Places Carter Post Wants to Go

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

The traditional houses along the coast of this charming Japanese fishing village allow people to sleep above the sea.

After being lost for decades, this striking mural depicting the atomic bomb covers the wall of a busy Tokyo metro station.

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

A calico cat named Tama was the wildly popular Super Station Master at this train stop in southeast Japan.

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

An oddly touching memorial to a little-remembered nuclear tragedy.

The cutest shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to bunnies.

This Kyoto Starbucks takes coffee drinkers back in time.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

This historical theme park celebrates all things noodle.

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

Each year this Japanese temple overflows with scowling, bearded good luck talismans.

The decorations were inspired by an unlikely missing treasure.

A giant milk bottle from the 1930s beckons drivers to this diner.

The magic's in the hole!

This painted blacktop brings the classic arcade game to life.

This Seattle joint serves food inside an old train car once used by FDR.

Faceless white figures loom over the city from the rooftop.

Relics of the 1894 Midwinter Exposition continue to delight visitors today.

A huge musical instrument played by the ocean.

The historic bar where local ship captains, traders, and gold miners would come together to do business a century ago.

This dilapidated ship carcass covered in trees is a striking sight.

Old submarine parts have been converted into faux whale fins.