The Laureates here get something even more coveted than a Nobel Prize: free parking for life.

An ominous concrete cube cuts a dystopian silhouette atop this California mountain.

The "3rd largest" city in California is an empty mirage of suburbia in the middle of nowhere.

Hollywood's most famous landmark, the "temporary" sign that has stood for decades longer than intended.

The lead horse on a Disneyland merry-go-round that is older than the park itself.

One of only five observatories in the world built to measure the Earth's wobble.

The seawater playground of gilded-era San Francisco burned to the ground in 1966.

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

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

View Japan's most historic city from a cyberpunk walkway suspended 150 feet above the ground.

This park boasts a unusual collection of curious monuments from around the world, from Micronesia to Antarctica.

This lesser-visited gallery in a corner of the Tokyo National Museum complex is an architectural beauty dedicated to the ancient treasures of Hōryū-ji.

No one knows why this family’s graves stayed on the national museum's premises after all other tombstones were relocated.

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

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

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

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.”

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

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

The world's first motel is now an administrative building for an apple farm.

A hotel and restaurant serving as the mecca of kitsch.

Part mural and part sculpture, this work of art sits in the middle of the Promenade, as if swimming in a river of asphalt towards the ocean.

Happy harbor seals frolic and snooze on this warm, sandy stretch of coast.