Places akiraa1 Wants to Go

This kitsch-forward diner is dedicated to an almost-forgotten “one-cent” prototype of okonomiyaki.

A remote and slightly overgrown park filled with replicas of world landmarks.

Designed by a computer, this intricate network of fluorescent green pipes has taken over a subway station.

More than 300 years old, Kyoto's historic "teahouse" still operates as an invitation-only geisha club.

A hole-in-the-wall antiquities museum in one of Tokyo's most popular megamalls.

Watch out for the two-story Godzilla made out of tires.

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.

One of the largest producers of MSG in the world welcomes visitors to its Kawasaki factory with an albino panda named Aji-Kun.

This mountain's identity is stuck somewhere between a nightmare and a scenic tourist attraction.

A dilapidated amusement park with a million-dollar view.

Narrow passes cut out of mountains surround the medieval capital of Japan.

Tell this pair of "love-inviting" cats in Ginza your romantic hopes.

This museum celebrates the history of Japanese advertising, from feudal business tricks to modern T.V. commercials.

Giant art made in Japanese rice fields.

Pilots from around the world come to this park to fly gliders.

A semi-abandoned replica of Prince Edward Island's Avonlea—in Japan.

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.

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

This museum is dedicated to the cultural history of tobacco and salt, once monopolized in Japan.

One of the tallest statues in the world, and the tallest statue of a goddess in Japan.

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

This garden located inside a bamboo forest once belonged to a famous Japanese actor.

An eerie maze of industrial factories looks like something out of a dystopian sci-fi.

This high-design church is made up of two dizzying spirals meant to evoke the weaving together of marriage.