This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.

Inside the columbarium, thousands of colorful, high-tech Buddhas guard the ashes of the dead.

When this massive wooden temple ran out of rope, they made one out of devotees' hair.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese shrine.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.

The demolished ruins of a poorly located Japanese Love Hotel.

A tiny cafe that recreates the Japanese elementary school lunch experience.

The train engine is tucked under an apartment building on a quiet Tokyo street.

A railway station takeout shop sells boxed meals in containers shaped like trains and snowmen that hold the country’s abundant regional delicacies.

A museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo's often-overlooked working-class district.

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

A King Kong-like gorilla hangs from the top of this commercial building in Tokyo.

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”

Transport yourself to the 1980s era of video games at this themed restaurant and bar.

Oddly touching memorial to a little-remembered nuclear tragedy.

This little replica of Lady Liberty provides a bit of NYC in a Japanese city.

We heard you like volcanoes so we put a volcano in your volcano so you can die for sure...

Japanese company creates clone dolls that reside in the "uncanny valley."

An ordinary pond with fish from out of this world.

Once a black market electronics marketplace, now an otaku shopper's paradise.