"The 'world’s largest public toilet' has opened in Chiba, Japan, reports NHK. The toilet, designed by architect Sou Fujimoto, opened early this month and comprises of a glass toilet cubicle set in a 200 sq metre garden. The view takes in a mixture of plum, peach and sakura trees and is protected by a two-metre-high wall." Sorry, fellas, it's ladies only.

"When Tokyo Hooters finally launched at the end of October, an entirely male line of customers waited outside for hours before the 5 p.m. opening. As they filed inside one by one (after a ribbon cutting presided over by Miss Hooters International, LeAngela Davis), we lined up and cheered them to their tables. The inaugural customers weren't backslapping, beer-guzzling foreigners, or even raucous office workers out for a laugh. They were exceedingly polite young men, some of whom blushed at the big welcome. Many had an endearingly nerdy familiarity with the restaurant. 'We've been waiting,' a spectacled Japanese man told me in English, then unrolled a signed Hooters T-shirt [...]

"Babyloid, Japan's latest therapeutic robot baby, is also designed to help ease depression among older people by keeping them company. Towards the middle of its round, silicone face are two black dots that act as blinking eyes and a small slit that poses as a mouth and that can produce a smile. The cheeks have LED lights embedded and turn red to signify when it Babyloid contented. Blue LED tears are produced when it is unhappy…. Babyloid knows what's going on through its acceleration, temperature, touch, pyroelectric and light sensors. If you hold the crying Babyloid and rock it, it might – if you're lucky – fall asleep."

"Essentially, the SEGA Toirettsu uses the man’s pee trajectory and strength to play games that are displayed at eye level. These games include putting out fires and erasing graffiti with a hose."