Once the main gateway to Tokyo, sneaking through this checkpoint was a capital offense in feudal times.

Existing for more than four centuries, the last of Hakone’s historic teahouses serves a sweet, mold-based rice drink.

The centuries-old cobblestones of a feudal highway remain in the woods of Hakone.

Legend holds eating just one of these black eggs can add seven years to one's life.

You can receive a blessing for your electronics at this Shinto shrine near Akihabara.

Rows of stone statues are dressed up to mourn children that are lost before birth.

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

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

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

Once a black market electronics marketplace, now an otaku shopper's paradise.

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.

This buzzy, award-winning building hovers 85 feet above the ground on a dozen colorful stilts.

This urban oasis is a marvelous meld of music and landscape architecture.

The giant birds honor two native North American species.

This historic fort spans more the 300 years.

This seemingly cursed monument is dedicated to one of Canada's great war heroes.

The first venue constructed as a music venue in Iceland

Iceland's tribute to its thankless civil servants.

A monument dedicated to the civil uprisings that took place during the Pots and Pans Revolution.

The first woman to become a member of the parliament of Iceland.

This earthwork installation sits on a grassy hill, celebrating Iceland's past and present.

This oceanside Reykjavik spot is speckled with recycled sculptures and large stones.

A bit of the Berlin Wall was gifted to the Icelandic capital to commemorate the 25th anniversary of German reunification.

This boat represents the promise of undiscovered territory, a dream of hope, and progress and freedom for Iceland.