A three-story tower of books about Abraham Lincoln is one of the more unusual monuments to the president.

The Byzantine, pre-Columbian, and medieval art at this stately mansion are some of the most under-appreciated collections in D.C.

The walls of the iconic dome are hollow and have a secret stairway.

Fittingly, America's museum of architecture is itself a magnificently designed old building.

A wondrous old library overlooking the nation's capital.

Enormous piles of historically significant stones, dumped by Congress in a forest, and abandoned for 60 years.

A historic neighborhood church is reborn as a psychedelic arts collective.

One of the dwarven trees dates back to 1625 and survived the Hiroshima bombing.

The United States Capitol's former columns still stand.

Early prototype for Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim.

An eccentric 18th century naval officer built a ship's quarterdeck on his roof, the inspiration for Mary Poppins's "Admiral Boom."

This massive library holds what was once the largest book collection in the world.

High in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture, a magnificent library designed by a world-famous architect.

For centuries, this gold mine was the powerhouse behind the Tokugawa Shogunate.

This high-design church is made up of two dizzying spirals meant to evoke the weaving together of marriage.

Founded over a thousand years ago, this shrine is said to be built on the site of a warlord's harem prison.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

As the aging humans of this Japanese village die off one local artisan is replacing them with eerie homonculi.

A giant robo-cockroach building devours Tokyo.

Children's literature inside, forest all around.

This retro underwater observation tower would make the perfect lair for a sea-loving villain.

Giant animal sculptures are created with the rice straw leftover from the fall harvest each year.

A tiny collection of traditional Japanese woodblock prints, open only when the owner feels like it.

Coast along one of Japan’s mountain railways for coveted views of magnificent hydrangeas.