This museum is dedicated to the cultural history of tobacco and salt, once monopolized in Japan.

A rare example of an ancient Japanese hill castle believed to be the fortress of a legendary demon.

Take a few seconds to look at this abandoned, art-filled station as you pass by on the subway to Ueno.

This whimsical garbage disposal facility receives around 12,000 accidental tourists each year.

Near the mouth of the Yodo River, this museum offers visitors six floors of hands-on learning about Osaka's raw sewage.

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

Nope, not the one in France. The only officially-recognized reproduction of Monet’s garden in Giverny is located in a remote corner of Japan.

Home to the world's oldest wooden building.

This little town supplies Japan with most of its calligraphy brushes, still made by hand from animal fur.

Mythical beasts symbolizing the city of Tokyo guard a historic bridge.

This giant seated Bhudda of Healing dates to the 1780s.

A statue of a mischievous raccoon towers over this city park.

A whimsical museum dedicated to the mischievous kappa, a mythical cucumber-loving water sprite.

This ancient burial site was once thought to be the home of a race distinctive to Ainu folklore.

Though technically an illegal structure, this eclectic DIY apartment complex is beloved by its residents.

Japan's hottest hot spring has a memorable name.

An ingenious solution to a tricky engineering problem, this spiraling bridge takes drivers for a dizzying spin.

Legend says the goddess this shrine honors curses any couples that pass by.

A 14th-century European chapel sticks out of the facade of a Japanese hotel.

Narrow passes cut out of mountains surround the medieval capital of Japan.

This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.

"Singing sands" and the world's largest hourglass reside near Japan's Kotogahama beach.

Turn around and stick your head between your legs for the best view of this tree-covered sandbar.

This incredible mountainside temple is home to intriguing statues of demon-like creatures.