A Buddhist retreat built on more than 100 acres of California Redwood forest.

Haunted house kitsch meets Japanese folklore at this theme bar where patrons can “die” and have their own mock funeral.

A Japanese concept restaurant that feels like a party thrown by the monsters in your closet.

Fine dining in the bizarre world of Lewis Carroll.

Exploring crime and punishment in feudal and pre-modern Japan.

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

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

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

A Buddhist temple on an artificial island that houses a monument to the fugu fish.

One of the few surviving World War II-era air-raid shelters in Tokyo.

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

This shrine dedicated to a legendary swordsman has become a pilgrimage site for the ill and infirmed.

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

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

A charming, homemade vending machine dispenses burgers and sandwiches at this hole-in-the-wall bakery.

A bibliophile's heaven that contains hundreds of bookstores, offering over a third of secondhand books for sale in Tokyo.

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

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

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.”

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

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

A taste of the macabre Tokyo's ritzy shopping district.

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

A grassroots community effort in the 1970s led to the creation of this beautiful garden full of delightfully whimsical exhibits.