Places calton Wants to Go

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

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

Coast along one of Japan’s mountain railways for coveted views of magnificent hydrangeas.

Japan's hottest hot spring has a memorable name.

You can spend the night in Dr. Frank-N-Furter's castle.

The childhood home of Henry Jones Jr. is now an adventure-themed bed and breakfast.

This small-town Connecticut restaurant gives each diner a free book from its vast library.

A quirky bookstore hidden beneath a sea of whitewashed Greek villas.

A charming 17th-century alley is lined with secondhand bookstores and antiquarian shops.

Centuries of biking history are nestled in the shadow of the birthplace of contemporary mountain biking.

These unusual houses look like giant boats that washed ashore on a residential street.

The mall's looks were inspired by the cowboy extras who used to meet up—and cause real trouble—at this Hollywood hub.

A museum dedicated to restoring vintage aircraft, located at a working airport.

A fashion designer's dazzling world of Japanese collectibles is hidden in a warehouse downtown.

The first high-tech company in the valley that actually worked with silicon devices.

Fake rail crossings mark the site of an influential doctor's demise.

This centerpiece of the Hollywood & Highland shopping center is a recreation of a long-lost movie set.

A veteran Disney animator turned his gift for storytelling to a museum devoted to his love of a California city.

The American Home, Re-imagined.

The dramatic upward-curving roof is one of the most iconic examples of Googie architecture that still stands today.

This giant shopping mall still holds signs of its automotive past.

Social saloon from a scrapped trans-Pacific 19th century steamer.

Its dark depths conceal millions of rare, delicate crystal formations.

The Flatiron Building's storied West Coast cousin is a lot more into religion.