Loos are worth every penny!

My flatmate and good friend Karen writes on her blog (link to it is on the right hand side of my page here) about touring the globe and rating countries by their toilet facilities. We've seen pictures of Asian and Viennese toilets in recent posts.

In all honesty I thought she had gone completely mad until I read this article on ninemsn.com earlier today. I think she may just be onto something....

Money found in toilets across Japan
Thursday Jul 12 00:11 AEST

AP - Envelopes containing Y10,000 ($A95.65) bills and well-wishing notes have been discovered in municipal toilets across Japan, media reports said, baffling civil servants and triggering a nationwide hunt.

Local media have estimated that over Y2 million ($A19,131) worth of bills were found at men's rooms in city halls in at least 15 prefectures (states) in recent weeks.

Each package of 10,000-yen bills, some wrapped in traditional Japanese washi paper, was accompanied by handwritten letters that read "Please make use of this money for your self-enrichment," and "One per person," according to reports.

Officials are baffled over the identity of the benefactor or any motives, the reports said. Packages turned over to police were to be kept for some time in case someone claimed them.

©AAP 2007