Sculptures in Japan

A well-known Japanese musician’s all-night concert on this island is immortalized by an unusual work of art.

This park was once home to now-extinct Naumann's elephants, and what might have been a real Banksy.

A quartet of temple guardian statues that allegedly cry at night for being forbidden from wrestling.

This surreal thumbs-up monument commemorates a shiatsu legend.

The oldest stone lion in Okinawa survived a major battle during World War II.

This giant two-tier celebration cake serves as a befitting advert for the confectionery college it sits on top of.

The former site of the U.S. military base redeveloped as an art district, boasting a collection of 109 public artworks from 36 countries.

Buddha figures are carved into volcanic rocks on the seashore of Yamagara Prefecture.

A series of smile-themed sculptures created by artists from all over the world fill this Tokyo shopping district.

Steampunk, humanoid sculptures crawl on all fours in a Tokyo plaza.

Surreal giant face-pillars welcome visitors from across the globe to this hotel.

A lesser-known sister to Paris's world-famous museum, located within a Buddhist sculpture paradise.

These medieval stone-cut Buddhist statues may protect visitors from being fired.

These sculptures were created by a 17th-century artist who had never seen an elephant.

The largest privately owned statue of Buddha in Japan, built by a total amateur, with an unconventional look.

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