Designed by a computer, this intricate network of fluorescent green pipes has taken over a subway station.

This museum showcases the art of ancient sword-making.

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

The first location of the eventual video game giant.

Japan's first automaton went missing, only to be revived by the Osaka Science Museum.

These unique toilets feature transparent glass covered in PDLC film.

A remote and slightly overgrown park filled with replicas of world landmarks.

This tiny museum hidden above a restaurant houses thousands of modern and traditional kites.

The Hanshin Expressway goes right through its 5th, 6th, and 7th floors.

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

This ancient temple is set up to take you on a pilgrimage of self.

Unusual hexagonal rocks formed by cooling lava named for their resemblance to traditional Japanese tatami mats.

A real-life replica of a home from Hayao Miyazaki's beloved movie "My Neighbor Totoro."

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.

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

This “grave” memorializes the 53 rakugo stories that were once banned by the national censorship.

The former site of Fukuoka’s legendary ramen joint works hard to guide customers to the “original” original.

An American mascot that became a lucky god in Japan, enshrined in a city far from the main center of his worship.

Thanks to wordplay, the earthquake-causing catfish monster has become a god of confidence at this shrine.

A narrow, dead-end alley hides with a small fox shrine and the untold history of Yokohama's historic red-light district.

This iconic “station bento” comes in an earthenware pot you can take home and repurpose.

This unusual "magical shrine" honors a legendary raccoon-dog god that stowed away to Japan from some far-off land.

“Historical” markers commemorating the sites of fictional events depicted in a popular jidaigeki novel series.

This traditional Japanese shrine is dedicated to four Shinto deities.