Shall We Clean the Toilets?
February 2, 2009
I got an amusing notice on my desk last month that stood out among the usual boring ones I get regarding school schedule changes and such. The heading said トイレ掃除に参加しませんか？ or literally, “Won’t you participate in toilet cleaning?” However I prefer to use the less literal “Shall We Clean the Toilets?” because it has a nice ring to it.
To Students and Guardians,
Shall We Clean the Toilets?
We previously discussed the cleaning of the school toilets at the beginning of Winter Vacation. ”Meeting to Learn How to Clean *** City” will commence with toilet cleaning at our school during the times listed below. People who wish to participate should fill in the following application form, detach it, and submit it to their homeroom teacher.
1. Date/ Time: February 1st, 2009 at 8:30 AM
2. Place: Student Entryway
3. Bring: Inside shoes, slippers, boots, cleaning towel, 300 yen participant’s fee
4. Etc: Please wear clothing which is easy to work in. Everyone will clean with bare hands, but you may wear rubber gloves if you wish. This is up to the individual participant.
I’d like to mention the origin of such a bizarre ritual as mass school toilet cleanings. It is in fact the students who clean the school in Japan every day, not a separate set of staff. Presumably in an effort to prevent accidents with harmful chemicals, the students do not clean the floors and surfaces of the toilets with soap or chemicals, they use only water.
Hence, the toilets are left for upwards of 6 months used day in and out by 800 students and over 50 staff without being disinfected or sanitized. So much for that image of Japan being obsessed with cleanliness.
I was roped into cleaning the toilets with sanitizer once after an outbreak of the flu cancelled classes and we staff had to disinfect the school with buckets and rags. I can assure you that is not a job one wants to do bare handed.
I wouldn’t pay 300 yen to have the privilege to clean some toilets. I would however pay 300 yen as often as necessary for them to hire some staff to do it for us. I’ve been told they don’t have the budget for things so frivolous.
