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.

A strip of traditional hand towel serves as an admission ticket at this modern tenugui museum.

This statue of Buddha has a distinctive hairstyle meant to represent an unfathomably long period of meditation.

An LED art installation composed of 600 poles wrapped in kimono fabric.

Visitors to this museum will discover that kaleidoscopes are much more than toys.

Established over a thousand years ago, this family-run teahouse continues to serve skewers of sweet rice cake to this day.

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

The cutest shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to bunnies.

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

This Kyoto Starbucks takes coffee drinkers back in time.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

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

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

Japan's iconic sci-fi hero rendered to 8-bit by notorious French street artist Invader.

A Japanese concept restaurant that feels like a party thrown by the monsters in your closet.

Fine dining in the bizarre world of Lewis Carroll.

A small laundromat covered wall-to-ceiling with portrait drawings.

This cozy café is housed in a repurposed pharmacy originally built in 1927.

Home to a collection of drums from around the world that allow visitors to play a tune.

A small museum in a ward on the east side of Tokyo showcases the works of one of Japan's greatest ukiyo-e artists.

Tatar Russian in origin, the largest mosque in Japan is now an Ottoman-style Turkish culture center.