Background of the event
On May 11, 2024, the Dannacy Marche (means “Marche without Steps”) was held at Bunridai Park in Nishi-Tokyo City. The event was organized by Dannacy, an organization in Nishi-Tokyo City that plans events for wheelchair users to enjoy.
Wheelchair users often hesitate to attend events or go out because of the lack of accessible toilets, since they cannot use ordinary toilets due to the lack of freedom of the lower half of their body.
The event Marche without Steps was planned to allow wheelchair users to enjoy the event without worrying about toilets by installing barrier-free toilets developed by TOYOTA Automobile. The barrier-free toilets are trailer-type and can be towed by a standard-sized car. Since these toilets can be moved, they are named “mobile toilets.
The development of the mobile toilet was inspired by Tsubasa, a Dannacy member and wheelchair user, who said he wanted to go camping without having to worry about using the restroom. The development of the mobile toilet began several years ago, and after the Tokyo Olympics, the need for a mobile toilet was recognized and efforts accelerated, and after continued exchanges of ideas with Dannacy, improvements were made, and now the decision has been made to mass produce the product.
The relationship that has been built between Dannacy and TOYOTA has made it possible to hold an event using the mass-produced mobile toilets at Bunridai Park in Nishi-Tokyo City. The photos below show Dannacy and TOYOTA Automobile staff being interviewed, as well as the mobile toilets.
Experiencing a mobile toilet
Although the author is not a wheelchair user, I was able to experience a mobile toilet myself.
The towing vehicle is a regular car. It is not often to see a standard car towing a trailer, so it is refreshing to see a standard car towing a trailer. The design of the mobile toilet was wood, which blended well with the lush greenery of the park.
A gently sloping ramp will be installed to reduce the load on people in wheelchairs. It will take about 10 minutes to install.
Below is a photo of the actual toilet bowl. Assistive rods are firmly installed on both sides. The space inside is large enough to meet the standards required for barrier-free toilets. The toilet is a flush toilet with a texture that looks like a more upgraded version of the toilets on bullet trains and airplanes.
I was surprised to see that they are equipped with bidet toilets. I thought it would be insanely nice to have washlet toilets at festivals and other outdoor events.
There was a large air purifier running and it smelled great inside. (Maybe it was because they were brand new that day…)
There was also a diaper changing table. I think this is a nice specification for people with babies.
There is also a washbasin in the restroom, so you can wash your hands. It is nice that there is a sense of cleanliness in the water area.
The toilets require a power supply to operate. On the day of the event, power was supplied by a combination of car power and a generator. I realized that hybrid and EV batteries are useful in these situations.
Toilet water and sewage tanks. They can be used about 100 times in a row. It seems that water and sewage treatment personnel will be needed for large events.
I have been to several festivals overseas, and the toilets were extremely dirty and painful to use. I felt that if there were mobile toilets at overseas festivals, they would definitely be appreciated.
About the whole event
Various organizations in Nishi-Tokyo City exhibited on the day of the event. We feel that the community as a whole was able to create this event.
Nishi-Tokyo City’s employment support group for people with disabilities participated in the event. Wheelchair users also participated as staff members.
We heard that sweets and other items were sold out and the sale of vessels was well received.
Three kitchen cars also opened their stalls and provided delicious food and drinks.
Mayor of Nishi-Tokyo City buying a meal from a kitchen car.
Impressions on the event
I also had the opportunity to help out a little with the event. Personally, I was glad to be involved and learned a great deal from the event.
The most important goal of the event was to ensure that wheelchair users could enjoy the event in a safe and comfortable environment. We were able to see that the wheelchair users who actually came to the event seemed to enjoy themselves for a long time. We also heard that the wheelchair users who participated as vendors enjoyed the event.
I watched as the young guys who came to the event stayed at the venue until the event was over, and when it was over, I saw that they all got along well and headed off to their next destination, and I was glad that we held the event. Therefore, I felt that we had achieved our most important goal.
Seeing the wheelchair users actually enjoying themselves made me think that it would be great if we could continue to hold events like this in my hometown of Nishi-Tokyo in the future.
The photo below shows the mobile toilets being cleared out after the event. I thought it was a wonderful vehicle that brought happy memories to wheelchair users, their families, and friends. I hope it will become more popular in the future.
About Dannacy
Finally, a little more about Dannacy: in addition to organizing events for wheelchair users, Dannacy also operates Dannacy House, a shared space with barrier-free restrooms near Bunri-dai Park. The following is a link to the organization’s website and a link to the introduction page we have created.
Dannacy’s HP:
https://dannacy.com/
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