At a Japanese train station, a goddess emerges from a dumpling.

Fans line up at the crack of dawn for a slurpy bowl of deliciousness at this noodle counter inside a factory.

A giant rooftop ride with unbeatable views of Matsuyama city, the nearby mountain ranges, and the Inland Sea.

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

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

This ordinary set of steps is a must-see destination for fans of a certain romantic anime.

A mysterious set of tunnels carved in the hills of rural northern Kyushu.

What's believed to be the country's first shrine is, in Shintō mythology, the annual meeting place of the gods.

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

One of the tallest statues in the world, and the tallest statue of a goddess in Japan.

An abandoned Art Deco hotel nestled on the side of a wooded mountain.

This traditional Japanese-style house doubles as one of James Turrell's colorful works of art.

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

The small candy-colored ride is the last rooftop Ferris wheel in Tokyo.

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

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

"Bug Bug" Land, a natural park for beetle watching, still hasn't fully recovered from Fukushima's nuclear disaster.

After being lost for decades, this striking mural depicting the atomic bomb covers the wall of a busy Tokyo metro station.

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

One of the world's largest tanks mimics the experience of watching rare whale sharks, giant rays, and deep sea creatures from the ocean floor.

The floats housed in this hall are more than 100 years old, and are brought out for an annual celebration.

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

A dilapidated amusement park with a million-dollar view.

Japan's largest collection of Western-style mansions in the port city of Kobe includes a recreation of Sherlock Holmes' 221B Baker Street quarters.