Wacky washrooms and terrific toilets: Part 2

An intriguing feature of the ladies’ loos at Schiphol Airport, Holland, is a cubicle for urination only. Is this the washroom equivalent of the “baskets only” queue in the supermarket?

In New York’s Bar 89, the unisex toilets are see-through kiosks that resemble telephone boxes (but with toilets). Unsuspecting visitors are alarmed at the prospect of peeing in full view of other diners – nut luckily the transparent walls fog up as soon as the cubicle door is locked.

Also in the US, Jungle Jim’s market in Ohio has a washroom that at first glance seems to be nothing more than a line of portaloos. Would-be-users form a queue outside – only to discover that the entrance is disguise for a large, plush, jungle-themed washroom within. Such wags, these Americans.

Apparently the ancient Greeks were pretty advanced when it came to plumbing and there’s an elaborate system of sewers in Crete dating back to 1700 BC. Why, then, are modern Greeks are unable to produce a toilet capable of flushing away loo paper?

Some lavatories in Japan have been programmed to automatically raise the seat for a man, but not for a woman. Apparently a sensor detects whether a person is backing onto the loo or walking towards it. I can imagine many late-night games of “confound the toilet” take place in that country.