A museum in Hokkaido is housed in a former high school. On its grounds a marker shares the awakening of a man who longs to be reunited with his soulmate in the fictional world of Kcymaerxthaere.

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

This frescoed ancient burial mound is a colorful window into China’s influence in early Japan.

This amusement park brings a little slice of England to the heart of Kyushu.

Inspired by the famous sculptures on Easter Island, this head serves as a popular meeting spot by Shibuya Station.

Take a few seconds to look at this abandoned, art-filled station as you pass by on the subway to Ueno.

A rare example of an ancient Japanese hill castle believed to be the fortress of a legendary demon.

This beautiful defunct water tower adds a European flair to a traditional Japanese neighborhood.

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

Visitors to this park are welcomed by an ancient Japanese megalithic tomb that dates back to the sixth century.

Founded in 1880, this humble brewery still practices a disappearing technique of sake-making.

Tragic reminders of the 1945 firebombing campaign over Tokyo still haunt this bridge.

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

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

A park built around the legend of a clam-loving giant who created a monumental midden.

Japan's longest-running music festival takes place on an isolated butterfly-shaped island.

At a Japanese train station, a goddess emerges from a dumpling.

This giant statue pays homage to this temple's furry residents who keep the landscape pristine.

This shrine dedicated to a legendary swordsman has become a pilgrimage site for the ill and infirmed.

These unconventional "tub boats" let locals row around the island's turbulent coast.

The hometown of a beloved manga artist created a treasure hunt for his popular ghostly characters.

A giant rooftop ride with unbeatable views of Matsuyama city, the nearby mountain ranges, and the Inland Sea.

A 17th-century Shinto shrine that is home to statues of Mickey Mouse and Pikachu.

This tiny stone in a children's park is what remains of an ancient, once-worshipped object.