Surreal giant face-pillars welcome visitors from across the globe to this hotel.

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

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

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

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

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

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.”

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

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

A hidden gem, named after a San Franciscan icon, offers spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean.

One of the smallest parks in San Francisco honors the legacy of the "Mother of Civil Rights in California."

Part mural and part sculpture, this work of art sits in the middle of the Promenade, as if swimming in a river of asphalt towards the ocean.

These subterranean storage areas hold emergency water reserves.

The oldest dim sum restaurant in the United States is a nostalgic jewel.

This print shop boasts one of the largest pinball arcades in San Francisco.

A library and museum dedicated to typography.

Gold Rush-era tombstones line the park's paths.

This concrete tangle of square pipes has stood as a proud thorn in the city's side since the '70s.

Staircase winds down the side of Telegraph Hill through gardens, wild parrots flying overhead.

The last remaining relic of San Francisco's glittering 1915 Panama Pacific Exposition.

The tea room that pushed the boundaries of adorable straight into...we can't find the words.

For nearly 50 years, this San Francisco nonprofit has been serving as a mix of recycling center and art school.

Beneath the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge is the “Gibraltar of the West Coast,” a fort built to protect the San Francisco Bay from naval attack.

This teeny-tiny park built by a San Francisco man in 1962 is mostly stairs.