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Conwy Suspension Bridge
Conwy Suspension Bridge
The blue spruce on the right symbolizes the spirit of John Denver.
John Denver Sanctuary
Patan Dhoka
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In this salad, rice gets topped with pinches of toasted coconut, dried fish, finely-sliced herbs and vegetables, bean sprouts, a tiny knot of noodles, crushed black pepper and dried chili. 
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Meet boba tea's ancestral cousin.
Kanomwaan Pakee
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Inside Sacré-Coeur Hospital lies an unassuming lab that peers into the mysteries of our sleeping minds.
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Team Kwe's 2024 sculpture “Wenabozho and Dadibaajimad Journey on the River of Souls,” illustrating a traditional Ojibwe story of two figures—Wenabozho and his brother Dadibaajimad—on an otherworldly journey.
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The sophisticated club sandwich combines ham, pineapple, bacon, peanut butter, and avocado.
This Book Contains a Century of Historical Sandwiches
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All Japan

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Japan

712 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Japan

Updated November 6, 2024

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Cities

Top Cities
Tokyo
Kyoto
Kamakura
Space age accommodation!
Osaka
Painstaking, life-size recreation of a 1958 ramen boom town.
Yokohama
The line of Jizō statues.
Nikko
All Cities
  1. Aomori
  2. Beppu
  3. Chichibu
  4. Fukuoka
  5. Hakone
  6. Hatsukaichi
  7. Himeji
  8. Hiroshima
  9. Ichihara
  10. Ichikawa
  11. Ise
  12. Ishigaki
  13. Iwakuni
  14. Kamakura
  15. Karuizawa
  16. Kawasaki
  17. Kawazu
  18. Kesennuma
  19. Kitakyushu
  20. Kobe
  21. Kochi
  22. Kumamoto
  23. Kure
  24. Kyonan
  25. Kyoto
  26. Matsumoto
  27. Minakami
  28. Mitaka
  29. Mito
  30. Miyoshi
  31. Motobu
  32. Nagasaki
  33. Naha
  34. Naoshima
  35. Nara
  36. Niigata
  37. Nikko
  38. Okinawa
  39. Ōme
  40. Onomichi
  41. Osaka
  42. Otaru
  43. Sado
  44. Sakaiminato
  45. Sapporo
  46. Sasebo
  47. Soja
  48. Takasaki
  49. Takayama
  50. Tamura
  51. Tokamachi
  52. Tokorozawa
  53. Tokyo
  54. Tonosho
  55. Utsunomiya
  56. Yamagata
  57. Yamanouchi
  58. Yokohama
  59. Yokosuka
  60. Yoshimi
Attractions
Food & Drink
Trips
Map
Leaderboards
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Lists

Unusual Attractions in Japan

Totoro stares out

Mitaka, Japan

Ghibli Museum

A magical place that lets you play in and explore the world of Studio Ghibli.
Sagano Bamboo Forest

Kyoto, Japan

Sagano Bamboo Forest

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

Kitakyushu, Japan

Wisteria Tunnel

An exquisite tunnel of cascading flowers.
Fierce little cat.

Ishinomaki, Japan

Cat Island

On Japan's Tashirojima Island, cats are king.

Tokyo, Japan

Vampire Café

A taste of the macabre Tokyo's ritzy shopping district.
Monkeys lounging in the hot springs of the park

Yamanouchi, Japan

Jigokudani Monkey Park

Hot springs monkey spa in the middle of Hell's Valley.
The clock is at the Nippon TV tower in Shiodome, Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan

The Giant Ghibli Clock

Tokyo’s only Vaudeville-cuckoo clock–steampunk-Victorian curio cabinet time piece.
Sashimi on a stick.

Kyoto, Japan

Nishiki Market

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.
See All 712 Things To Do in Japan

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Japan

Tokyo, Japan

Vampire Café

A taste of the macabre Tokyo's ritzy shopping district.
Sashimi on a stick.

Kyoto, Japan

Nishiki Market

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

Tokyo, Japan

Omoide Yokocho

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.”
The Red Wine Spa.

Hakone, Japan

Yunessun Spa Resort

This spa theme park lets its guests take a dip in pools of coffee, wine, or ramen broth.
See all 68 Places to Eat in Japan
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Hidden Japan: Sado Island, Nara & Kyoto

Explore a different side of Japan.

