jamesmartinelli's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Odate, Japan

Nipro Hachiko Dome

This sports stadium was made from 25,000 cypress trees and ranks among the world's largest wooden domes.
Okinawa, Japan

Okinawan Bullfights

A bovine sumo match in which both bulls live to fight another day.
Narusawa, Japan

Fugaku Wind Cave

One in a pair of subterranean caves created by an ancient eruption of Mount Fuji.
Kyoto, Japan

Sagano Scenic Railway

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.
Tokyo, Japan

Tateishi Burger Vending Machine

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

Mount Tanigawa

This little known mountain has claimed four times as many lives as Everest.
Tokyo, Japan

Chankonabe Shinzan

Sidle into a side alley for a taste of sumo wrestlers' traditional hot-pot soup, in a tiny restaurant founded by a former competitor.
Tokushima-shi, Japan

Awa Odori

"The Dance of Fools" is Japan's largest dance festival.
Osaka, Japan

Tavern Pachimon Wars

This bar is filled with Star Wars merchandise from around the world, all of it unlicensed knockoffs.
Kumamoto, Japan

Musashizuka Park

This beautiful Japanese garden is a memorial to the samurai who literally wrote the book on business as martial art.
Yokosuka, Japan

Sarushima - "Monkey Island"

A small island with no monkeys but plenty of military ruins.
Himeji, Japan

Taiyo Park

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

Crepe Vending Machine

Ever needed a chocolate-filled crepe in the wee hours of the morning?
Yokohama, Japan

Hara Model Railway Museum

The largest collection of model trains in the world is actually run using full-size locomotive technology.
Inakadate, Japan

Inakadate Tanbo Art

Giant art made in Japanese rice fields.
Tokyo, Japan

Naki Sumo Baby Crying Contest

For hundreds of years, participants in this Japanese festival have been making babies cry to ward off demons.
Yamanakako, Japan

Lake Yamanaka

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.
Tateyama-machi, Japan

Snow Canyon

A massive wintry wall of snow up to 66 feet tall flanks a highway through Japan's mountains.
Tokyo, Japan

Gorilla Building

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

Wara Art

Giant animal sculptures are created with the rice straw leftover from the fall harvest each year.
Iga, Japan

Iga Ryu Ninja Museum

Be a ninja - or just act like one.
Aso, Japan

Mount Aso Caldera

The largest volcanic caldera in Japan holds an entire city in its maw.
Ikeda, Japan

Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

An unlikely hit, this museum is dedicated to the inventor of instant ramen and cup noodles.
Kyoto, Japan

Yasui Kompira-gu Shrine

Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.