About an hour away from Camp Humphreys in Suwon sits the most random museum we have ever visited: a toilet museum. I wasn’t expecting it to be much different than the toilet-themed café we visited a while back, but it was a completely different experience – and one that has kept us laughing ever since.
Mr. Toilet House and Haewoojae Culture Center
What do you get when you cross a toilet-shaped building with a museum all about the history of toilets? A weirdly dang-good time, that’s what. We were in the mood for a more low-key adventure (and one that wasn’t going to cost much money since we have a Master’s Degree to pay for + two cars when we move back to the States soon – but more on all that in my next edition of “The Now”) and Mr. Toilet House was just the kind of random thing that we love. Plus, it’s FREE to visit – which is my favorite amount to pay for anything.
Mr. Toilet House was founded by Mr. Sim Jae-duck – who was literally born in his grandmother’s toilet. When he was the mayor of Suwon, he became a leader in the Toilet Culture Movement which earned him the nickname “Mr. Toilet.” And if Toilet Culture Movement sounds kind of confusing, you’re not alone in that. Apparently, it’s a movement dedicated to showcasing feces as a RESOURCE and not just as bodily waste – and as such sought to create toilets that would be helpful in harvesting our… well, poop.
And even though the Toilet Culture Movement is something that I’m not totally sure I can get behind, the museum was incredibly interesting. Not only did it have exhibits showing the history of how toilets and changed over the years (is anyone else incredibly grateful not to be using chamber-pots??), it also provided education on our anatomy and what our waste can tell us about our body. It was the perfect kind of trip for our homeschooled children and we all learned a surprising amount.
As a bonus there were random farting noises in various parts of the museum (including ones that started when you sat down on some chairs in the kid’s play area) which led to way too much giggling from all of us. It doesn’t matter how old we get: farts are funny.
After exploring the toilet-shaped building (which was actually Mr. Toilet’s house while he was still alive), we headed across the street to the Haewoojae Culture Center which provided more laughs and entertainment for all of us. Most notably was the giant toilet-slide, the chamber-pot puzzles, and the game where you could feed a giant boy some food and the screen would show what kind of poop that would create. Oh, and the giant butt that you have to walk under to get to the children’s area.
When it all comes down to it, if you can’t laugh about poop and farts, then I’d say this museum is not for you. Still, it was actually incredibly interesting and it was a great use of time. The kids thought it was so hilarious and there was plenty to keep them busy for a couple of hours. If you’re in Suwon, it’s worth stopping in and learning all about toilets and our bodily waste (which is something I never would have thought would end up on the blog).
’til next time…
Ash
How to visit Mr. Toilet House in Suwon
Directions: Paste 경기 수원시 장안구 장안로 463 into Naver and it will take you to a small parking lot beside the Haewoojae Culture Center. Mr. Toilet House is just across the street and you can’t miss it – it’s shaped like a giant toilet.
Cost: Both the museum and the culture center are FREE to visit for all ages.
Hours:
March – October
Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00am – 6:00pm (CLOSED Mondays)
November – February
Tuesday – Sunday: 10:00am – 5:00pm (CLOSED Mondays)
Additional Closed Days
-Every Monday (or the following Tuesday if Monday is a public holiday)
-January 1st
-Lunar New Year’s Day
-Chuseok
Amenities: There is a kid’s bathroom located outside of the Mr. Toilet House Museum (they are in a little rocket ship-shaped building). There are full bathrooms outside of Haewoojae Culture Center, as well as another kid’s bathroom in the kid’s room on the second floor of the culture center.
Extra: While you’re in Suwon, check out the Suwon Chicken Street – a series of streets with a variety of restaurants serving all kinds of chicken – including some of the best fried chicken I’ve had in South Korea. Paste 경기 수원시 팔달구 into Naver to get to a public parking lot that is cheap and accepts AMEX credit cards.
