Japan's largest collection of Western-style mansions in the port city of Kobe includes a recreation of Sherlock Holmes' 221B Baker Street quarters.

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

Visitors to this temple are greeted by a massive collection of wooden dolls said to bring good fortune.

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.

This iconic L.A. bookshop is housed in an abandoned bank—both symbolic and chic.

The legendary building that needed ghostly approval before being built.

A 20-meter (65-foot) robot towers over Tokyo Bay.

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

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

According to legend, this tomb holds the secrets to time travel.

Preserved behind glass, the ruins of a medieval building used to store human remains.

This striking statue brings a scene from the African savannah into central London.

Once designed as the entrance to Buckingham Palace, this structure was later relocated and stands as a victory arch.

Since 1887, this old-school shop has stacked its shelves with extraordinary coffees and teas.

The anatomical-pathological collection of a man who changed surgery.

A Roman spa buried deep beneath the City of London.

On the coast of Sardinia, a once-great mining village is finding new life as a coastal resort town.

This cliff-face port is considered a masterpiece of mining engineering.

This spectacular dome managed to survive after being bombed in World War II, in an event known as the "Miracle of Mosta."

Dynastic Home of the De Piro Family.

This unique building in the main square stands out among the city's typically Baroque architecture.

The cedar tree in Highgate Cemetery earned its title by accident.

A monument to the thrice mayor of London who according to lore made his fortune by selling his rat-chasing cat.

Hidden in the courtyard of the Victoria and Albert Museum is a little-known tribute to two celebrity pooches.