Unusual Tourist Attraction: Japanese City Unveils World’s Largest Toilet

by Jessica Festa on

While most travelers spend time visiting sites like churches, castles, parks and museums, Ichihara City in the Chiba Prefecture of Japan is hoping to bring in tourists with a new kind of attraction: the world’s largest toilet. In fact, they’re so hopeful that the unusual attraction will bring in travelers; they’ve spent 10 million yen (about $125,945) on the project.

The site, which sits in front of Itabu Station on the Kominato Railway Line, is actually your average-sized toilet; however, it’s housed in a giant clear box and sits on an expansive 2,153 square-foot plot of land. While it doesn’t provide much privacy on the property, there is a surrounding fence to hide the toilet from outsiders. The city is hoping the beautiful new toilet will provide an enjoyable reprieve for drivers and passengers of the train, as well as attendees of next year’s Ichihara Art Festival.

Right now, the lavish restroom is only open to women, although the designer of the toilet, Sou Fujimoto, wants it to be open to the public for everyone to enjoy.

“I could enjoy the spectacular view while still feeling protected,” the architect told the Japan Times. “No other toilet would allow you a feeling like that.”

Hanoi’s Oldest Hotel Will Open Secret Bunker To Visitors This Week

by Jessica Festa on

During hotel renovations last August at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi in Vietnam, construction workers discovered an unknown bunker thought to be used during the Vietnam War. While drilling near the poolside bar, they found a flooded hallway, numerous rooms and a staircase leading to the secret 500-square-foot bunker. Moreover, wine bottles, unbroken light bulbs, graffiti and air ducts were also found, according to VietNamNet.

“In the hotel’s history, there is a story of the American folk singer, Joan Baez, who sought shelter in this bunker during the Christmas Bombings in 1972, and who sang some songs beside a Vietnamese guitarist,” explains Kai Speth, the hotel’s General Director. “We don’t know of any other hotels, in Vietnam or anywhere else for that matter, that maintained a shelter for guests and staff.”

The luxury hotel is the oldest in Hanoi, boasting a 110-year history that has welcomed guests such as Charlie Chaplin, Jane Fonda, Fidel Castro and Somerset Maugham. That will be celebrated, along with the opening of the bunker to guests, on May 21, 2012. Likewise, people who actually spent time in the bunker, such as Bob Devereaux, the Australian diplomat who carved his name into the bunker in 1975, will also be present at the opening ceremony.

[image via The Metropole Blog]According to the hotel’s blog, some guests were given a sneak-peek of the Bunker. As a recording played of “Where Are You Now My Son,” a song Baez made there in 1972, each guest was brought back in time to those scary days.

“I knew that my guests were the beneficiaries of a powerful feeling for a place, and the past,” writes Speth on the blog. “Usually, people travel beyond the confines of a hotel for such experiences. But how lucky, I thought standing there with those 10 Americans, that my guests could experience that right here with us.”

Singapore Celebrates Launch Of Bay South Garden With Two Weeks Of Events

by Jessica Festa on

On the night of June 28, 2012, Singapore will debut its brand new Gardens by the Bay, which has been under construction for the past five years. The attraction is the first of its kind in Singapore. The launch takes place in the city’s new Marina Bay downtown area, and is part of the “city in a garden vision,” which aims to make Singapore a place of natural beauty.

From June 29 to July 8, to help celebrate the 134-acre garden’s grand opening, there will be concerts by Jason Mraz and Corrinne May, family carnivals, an eco-friendly green fair, trail hikes, movies under the stars, live entertainment, a photography competition, storytelling, educational demonstrations, children’s activities and more.

Gardens by the Bay will feature many different facets. Visitors can choose to wander through the cooled conservatories of the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, stroll through the Supertrees in the Golden Garden, learn about Singapore’s plant history in the Heritage Gardens, discover aquatic life in the Dragonfly and Kingfisher Lakes and educate themselves on an array of flora in the World of Plants. And for some extra excitement, there will be choreographed light and sound shows in the Supertree Grove, changing floral displays in the Flower Dome and interpretive media performances to bring the story of plants to life.

Gardens by the Bay will be free to enter, and will be open to the public from 5:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. daily.

Expedia Launches Flip Flop Report On Beach Behavior Around The World

by Jessica Festa on

Have you ever wondered what country enjoys the beach most? Or what culture is most likely to sunbathe in the nude? To help unravel the mystery of beach behavior around the world, Expedia has shared the results of a global study that looked at 21 countries on five continents. Some areas the study examined include what things people look at when choosing a beach, preferred beach activities and what makes people most nervous about going to the beach. Some of the findings from the study include:

  • The average beach vacation lasts 7.7 days, although this is less true of Koreans, Japanese and Singaporeans, who seem to prefer beach weekends.
  • For Americans, one of the least important criteria when selecting a beach destination is a desire to find a new location. This is the opposite for Indians, who view finding a new location to be one of the highest priorities.
  • Germans are the most likely to sunbathe nude, and are also the most likely to spend time at the beach with a stranger.
  • Fifty percent of travelers keep the presence of sharks in mind when deciding on a beach location. Likewise, 68 percent of beach vacationers admit to not swimming at a beach due to the possibility of sharks.

Click here for the full report. If you’re having trouble viewing the infographic, click here for the interactive version.

Video: Daredevil Russian Teens Film Their Insane Bridge Climb Above Russky Island

by Melanie Renzulli on

Back in September, Gadling brought you news of Ukrainian teens capturing an insane bridge climb over the Moskovskyi Bridge in Kiev. But Russian teens recently topped this daredevil act with their own ascent of the recently completed Russky Island Bridge, which finally connects the very isolated island in eastern Russia with Vladivostok and the mainland.

Eighteen-year-old Raskalov, one of the Russian teens in the video, has devoted a blog to his extreme, free-climbing endeavors. The mind-blowing photos on his blog are from atop Russia’s tallest structures and include gorgeous scenery of famous Moscow squares, glimpses of snowy Siberia and more.

We recommend you watch the following video while on solid ground else you may get vertigo.