Kôji Yakusho Describes His Journey From Japanese Star to Janitor for ‘Perfect Days’

You wouldn’t expect an award-winning acting role to come from something called the Tokyo Toilet Project, but that’s what happened for veteran Japanese actor Kôji Yakusho. The project, which involved bringing in artists and designers to create 17 special public toilets in advance of the Olympics in 2021, was originally going to involve a series of short films, and financier Koji Yanai asked Yakusho if he’d participate.

“I said, ‘Oh, that sounds interesting. I’d love to be a part of it,’” Yakusho said in Japanese through a translator. “And then they said they were going to ask director Wim Wenders, and I thought, ‘Oh, there’s no way he’s gonna say yes.’”