An ancient Viking village in North America that predates Columbus by 500 years.

The Victorian-era greenhouse is stuffed with tropical plants, and open 365 days a year.

A botanically themed auditorium blooms within the world’s last operating double-decker theater.

A tiny cafe that recreates the Japanese elementary school lunch experience.

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

This extremely naked God of Drunkards welcomes visitors to Kochi Station.

Next door to Tokyo DisneySea is a giant sculpture created by Taro Okamoto symbolizing the dynamism of life.

Nope, not the one in France. The only officially-recognized reproduction of Monet’s garden in Giverny is located in a remote corner of Japan.

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

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

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

This quirky little private museum is home to more than a thousand stones, carved by nature, that resemble human faces.

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

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.

Weighing nearly 7 tons, this massive sculpture was carved out of 500-year-old wood and decorated with thousands of jewels.

A monk-run winery inside a Buddhist temple celebrates Japan's crown grape varietal.

What's believed to be the country's first shrine is, in Shintō mythology, the annual meeting place of the gods.

It's bad manners to eat and drink on the subways of Tokyo, unless the train is this bar. 

This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

Ever needed a chocolate-filled crepe in the wee hours of the morning?

This Kyoto Starbucks takes coffee drinkers back in time.

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

A railway station takeout shop sells boxed meals in containers shaped like trains and snowmen that hold the country’s abundant regional delicacies.