vlogger Sarthak Sachdeva is attracting attention online after he demonstrated a voice-controlled public toilet during a visit to Japan.
In the clip, Sachdeva shows how several functions can be operated without touching conventional controls. The experience prompted him to describe Japan as being far ahead in the use of technology in everyday public infrastructure.
“You can play music while using it. Japan is living in 2057,” Sachdeva wrote while sharing the video on Instagram.
Vlogger Demonstrates the Toilet’s Voice Controls
Sachdeva begins his demonstration by introducing the facility as an example of Japan’s futuristic public toilets.
“Today, I’ll show you how futuristic a public toilet in Japan is,” he says in the video, according to a translated transcription of his Hindi commentary.
He then demonstrates a voice command by saying:
“Hi, toilet. Please turn on the sink.”
The video also shows a QR code being scanned using a smartphone as part of accessing or activating the facility’s functions. Sachdeva points out that a range of commands can be used without manually touching the controls.
“Bro, I mean, just by your voice control, there are so many commands written here, so that you can use the entire toilet without touching it,” he says in the translated transcription.
From Music to Water-Pressure Controls
One of the features that particularly caught Sachdeva’s attention was the ability to play music through a spoken command.
“Hi, toilet. Please play music,” he says during the demonstration.
He also points to controls for changing pressure levels, saying: “Bro, I mean, you can even give commands for more pressure and less pressure. I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. And truly, Japan is living in the future.”
The functions shown in the video are consistent with the voice-controlled public toilet at Nanago Dori Park in Shibuya, Tokyo, part of THE TOKYO TOILET project. Background reporting on that facility says users can activate its voice-command system through a smartphone QR code and operate functions including the door and toilet controls without physical contact.
The Technology Is Not Actually New
While the video has introduced the unusual facility to a fresh online audience, the technology itself predates the viral post.
The Nanago Dori Park facility was completed in August 2021 and was designed by Kazoo Sato and the Disruption Lab Team as part of THE TOKYO TOILET initiative. Its central concept was to reduce the need for physical contact in a public restroom.
The system responds after a user says “Hi, toilet” and supports commands for functions such as opening or closing the door, flushing the toilet and controlling bidet functions. It can also play music. Commands are available in English and Japanese.
The dome-shaped structure was designed with hygiene and ventilation in mind as well. Architectural information about the project says the building uses airflow and mechanical ventilation to reduce lingering odours and refresh the air inside the facility.
Why the Toilet Was Designed to Be Touch-Free
The concept goes beyond adding technology simply for novelty.
The facility's designers focused on reducing the need for users to touch surfaces such as doors and toilet controls. Reporting about the project says its development reflected observations that many people already tried to avoid direct hand contact with surfaces in public restrooms, a concern that became especially prominent during the COVID-19 pandemic.
That makes the viral video noteworthy for another reason: a technology introduced several years ago is reaching a new international audience through short-form social media.
Video Draws Reactions Online
The unusual demonstration prompted a mix of amazement and humour from social-media users.
One reaction quoted in reports simply read, “Wow! Just wow.” Another user called the technology “really wonderful.”
Another commenter joked, “We got public toilet rickrolling before GTA 6.”
The reactions reflect what appears to have made Sachdeva’s clip particularly shareable: instead of showcasing experimental technology in a laboratory, it demonstrates advanced automation being used for an ordinary everyday activity.
More Than a Viral Technology Demonstration
Sachdeva’s video presents the restroom as something futuristic, but the broader story is about the application of contactless technology to public infrastructure.
Voice recognition, automated controls and ventilation have been combined in the facility with the aim of making a routine public service more hygienic and convenient.
And while the vlogger’s “living in 2057” description is playful rather than literal, the renewed attention around the video demonstrates how an everyday piece of infrastructure can still surprise international visitors years after it was introduced.
