Made to improve road safety, these policemen-like figurines in Miyakojima island have earned an enthusiastic fanbase.

The oldest hotel in the world has been operated by the same family for over 1,300 years, even catering to samurai.

Stuck in a bygone era, the oldest subterranean shopping street in Japan hides beneath the popular Asakusa district of Tokyo.

A bibliophile's heaven that contains hundreds of bookstores, offering over a third of secondhand books for sale in Tokyo.

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

Starship-temple contains 400 tons of drinking water and offers free Japanese lessons.

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.

This Buddhist temple is home to the graves of the Japanese national legends, the 47 Ronin.

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

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.

A 20-meter (65-foot) robot towers over Tokyo Bay.

Only recently added to the shrine, this googly-eyed snail demon of unknown origin is said to have eye-healing powers.

A 14th-century European chapel sticks out of the facade of a Japanese hotel.

Japan's first automaton went missing, only to be revived by the Osaka Science Museum.

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

This bar is filled with Star Wars merchandise from around the world, all of it unlicensed knockoffs.

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.

The Hanshin Expressway goes right through its 5th, 6th, and 7th floors.

An LED art installation composed of 600 poles wrapped in kimono fabric.

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

A small shrine dedicated to a god of lightning and electronics.

The first location of the eventual video game giant.

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

Have a soak at this retro bathhouse, where you will find Japan's first electric bath, tiling from Spain, and wood carvings representing the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.