Learn More

Explore Japan

History & Culture 131
Architecture 83
Statues 72
Shrines 69
Museums 68
Temples 65
Buddhism 54
Legends 34
Art 33
Sacred Spaces 32
Architectural Oddities 32
History 31
Unique Restaurants & Bars 26
Places To Stay 11

Japan Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. Avatar image for Fred Cherrygarden
    Fred Cherrygarden
    317
  2. Avatar image for ChiaraT
    ChiaraT
    18
  3. Avatar image for KoinuSensei
    KoinuSensei
    12
  4. Avatar image for Hermit09
    Hermit09
    10
  5. Avatar image for caitlinfrunks
    caitlinfrunks
    10

Places Edited

  1. Avatar image for Fred Cherrygarden
    Fred Cherrygarden
    397
  2. Avatar image for Rachel
    Rachel
    55
  3. Avatar image for Molly McBride Jacobson
    Molly McBride Jacobson
    33
  4. Avatar image for Hermit09
    Hermit09
    31
  5. M
    Martin
    28

Places Visited

  1. Avatar image for Fred Cherrygarden
    Fred Cherrygarden
    398
  2. Avatar image for evybby13
    evybby13
    122
  3. D
    dabikun89c
    119
  4. Avatar image for Ruggero Ullan
    Ruggero Ullan
    119
  5. K
    Kan Cho
    114

Recent Japan Activity

  • G

    ganta64

    has been to Owakudani Black Eggs

  • G

    ganta64

    has been to Godzilla Head

  • G

    ganta64

    has been to Hachiko

  • T

    TwistedMelon

    wants to go to Tomizawa Site (Underground Forest Museum)

  • D

    dstarr7517

    wants to go to Tomizawa Site (Underground Forest Museum)

Stories About Japan

The famed Koshihikari rice is sticky and chewy.

White Rice Is Bland? These Japanese Researchers Beg to Differ

Japan's food world is eagerly awaiting an upcoming "flavor dictionary."
by Kenji Hall
April 23, 2024
In Nara City, Japan, sika deer have been protected for over a thousand years due to their sacred status in Shintoism.

Decoding the Sacred Genetics of Japan's Sika Deer

The deer of Nara Park are part of a millennium-old genetic lineage—does that make them more deserving of protection?
by Roxanne Hoorn
April 9, 2024
Sado Island, Japan.

Share Your Dream Destination and Win a Japan Adventure! (Submissions Closed)

Tell us an amazing place to travel next year, and you could win a remarkable Atlas Obscura experience.
Sponsored by Atlas Obscura Trips
Oarfish sport red spine-like fins on their head and a long dorsal fin running the length of their body, as well as two oar-like pelvic fins, giving them their name.

The Legend of Japan's 'Earthquake Fish'

The serpent-like oarfish has long been considered an omen of natural disaster. Scientists are shaking up that old superstition.
by Roxanne Hoorn
October 3, 2023
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: Chocaholic

by AO Puzzles
August 21, 2023
Cutting spaghetti squash across its short end results in longer "noodles."

How Spaghetti Squash Squiggled Its Way Onto American Tables

It took a shift in food culture for consumers to embrace the "noodle plant."
by Andrew Coletti
July 27, 2023
A school crossing sign in Fukuoka offers a variation on Tobita-kun.

The 'Darting Children' That Helped Japan Win Its War on Traffic Accidents

How hand-painted signs known as Tobita-kun became beloved local mascots.
by Allan Richarz
July 25, 2023
Fireflies glow along Japan's Hino River some 450 miles west of Tokyo.

How A ‘Firefly Course’ Is Saving Japan’s Favorite Glowing Insect

At the Moriyama City Firefly Forest Museum, nurturing Genji fireflies comes with homework.
by Shoshi Parks
July 25, 2023

Lists Featuring Japan

Fierce little cat.
Elephants playing in the mud at Elephant Nature Park.
Oh, hello!
Little Spotted Kiwi

10 Ethical Animal Places to Visit in 2019

Unique experiences from Nairobi to Chiang Mai.

12

Including Cat Island, Elephant Nature Park , and India's Giant Technicolor Squirrels

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