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It sounds like a load of crap, but there's nothing stinky at all about Japan's coldest city asking to be given relief from rapid red tape. But, considering why Asahikawa is begging for help, perhaps there should be something at least a little arduous on the nose, according to Weekly Playboy (2/25).

Of course there are twilight zones everywhere, but Asahikawa, which is located at the eastern tip of Japan's northernmost island of Hokkaido and generally regarded as Japan's coldest city, wants to be recognized as a "Biodegradable Bog Zone."

Under a plan drawn up by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi to allow local governments to apply to slash through bureaucratic firewalls, Asahikawa asked for the recognition, which would allow it to use biodegradable toilets that utilize sawdust instead of the normal mains type running on water
"Because temperatures in Asahikawa are well below zero throughout the winter, toilets in the 277 public conveniences located within the city's boundaries freeze up and have to be closed for half the year," Akira Onishi, a spokesman for the Asahikawa Municipal Government, tells Weekly Playboy. "We had a look into using the biodegradable toilets made by local company Showa Denko in our city's public washrooms."