The birthplace of Japanese coinage.

This Metabolist, retro-futuristic residential complex resembles a cyberpunk space colony established on Earth.

This gnome sculpture and his wonderous hat forces train passengers to do a double-take.

This battleship of a building was designed by a famed "mad architect."

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

Come for the fish sundae, stay for the collection of Studio Ghibli cat buses.

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

These seven moai figures are the world's only sanctioned replicas of the Easter Island originals.

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

A semi-abandoned replica of Prince Edward Island's Avonlea—in Japan.

An astounding annual light display honors the victims of one of Japan's most devastating earthquakes.

Enormous underground chamber built to detect 'ghost particles' of the universe.

A Japanese corporation has turned this small island town into living modern art gallery.

Meet the world's longest tapeworm in a collection that really gets under your skin.

Reportedly 1,400 years old, this may be the first of the Fiji Mermaids.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

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

A 70-foot-deep ice cave formed by lava from Mt. Fuji on the edge of Japan's "Suicide Forest." 

This spa theme park lets its guests take a dip in pools of coffee, wine, or ramen broth.

Hanging over one of Japan's "hidden valleys," these vine bridges must be remade every three years.

The original "capsule building" is a masterpiece of Metabolist architecture.

A beautiful, dense forest in the shadow of Mount Fuji, with a tragic reputation.