This ordinary set of steps is a must-see destination for fans of a certain romantic anime.

For hundreds of years, participants in this Japanese festival have been making babies cry to ward off demons.

Oddly touching memorial to a little-remembered nuclear tragedy.

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

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

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

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

A King Kong-like gorilla hangs from the top of this commercial building in Tokyo.

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

Starship-temple contains 400 tons of drinking water and offers free Japanese lessons.

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

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.

Transport yourself to the 1980s era of video games at this themed restaurant and bar.

An ordinary pond with fish from out of this world.

The bartenders at this crime-fighting theme cafe are actual private detectives by day.

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

The freshest fish here are the ones you catch yourself.

Shrine to Japanese water-goblins, complete with their preserved body parts.

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.

A restaurant modeled after feudal Japan, where the waitstaff are trained as ninjas.

Go through the looking glass in Tokyo's Wonderland-themed shop.

Once a black market electronics marketplace, now an otaku shopper's paradise.

This Buddhist temple is home to the graves of the Japanese national legends, the 47 Ronin.

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”