gwendolynjorgens's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Kyoto, Japan

Rokuon-ji Temple

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.
Kyoto, Japan

Nishiki Market

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

Sagano Bamboo Forest

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.
Kyoto, Japan

Original Nintendo Building

The first location of the eventual video game giant.
Kyoto, Japan

Sanjūsangen-dō

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.
Kyoto, Japan

Hair Rope of Higashi Hongan-ji Temple

When this massive wooden temple ran out of rope, they made one out of devotees' hair.
Tokyo, Japan

Shiotama

Steampunk, humanoid sculptures crawl on all fours in a Tokyo plaza.
Tokyo, Japan

Owl Police Box

This adorable birdlike police box is designed based on a play on words.
Tokyo, Japan

Odaiba Statue of Liberty

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

Sōgenji Temple (Kappa-Dera)

Shrine to Japanese water-goblins, complete with their preserved body parts.
Tokyo, Japan

Akihabara Electric Town

Once a black market electronics marketplace, now an otaku shopper's paradise.
Tokyo, Japan

The Giant Ghibli Clock

Tokyo’s only Vaudeville-cuckoo clock–steampunk-Victorian curio cabinet time piece.
Sofia, Bulgaria

DZI Sofia Center

This building has two facades of clashing architectural designs.
Sofia, Bulgaria

The Largo

Sofia's legislative center is continuously reinventing itself.
Sofia, Bulgaria

Statue of Sveta Sofia

"Holy Wisdom" overlooks the city that became its namesake.
Sofia, Bulgaria

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

A striking symbol of the Bulgarian capital.
Sofia, Bulgaria

Monument to the Soviet Army

A Bulgarian monument to Russia's role in World War II is constantly being painted in pop culture protest.
Kazanlak, Bulgaria

Buzludzha Monument

An abandoned saucer-shaped monument in the Bulgarian mountains.
Rilski manastir, Bulgaria

Rila Monastery

This historic black and white monastery is one of Bulgaria's architectural jewels.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Mill City Museum and site of "The Great Mill Disaster"

When flour explodes, it's not a pretty sight.
Cascade, Colorado

Pikes Peak Summit House

Thanks to a quirk of elevation this gift shop produces magic doughnuts that are found nowhere else on Earth.
Maras, Peru

Salt Pans of Maras

This Peruvian canyon is filled with geometric salt pools that have been being harvested since the Incan empire.
New Haven, Connecticut

Louis' Lunch

While many places make the claim, the Library of Congress says this restaurant is the birthplace of the hamburger.
Minneapolis, Minnesota

The Herbivorous Butcher

A butcher shop in Minneapolis has all the meats and cheeses you’d expect from any of its kind—except that all the products are vegan.