In case you are sick of what art museums have to offer (I am with you; there is only so much Monet one can take in a lifetime,) you should try one of the truly bizarre museum options out there.

Here are a few tips from the site Atypical Events:

• Mütter Museum aka "Random body parts", Philadelphia: museum of historical pathology containing about 20,000 fluid-preserved anatomical and pathological specimens, models, medical instruments, and memorabilia of famous scientists and physicians (the secret tumor of Grover Cleveland, the thorax of John Wilkes Booth and a really big 9-foot colon, for example)
• Museum Vrolik aka "Dead babies in a jar", Amsterdam: It contains more than 5,000 specimens of congenital anomalies, human and animal anatomy, embryology and pathology.
• Phallological Museum aka "Penisland", Húsavík, Iceland: museum completely devoted to the field of phallology, the supposed ancient study of the penis and its role in society and history. Home to 200 penises and penile parts.
• Meguro Parasitological Museum aka "Parasites, warms and leeches", Tokyo. Glass jars filled with formaldehyde preserve these pesky parasites, while terrifying photographs like that of a Japanese dude with elephantiasis of the scrotum depict the damage that they are capable of (see photo)
• Museum of Menstruation and Women's Health, Maryland. The museum walls were covered in tampon and pad advertisements, while female mannequin torsos dressed in rubberized panties and menstrual belts hung from the ceiling or sat on tables in a similar fashion.

Menstruation? Maybe Monet is not so bad, after all.

[via Eventective.com]

I've been wandering around Tokyo for the last week or so and its been an eye opening experience. The culture is rich, the city endless and terrifying and gray and intense. Every day I'm astonished by the differences between our societies and the way that the Japanese operate, horrified by the varieties of food that we eat and warmed by the hospitality around me.

It is an experience far from what I had predicted, I am pleased to say. Back in New York we had broad, naive expectations formed by our guidebook scouring, stories from friends and films we had seen at the theater. They're beliefs held by many Americans, I feel, and I thought that sharing my experiences would help clear some of these ideas up. Take a look at the biggest five myths I've found about traveling in Tokyo:

• You won't be a tall monster in Tokyo. While the national height average is a little lower in Japan, tall people do exist here and are not uncommon. Unless you get on a particularly short subway car, you won't be able to see end-to-end with your friends. Similarly, your feet shouldn't hang off the bed by 6" when you check into a hotel. Three out of three of my mattresses so far have been fine for me and I'm pretty tall.
• Electronics aren't crazy awesome and cheap. While Electric City does have a ton of electronics with a remarkable variety, much of it is the same as US equipment and the price is also on par. I was looking at an IBM x40 Thinkpad for about 250$ this week, which you can get on Ebay for about 270$. Factor in the Japanese keyboard and having to carry it all of the way back to the States, and it isn't really worth it.
• People won't stop to ask for your pictures. I've been with two tall people (over 6'4"), a nerdy African-American lawyer and a blond girl from Long Island, and have yet to be stopped for a picture. Some schoolchildren did ask for a photo at a temple in Osaka, but it was part of their homework assignment.

If you're convinced that we're not alone in the universe, then today's posting is for you...

Earlier this week, American astronaut Mike Foreman, a mission specialist on the space shuttle Endeavour, told a Japanese audience that he believes in aliens. According to Foreman, "If we push back boundaries far enough, I'm sure eventually we'll find something out there...maybe not as evolved as we are, but it's hard to believe that there is not life somewhere else in this great universe."

Foreman returned to Earth in March after a sixteen day mission on the Endeavour, which included a Japanese astronaut in its crew. And, while the mission didn't reveal the presence of alien life forms, Foreman isn't alone in thinking that the universe may be a crowded place. His comments were backed up by astronaut Gregory Johnson, who stated: "I personally believe that we are going to find something that we can't explain."

And, as if Foreman and Johnson didn't give a convincing enough argument, their comments were also backed up by astronaut Dominic Gorie, who added: "As we travel in space, we don't know what we'll find. That's the beauty of what we do. I hope that someday we'll find what we don't understand."

Do you believe? If so, keep on reading!

Sounds almost too good, doesn't it. I don't think anybody is ever going to give you a better excuse to travel around Southeast Asia.

Malaysia Airlines announced today it plans to offer one million free seats for flights within Southeast Asia as part of an aggressive campaign to boost sales and income amid high oil prices, USA Today reports. The airline hopes that the Everyday Low Fares campaign will help them fill up its planes and recover some costs as passengers will have to pay the fuel surcharge. The seats to be given away represent 30% of surplus capacity.

Under the campaign, bookings can only be made online for 24 regional routes - including selected routes from Malaysia to China - for a two-week period from May 21 for travel between July 1 and Dec. 14. Passengers will still have to pay airport tax, administration fees and the fuel surcharge. The free tickets are non-refundable and will only be offered on lean flights. Malaysia Airlines first launched the zero-fare campaign for domestic destinations earlier this month, also offering a million free seats for travels between June 10 and Dec. 14.

