These ordinary blocks of stone are the last surviving remains of Tokyo's infamous red-light district.

The site where the poet Matsuo Bashō read one of the first haiku that comprise his famous travelogue.

Ward off bad luck and fill your bottle with "the most watery water" at this little roadside shrine in Yonezawa.

This monument gives insight into how lost children were found in Edo-period Tokyo.

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

The seat of the lost Ryukyu Kingdom has survived numerous fires and wars over the centuries.

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

Have a soak at this retro bathhouse, where you will find Japan's first electric bath, tiling from Spain, and wood carvings representing the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.

Although damaged beyond recognition, this stone god is still said to bring good luck to those who tap on him with a pebble.

These medieval stone-cut Buddhist statues may protect visitors from being fired.

This giant fashion model is one of the most beloved symbols of Nagoya.

An isolated "phantom bridge" doomed to crumble into ruin.

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

The site where the famous city gate once stood, now in the middle of a playground.

Officially the lowest mountain in Japan.

A lesser-known sister to Paris's world-famous museum, located within a Buddhist sculpture paradise.

This sports stadium was made from 25,000 cypress trees and ranks among the world's largest wooden domes.

This infamous execution site inspired the beginning of Japan's modernization in the late 18th-century.

This extremely naked God of Drunkards welcomes visitors to Kochi Station.

The largest privately owned statue of Buddha in Japan, built by a total amateur, with an unconventional look.

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

The site of Japan's first major environmental disaster.

A hole-in-the-wall antiquities museum in one of Tokyo's most popular megamalls.

Daikon radishes are offered to the Japanese Buddhist counterpart of the Hindu god Ganesha at this historic hilltop temple.