A calico cat named Tama was the wildly popular Super Station Master at this train stop in southeast Japan.

One of the world's largest tanks mimics the experience of watching rare whale sharks, giant rays, and deep sea creatures from the ocean floor.

A sobering scientific reminder of the human damage caused by the advent of the nuclear age.

A hub of information on tropical diseases and their treatments.

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.

This futuristic public park includes large sculptures and an artificial geyser.

Huts like this were once a hub for the female divers who collected pearls and seafood off Japan's coasts.

This snack factory boasts several tributes to its popular line of rice crackers, including a quasi-shrine.

A unique Shinto shrine filled with bunnies and wordplay.

A statue meant to celebrate peace has also been interpreted as a mother taking away her son's internet privileges.

More than 300 years old, Kyoto's historic "teahouse" still operates as an invitation-only geisha club.

A sad reminder of the World War II bombing stands largely unnoticed on a street corner.

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

Japan's corrupt-mental-institution themed restaurant offers diners a chance to eat inside of filthy cells.

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

This monumental intersection commemorates the day Okinawa switched to driving on the left.

Plagued with warts? Leave a frog at this small shrine in the city of Tosa, and you may be cured.

The largest of its kind in Japan, this century-old wasabi farm is also known for its appearance in an Akira Kurosawa film.

An old-fashioned school with interesting grounds and deep history, including the original Mito Castle gate.

Officially the lowest mountain in Japan.

This quirky collection of furniture also happens to be a public art installation.

A cursed torii gate still stands on the edge of Haneda Airport, decades after its shrine's relocation.

The birthplace of Japanese coinage.

If you forgot something to read during your trip to Tokyo, this hostel has you covered.