Places bkrisb18 Wants to Go

A smiling guardian couple stands beside a department store, carrying folk belief into modern Shibuya

Though not uncommon in western Japan, this Buddha cut out of an ancient sarcophagus is the only example in central Tokyo.

A legend of a mysterious phantom train haunts this grave.

This shrine is home to an unusual trifold torii and a replica Trafalgar Square lion.

This statue of a deified “hag” is said to protect children from the common cold and coughing fits.

An exhibit tracing Japan's cinematic history in an often-overlooked national museum.

A monument marking the first airplane flights in Japan hints at the dark history behind its peaceful park setting.

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

This church commemorates a venerable, yet nigh-forgotten woman who dedicated her life to the poor in post-war Tokyo.

Dedicated to the victims of a phantom slasher, this memorial is claimed by some to be the source of a deadly curse.

Visit the cherry blossoms at Tokyo’s unofficial smallest mountain.

Once known for its eerie appearance, this semicircular monument is all that remains of a Tokyo industrial icon.

The home and studio of one of Japan's most avant-garde artists is now a museum showcasing his surreal works.

This site commemorates the life of a Japanese scientist who dedicated his life to the discovery of diseases.

A small shrine run entirely by vending machines.

Here once stood an opulent state guest house that symbolized the Westernization of Japan.

The original location of the eponymous site of Japan’s Yayoi period is now lost in time.

The enigmatic symbol on this incineration plant's smokestack is, in fact, a one-of-a-kind clock.

This surreal thumbs-up monument commemorates a shiatsu legend.

A vending machine dedicated to a beloved seaweed.

A grand Buddhist temple with Indian influences.

An adorable intake tower with a “witch hat” stands in the Edo River.

Once the park closes at sunset, the greatest haiku poet of all time moves to face the Sumida River.

A museum housed in a stunning Rockefeller-funded medical institute building from the 1930s.