This is news?:

As you know, I have been adding new sections to the blog. So far it has only been Cultural Notes. 

Today we see the introduction of "This is news?"

 I personally love the idea of this;

In it's basic form, it's just news from across Asia that made me think 'this is news?' 

or just made me laugh, but in it's more complex form it's news from across Asia that... 

Na' it just made me laugh.

So here goes the first post for This is news..

A Japanese company named Seiren has released a pair of pants. .

You can imagine my surprise when I realised this made the news, then I read further into it. 

These pants are genius!

Have you ever been in a situation where you  need to "let off some gas" but really can't. You know; on a date or in a really important meeting.

 Well Seiren have you covered!!  these pants are Odour Eliminators.

They work via "Odour absorbing ceramic particles in the material fibre"

I know, none of us actually understand that, but they stop your farts from smelling, so hey, what more do you need to know?

Originally they were designed for nursing care and hospitals but apparently your average Japanese businessmen decided they were a good idea (which they are) and started buying them.

Now available for men (in grey) and woman (in pink) these pants could save you from a lot of embarrassing moments. 

Brilliant.

Now, if you thought that was good, wait until you see this;

This is number 2 for today's blog post (pun intended) 

The image you see above you is South Korea's newest theme park, dedicated to the humble toilet.

Yup, it's real.

Located in the city of suwon - known for being the home of Samsung - the theme park has replaced what used to be the home of Sim Jae-duck (he happens to be the founder and first president of the world toilet association - bet you didn't know that existed either)

Now I know what you're probably not thinking, "I bet it's only good from a birds eye view". Luckily for you I put that thought in your head, and I can tell you that you;re wrong.

If you ever took a walk into the park you would be greeted by the lovely bronze statues below, of people that seem be "Mid Squeeze".

All laughing aside, deep down this actually has a relatively good meaning behind it. 

Jim Sae-Duck who I believe was dubbed "Mr Toilet" lived in a time of poor living conditions in South Korea. 

He founded the organisation to promote the benefits of hygienic toilets. Since then Korea has had a pretty rapid economic growth and the hygiene of their toilets has greatly increased.

Thank you Mr toilet.

A bit more to laugh at though, the city of Suwon plan on building a "Toilet Culture Centre" next to the park.

Amazing.

So if you plan on taking a trip to South Korea any time soon, then make sure you visit the Toilet theme park.

Thank you for reading, I hope you have enjoyed the blog today. I certainly enjoyed the research for it.

Again, I can't stress enough how much help I need promoting this blog. I really want to be up there with the best. I realise I have a lot to learn, and a long way to go but I'm in it for the long haul. I hope you are too. 

If you liked the blog, there is a share button to post it to facebook, twitter etc. 

I really appreciate anyone doing that.

If you would like to follow us on twitter @TurnChapanese 

Thanks again, Dan