This small island declared independence from South Korea in the hopes of attracting tourists.

The toilet-shaped house of South Korea's sanitation pioneer is now a museum to the john.

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

Drinkslinger is an unlikely vocation for a Buddhist monk, but at this Tokyo bar the enlightenment is served in a martini glass.

People from around the world visit the shrine of Japan’s legendarily loyal dog.

The iconic castle that withstood a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has become a symbol of resilience.

This beautiful Japanese garden is a memorial to the samurai who literally wrote the book on business as martial art.

The giant figure on the back of this turtle-shaped temple actually hides a memorial pendulum.

The largest volcanic caldera in Japan holds an entire city in its maw.

Once the most densely populated place in the world, this island is now a ghost town.

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.

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

This faux-seedy Japanese arcade is made up to look like a maze of alleys straight out of a cyberpunk dystopia.

Only the face remains of this giant Buddha statue, which is said to be a source of luck for students.

This enormous monument is one of the most iconic structures in Tokyo, rudely nicknamed "The Golden Turd."

Curious onlookers have suspected this strange structure is a secret government base.

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

Rows of stone statues are dressed up to mourn children that are lost before birth.

An eerie maze of industrial factories looks like something out of a dystopian sci-fi.

The world's shortest escalator doesn't seem to have any reason to exist other than to hold a world record.

A museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo's often-overlooked working-class district.

The third-tallest statue in the world depicts the "Buddha of Infinite Light," complete with observation deck in his chest.

This sprawling scenic burial ground is the final resting place of Japan's last shogun.

This little replica of Lady Liberty provides a bit of NYC in a Japanese city.