When my sister and

When my sister and I were kids, we would rate the restrooms at every restaurant we visited. It kept us occupied while our parents enjoyed an after-dinner coffee. Soon this hobby spread to other public bathrooms and we even considered writing a book. (At the time that was a joke, but these days, it would probably sell...)

Yesterday I visited the bathroom to beat them all. While it wasn't luxurious, it was interestingly designed.

The entrance started at a tall, curved wall that circled in to hug three inner rooms, also circular. Those circles each contained 10 sinks and mirrors. A fourth circular room clung to the outside of the curve. Each circle was color-coded--coordinating sinks, counters and walls in shades of green, red, blue and cream.

Beyond the circular vanity areas, was the entrance to the toilets. They were arranged in four square rooms (color coded again) with three walls of stalls per room--a total of 84 toilets! In the center of each room was another circular bank of sinks, this time with a low frosted glass wall and no mirrors. The sinks were tiny, just for handwashing, but they also matched the color theme--forest green in the green room, navy in the blue room, scarlet in the red room.

This was one of the most efficient and well designed women's rooms I've ever visited. With so many toilets, I can not imagine there would ever be much waiting but if there were lines, there was plenty of room to accomodate them.

Where was this amazing complex of bodily functions? At Venus Fort, a huge shopping mall on Tokyo Bay. The mall is great, too, but this bathroom is the ultimate public restroom.