A grand Buddhist temple with Indian influences.

Japan’s tallest Godzilla statue contains a piece of the original 1954 film within its base.

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

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

Inside the columbarium, thousands of colorful, high-tech Buddhas guard the ashes of the dead.

Tokyo’s only Vaudeville-cuckoo clock–steampunk-Victorian curio cabinet time piece.

Starship-temple contains 400 tons of drinking water and offers free Japanese lessons.

An alchemist's “magic door” stands in the middle of a Roman park.

Architectureal fantasy quarter of Rome.

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.

A 14th-century European chapel sticks out of the facade of a Japanese hotel.

This brothel-turned-restaurant features plenty of surprises and elaborate, extravagant architecture.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

Every color in the rainbow awaits.

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

A 20-meter (65-foot) robot towers over Tokyo Bay.

After a profound show of devotion for his master, a dog becomes the symbol of loyalty for an entire nation.

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

One of Kyoto's oldest food establishments has supplied soba noodles to temple priests and the Imperial Palace.

A bibliophile's heaven that contains hundreds of bookstores, offering over a third of secondhand books for sale in Tokyo.

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