A mechanized clock where a man fights off a dragon, crab, and rooster.

The very center of Paris is surrounded by a bevy of strange good luck rituals.

A haunting collection of the vanished and disappearing natural world.

This charming cobbled backstreet is the most Instagramable street in Paris, much to the residents' annoyance.

Paris' linguistic guide to the international language of, yes, love.

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

This iconic Parisian bookstore doubles as the "Tumbleweed Hotel" for traveling writers.

The vast, legendary catacombs hold secrets much stranger than stacked bones.

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

A small island with no monkeys but plenty of military ruins.

Modern Japanese museum is buried by snow annually.

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

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

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

Closed for decades, this strange symbol of Japan's Expo '70 has finally opened its psychedelic insides to the public.

Historical Japanese-Dutch relations are honored with haunted rides and flower fields in this replica town.

Shells collected from over a hundred different countries line the walls, floors and ceilings of this fantasy museum.

Abandoned Japanese ghost town gives a glimpse into what our own metropolises may leave behind.

One of the first hotel rooms in a pod.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

This mesmerizingly colorful pond looks like a scene straight out of a fairytale.

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

The freshest fish here are the ones you catch yourself.

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.