横浜の外人墓地やレストランとして残る洋館街を歩いていたら、珍しい公衆電話ボックスが目に入りました。携帯電話が急速に普及し、公衆電話ボックスはほぼ消えつつある中で、もはや「自働電話」はその目的を終え、彫像のような文化財そのものですね。
As I was walking through Yokohama's foreign cemetery and Western-style buildings that still remain as restaurants, I noticed a rare public phone booth. With the rapid spread of mobile phones and the disappearance of public phone booths, the "automatic telephone" has now served its purpose and is now a cultural asset, much like a statue.
![](https://blogimg.goo.ne.jp/user_image/41/1c/ab85e1a1f11aa9774ee59ea14bfec89a.jpg?1607970345)
こうした古い良きものは、これからも存置していただきたいですが、公衆トイレは早期に洋式化して欲しいと思っています。現住所に転居して3年になりますが、案外、トイレの清潔化と洋式化は進んでいません。
とくに大岡川沿いの公衆トイレは、古く頑強な構造物のままで大半が和式です。店舗、飲食店等で、お客様からの好印象を得る最優先のとりくみは、トイレの美化・清潔化と言われています。東京オリ・パラ開催で、公衆トイレがこのままのでいいのだろうか、と感じていました。
現在の洋式化率をみると、家庭では90%にも関わらず、「耐震や空調工事優先でトイレは後回し」という事情から、学校の洋式化率は全国平均で40%(文科省調べ)に過ぎないそうです。そのため、生まれた時から洋式トイレの子どもたちは、とくに女子児童・生徒は混雑していると我慢してしまうなど、早急な洋式化が求められていると思います。老齢男子の私でさえ、よほどのことがなければ和式トイレは利用しませんよ。
I would like to see these old, good things continue to exist, but I would also like to see public toilets changed to Western-style ones as soon as possible. It's been three years since I moved to my current address, but surprisingly, the toilets haven't gotten much cleaner or more Western-style.
In particular, the public toilets along the Ooka River are old, sturdy structures, and most of them are Japanese-style. At stores, restaurants, etc., the top priority for gaining a good impression from customers is the beautification and cleanliness of restrooms. With the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games being held, I was wondering if it would be okay for the public toilets to remain as they are.
Looking at the current rate of Western-style toilets, the national average rate for schools is 40% (according to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology), even though 90% of households use toilets. It seems that it is not too much. For this reason, children who have been using Western-style toilets since birth, especially girls and students, are forced to put up with it when the toilets are crowded, and I think there is an urgent need for them to change to Western-style toilets. Even as an old man, I don't use Japanese-style toilets unless it's absolutely necessary.