Drinkslinger is an unlikely vocation for a Buddhist monk, but at this Tokyo bar the enlightenment is served in a martini glass.

A railway station takeout shop sells boxed meals in containers shaped like trains and snowmen that hold the country’s abundant regional delicacies.

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

Deep into the lower floors of Pike Place, find a date with fowl fate.

A Milanese café entirely designed by the American director Wes Anderson.

Twin Peaks' real life Double R Diner has been restored to its damn fine television look.

This massive, beautifully-lit underground quarry leaves visitors in awe.

Discover the mummified remains of Ancient Egypt in the middle of metropolitan Tokyo.

This bizarre residential building is the masterpiece of Von Jour Caux, the “Gaudí of Japan.”

Home to herbal cosmetics, teas, and a unique set of dolls known as kitchen witches.

This faux-seedy Japanese arcade is made up to look like a maze of alleys straight out of a cyberpunk dystopia.

A Catholicism-themed restaurant where sacrilege is on the menu.

A kitsch shrine dedicated to the ogre-slaying folktale hero born from a peach.

The ruins of Japan’s premier water brothel.

This western-themed amusement park is host to a large number of decaying animatronic cowboys.

One of the few surviving World War II-era air-raid shelters in Tokyo.

A unique Shinto shrine filled with bunnies and wordplay.

According to one legend, this bridge was crafted after monkeys formed a body-bridge across the gorge.

A statue of a mischievous raccoon towers over this city park.

High in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture, a magnificent library designed by a world-famous architect.

A 17th-century Shinto shrine that is home to statues of Mickey Mouse and Pikachu.

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

Approximately 300 million years ago, a massive coral reef existed in what is now the largest limestone cave in Japan.

450 dead and frozen fish, proudly on display in Japan.