The oddly shaped, steam-spewing building is now an art studio and gallery.

This old-fashioned carhop restaurant gave the world the waffle cone.

An exact replica of Bill Clinton's childhood home stands within a resort in Japan.

The site of a famous samurai duel.

Is this cat asleep or just pretending?

Unbeknownst to most passersby, this marble statue standing outside an office building is a genuine piece of second-century Rome.

A unique Shinto shrine filled with bunnies and wordplay.

One in a pair of subterranean caves created by an ancient eruption of Mount Fuji.

Once the main gateway to Tokyo, sneaking through this checkpoint was a capital offense in feudal times.

Huts like this were once a hub for the female divers who collected pearls and seafood off Japan's coasts.

Its collection distills more than 60 years of pop culture in Japan, from Godzilla to Hulk Hogan.

Along the side of the road on a small Japanese island is an extensive garden of uniquely designed Shisa statues.

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.

These wondrously illuminated caverns extend under the mountains of the Fukushima Prefecture.

A deserted island in southwest Japan that once sheltered persecuted Christians.

Home to the world's oldest wooden building.

Stone slabs along the coast warn of Japan's tsunami-ravaged past, often marking the highest point of a wave's reach.

A whimsical museum dedicated to the mischievous kappa, a mythical cucumber-loving water sprite.

Hidden by the roadside in the Iya Valley, this gem brings together folk monsters and the region's unique geography.

You can still find treasures on the pebbly beaches of one of the world's oldest jade-producing areas.

A collection of more than 1,000 teddies from nearly any profession.

Japan's hottest hot spring has a memorable name.

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

A statue of a mischievous raccoon towers over this city park.