Places jeffthetaff Wants to Go

This enormous "shamoji" means more to the people of Miyajima than just a way getting rice onto a plate.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

This glass wall is gradually filling up with paper cranes, in honor of Hiroshima’s past and dedication to its future.

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.

Cute manhole covers commemorate the hometown of the real-life Ash Ketchum who created Pokémon.

A unique art exhibit home to letters addressed to those unable to receive them.

Japan’s tallest Godzilla statue contains a piece of the original 1954 film within its base.

Rumored to be a giant robot in disguise, this colossal chef has been the beloved symbol of Tokyo’s kitchenware district for decades.

The world's largest permanent architectural projection display entertains audiences nightly with 28-story light shows.

This adorable birdlike police box is designed based on a play on words.

Each year this Japanese temple overflows with scowling, bearded good luck talismans.

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

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

A bronze statue dating back as far as 1252, still has remnants of gold on its right cheek from ancient gilding.

The cutest shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to bunnies.

A plaque marks the site directly below the mid-air detonation of the atomic bomb over Hiroshima.

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

Go through the looking glass in Tokyo's Wonderland-themed shop.

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

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

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

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