This statue of Buddha has a distinctive hairstyle meant to represent an unfathomably long period of meditation.

Retro as can be, this cinema still uses film reels and screens revivals of Shōwa-era hits and classics.

Experience park where visitors are told to expect the unexpected.

A relatively young Buddhist temple on hilltop, dedicated to a statue relocated from Mount Atago.

A museum run by retired highway engineers who helped rebuild after the Great Hanshin Earthquake.

This brothel-turned-restaurant features plenty of surprises and elaborate, extravagant architecture.

Near the mouth of the Yodo River, this museum offers visitors six floors of hands-on learning about Osaka's raw sewage.

An unlikely hit, this museum is dedicated to the inventor of instant ramen and cup noodles.

A Japanese cat island also populated by the descendants of a band of banished samurai.

This garden located inside a bamboo forest once belonged to a famous Japanese actor.

A strip of traditional hand towel serves as an admission ticket at this modern tenugui museum.

The groundbreaking Japanese shrine maiden who invented the art of kabuki.

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

Unbeknownst to many, an ancient burial mound hides in plain sight in Ueno Park.

The 650 red and white Japanese plum trees of this Tokyo neighborhood blossom each spring.

This century-old electronics store-turned-cafe serves comforting, retro fare.

Various accidents and illnesses fell upon the developers who tried to remove these historic trees.

This atmospheric pre-war building is home to one of the few manually operated elevators left in Tokyo.

This one-of-a-kind indie publisher-bookshop specializes in archiving historic red-light districts and niche cultural topics of the Shōwa era.

Tatar Russian in origin, the largest mosque in Japan is now an Ottoman-style Turkish culture center.

Discover the mummified remains of Ancient Egypt in the middle of metropolitan Tokyo.

Exploring crime and punishment in feudal and pre-modern Japan.

This museum is dedicated to the cultural history of tobacco and salt, once monopolized in Japan.

A unique art exhibit home to letters addressed to those unable to receive them.