Japan's corrupt-mental-institution themed restaurant offers diners a chance to eat inside of filthy cells.

This ordinary set of steps is a must-see destination for fans of a certain romantic anime.

A King Kong-like gorilla hangs from the top of this commercial building in Tokyo.

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

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

Shrine dedicated to boars that is believed to cure foot and leg injuries.

This ancient shrine has been rebuilt every 20 years since the eighth century.

This beautiful Japanese garden is a memorial to the samurai who literally wrote the book on business as martial art.

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

This giant bronze Buddha, the third largest in Japan, is the last in an ill-fated series of statues.

The largest of the Fuji Five Lakes is home to an impressive swan population—some real, some with paddles, and one with an observation deck.

Giant animal sculptures are created with the rice straw leftover from the fall harvest each year.

Burial mound for the ears and noses of thousands of mutilated Korean soldiers.

Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.

The divine septet of Japanese fortune gods are rendered in 1,000-year-old wood at this peaceful site.

Children's literature inside, forest all around.

The Buddhist temples of Yamadera, built into a mountain side, feature a viewing deck with sweeping views.

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

With over 12,000 different species of plants, this botanical garden is Japan's oldest and most diverse.

The tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan.

A bronze statue dating back as far as 1252, still has remnants of gold on its right cheek from ancient gilding.

An ordinary pond with fish from out of this world.

One of Japan's most famous sights, the bridge was originally built in 1673.