Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.

A few hidden stones are said to bring fortune and love.

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

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

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

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

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.

A site where ten to twenty thousand Edo-era prisoners were put to death.

A shrine dedicated to a 10th-century samurai emperor, whose head is not buried on site (contrary to popular belief).

A magical place that lets you play in and explore the world of Studio Ghibli.

Dedicated to the armor and weapons used by the legendary Japanese warriors.

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

A flight of this "ghost staircase" has 40 steps on the way up, but only 39 steps on the way down.

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

Tokyo’s only Ainu restaurant serves Indigenous food from northern Japan.

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

This fascinating museum in an old water tower holds the world's largest collection of Vodou artifacts from western and central Africa.

The castle was reconstructed to fit Kaiser Wilhelm II's romanticized vision of the Middle Ages.

Today this former Nazi concentration camp stands as a poignant memorial to the victims of fascism, and a warning from history.

The remote graves mark the mysterious deaths of four 19th century explorers.

Indents in the pavement are all that remain from a grisly death machine in Paris.

The home where the famous astrologer wrote some of his most telling prophecies.

A fortress on this island housed the mysterious prisoner known as the "Man in the Iron Mask" for more than a decade.