Architectural Oddities in Japan

An office building covered from head to toe in over eighty variety of plants

This izakaya restaurant was designed to look like the Biblical vessel.

A 1000-year-old shrine in Kyoto with a poorly planned sacred arch.

A grand Buddhist temple with Indian influences.

A rare double-receiver payphone housed in a fake tree.

High in the trees or suspended between cables, these surreal structures are the works of a unique Japanese architect.

A colorful, architectural experiment designed to increase a resident's longevity.

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

Although it has never been a secret ninja base, this shrine still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

This battleship of a building was designed by a famed "mad architect."

Curious onlookers have suspected this strange structure is a secret government base.

This retro underwater observation tower would make the perfect lair for a sea-loving villain.

This sports stadium was made from 25,000 cypress trees and ranks among the world's largest wooden domes.

This whimsical garbage disposal facility receives around 12,000 accidental tourists each year.

An ingenious solution to a tricky engineering problem, this spiraling bridge takes drivers for a dizzying spin.

An exact replica of Bill Clinton's childhood home stands within a resort in Japan.