Starship-temple contains 400 tons of drinking water and offers free Japanese lessons.

Coast along one of Japan’s mountain railways for coveted views of magnificent hydrangeas.

A Buddhist temple to honor insects that died for science.

A plaque marks the site directly below the mid-air detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.

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

Open-air museum with an elaborate sculpture garden, stretching for over 70,000 square-meters.

Every color in the rainbow awaits.

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.

A monument to the 70s rock icon stands on the road into this small Scottish town.

A new sculpture calls attention to climate change in the centuries-old city it threatens.

The pile of books behind the dignified writer gave the statue a most undignified nickname.

This Roman statue is missing a limb from when the Venetians stole it from Constantinople during the Crusades.

Where Venice's gondolas go for a tune-up.

Two stone columns flank the grand Venice square, but there were supposed to be three.

This abandoned island off the Venetian coast has been a radical monastery, a political prison, and a secret Nazi base.

100 year tradition of fist fights, marked by marble footsteps.

This palatial spiral staircase was so unusual the name "snail" was given to the noble family who built it.

Go inside to really appreciate this 500-year-old technological masterpiece.

As can be expected from a centuries old church built in a canal city, the undercroft of this house of worship is beautifully flooded.

This community on a small Venetian island has taken to painting their houses in bright neon hues.

A small island less than half a mile from Venice is a forbidden island with a dark and twisted past.

This Venice bookstore has resigned itself to constant flooding by keeping its books in bathtubs and boats.

This stately bank building hides a spectacular star-studded ceiling.