Japan's first automaton went missing, only to be revived by the Osaka Science Museum.

These unique toilets feature transparent glass covered in PDLC film.

The tallest city hall in the world offers an excellent bento box.

A bibliophile's heaven that contains hundreds of bookstores, offering over a third of secondhand books for sale in Tokyo.

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

A Buddhist temple to honor insects that died for science.

This Buddhist temple is home to the graves of the Japanese national legends, the 47 Ronin.

A 20-meter (65-foot) robot towers over Tokyo Bay.

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

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”

If Hello Kitty were Mickey Mouse, this would be Disneyland.

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

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.

Once a black market electronics marketplace, now an otaku shopper's paradise.

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.

Tokyo’s only Vaudeville-cuckoo clock–steampunk-Victorian curio cabinet time piece.

Model trains whizz around an extensive room-sized diorama of Kyoto City.

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

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

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.

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.

This Kyoto Starbucks takes coffee drinkers back in time.

A beautiful bamboo trail tucked in this famous Japanese Shrine.