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

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

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

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

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

A Buddhist temple to honor insects that died for science.

An ordinary pond with fish from out of this world.

This historical theme park celebrates all things noodle.

A beautiful, dense forest in the shadow of Mount Fuji, with a tragic reputation.

A 70-foot-deep ice cave formed by lava from Mt. Fuji on the edge of Japan's "Suicide Forest." 

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

Mine your own precious stones.

This traditional garden in the San Fernando Valley doubled for Star Fleet Academy, and is irrigated entirely by wastewater.

Back in 1952, you could get a mushroom cloud chaser with your atomic cocktail.

This unique bridge physically lifts a piece of the road into the air to let boats pass by.

Hidden behind Lincoln's head is a 70-foot-long chamber containing enamel plates documenting American history, sealed in a teakwood box in a titanium vault.

The world's largest mountain carving could fit all of Mount Rushmore inside it many times over.

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

Hundreds of hidden passageways weave through the old quarters of Lyon.

Lyon, France is home to two remarkably preserved Roman theaters, one dating back to 15 BCE.

Space-age monument to an early 20th-century uprising.

This spaceship-like Serbian monument reaches for the stars in celebration of the fallen fighters of fascism.

The world’s first hotel to be run by robots.

A turn of the century building boasting some of the most beautiful art nouveau architecture in Prague.