Places ephemeral epiphany Wants to Go

This tiny museum hidden above a restaurant houses thousands of modern and traditional kites.

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

This museum showcases the art of ancient sword-making.

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

A museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo's often-overlooked working-class district.

Kawaii meets poisonous at this unique art gallery.

Weighing nearly seven tons, this massive sculpture was carved out of 500-year-old wood and decorated with thousands of jewels.

Discover the past, present, and future of packaging in this unique Japanese museum.

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

A Buddhist temple to honor insects that died for science.

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

Dedicated to the armor and weapons used by the legendary Japanese warriors.

This sprawling scenic burial ground is the final resting place of Japan's last shogun.

Shrine to Japanese water-goblins, complete with their preserved body parts.

Transport yourself to the 1980s era of video games at this themed restaurant and bar.

Go through the looking glass in Tokyo's Wonderland-themed shop.

This Buddhist temple is home to the graves of the Japanese national legends, the 47 Ronin.

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

If Hello Kitty were Mickey Mouse, this would be Disneyland.

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

A taste of the macabre Tokyo's ritzy shopping district.

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

This temple contains what might be the world's oldest optical illusion.

According to legend, a Sufi saint decreed that 11 men can lift this roughy 150-pound stone with only their index fingers upon invoking his name.