(*Flights attendants are especially hot in First Class, which--sadly--is not free.)

One of the things first-time visitors to Japan never seem to stop marveling about is the country's futuristic vending machines. Indeed, it's possible to get pretty much anything out of a vending machine here, from hot ramen and frozen ice cream bars to clean T-shirts and used school girl panties...

However, the retail landscape across Japan is about to change dramatically, thanks to a new type of cigarette vending machine that can actually count your wrinkles! In an effort to prevent underage smokers from illegally purchasing cigarettes, a Japanese company has developed a vending machine that can check a smoker's age by studying the lines on their face.

Fujitaka's new cigarette vending machines will employ an advanced facial recognition system that compares a buyer's bone structure, skin sag, brow wrinkles and crow's feet against a record of more than 100,000 people. If the buyer fails the visual scan, they will be required to insert their ID card into the machine in order to verify that they are of legal age to smoke.

If this new technology catches on, it looks like Botox users might have some difficulty buying cigarettes in the years to come (^_^)

This shot taken in Seoul, South Korea by Traveling Dutch, captures what one doesn't see every day while traveling in Asia. I never have. I don't think I've ever seen a person holding a "Free Hugs" sign ever. I am wondering about the face mask. Has this person decided to not worry about germs? Is this an act of defiance? No matter. Here's sending you a hug on this wonderful Wednesday.

If you have a photo with which you'd like to befuddle or bemuse us, send it our way at Gadling's Flicker photo pool.

Answer: Grilled over hot charcoals, basted with special sauce and served over a bed of white rice.

This month marks the start of the unagi (うなぎ) season in Japan, namely the time of the year when freshwater eels are fat, fresh and ready for feasting. Now, I know the idea of eating something as slick and slimy as an eel might not exactly be the most appealing thing for Western pallets. But, I can assure you that freshwater eels, if prepared properly, are just as delicious as they are nutritious.

Freshwater eels are extremely high in protein, vitamin A and calcium, yet they sit light enough in the stomach to be enjoyed on a hot summer day in Tokyo. And, while a meal of unagi costs less than a bottle of Viagra, it is believed to increase your virility (ie make you a champ in the sack!).

Not surprisingly, unagi shops across the country are getting ready for their annual rush of suit-clad salarymen, who line up for unadon (鰻丼, literally eel bowl), a bowl of sticky rice topped with grilled eel filets that are coated with a sweet and tangy sauce.

Getting hungry? Keep on reading to find out more.

What would we do without The Economist and its great sidebars? This one shows just how much certain countries smoke. According to ERC, a market research company, the heaviest smokers come from Greece, with an average of 3,000 cigarettes per person in 2007. At 20 cigarettes per pack, that makes 150 packs in a year; a lot of puffing.

Despite recent smoking bans in many places, European countries still manage to hold 18 of the top 20 spots. The most surprising statistic? That France smokes less than the U.S. Whatever happened to the stereotypical image of the French, dressed in all black, a serious look on their face and a Gauloises glued to their fingers? It could have something to do with the price of cigarettes; a pack runs about 5 euros in France, equaling just a little under $8.

Click here to see how these results changed from 2006.

One thing we've learned at Gadling this week is that oodles of people want those free Southwest Airlines tickets. So far, as of 3:44 pm, there are 1,162. Visiting people seems to be the biggest theme of many of the contenders' wishes.

Other numbers of note this week:

• Abha hooked us into a Web site that pairs 100 photos with 100 words in a single moment;
• Jeffrey noted that more than 600 people were rescued off a stranded ship in the Baltic Sea;
• In her world's most dangerous beaches post, Iva cited that in 2006, Americans took 55 million trips to a beach;
• Matthew clued us in on the 780,000 porno hits one man logged from his office in Japan; and
• Anna discovered that the world's longest bridge, located in China, is 22.4 miles long. If you drive across it too slowly, you'll get a fine. Since May 1, when it first opened, 300 people have had to pay up.

Share your numbers of note with us if you have any. One to think about is, how far can you get on one gallon of gas?

Several botanical gardens are having Mother's Day events this Sunday. One of the advantages of going to a botanical garden, I've found, is that they usually have wonderful gift shops that are perfect places for picking up that last minute present.

If you've forgotten to buy your mother a gift, when she's not looking, perhaps, when she's basking in the fragrance of a floral paradise, slip into the shop to buy her a little something. Since the wedding season is upon us, pick up a wedding gift as well. Here are the first 10 botanical gardens I came across that listed a Mother's Day happening. Nine are in the U.S. and one is not.

(This photo is from a tribute to redbuds and mothers at the Children's Garden at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. My mom taught me to love redbuds too, so I thought this fitting.)