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

A moss-covered statue of a Japanese Buddhist deity stands at a quiet temple in downtown Osaka.

The Hanshin Expressway goes right through its 5th, 6th, and 7th floors.

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

A Japanese train station built around a 700-year-old camphor tree.

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

Surreal giant face-pillars welcome visitors from across the globe to this hotel.

Every spring, this walkway outside the Japan Mint turns into a cherry blossom tunnel.

In Asakusa, Tokyo's very own Walk of Fame.

Home to a collection of drums from around the world that allow visitors to play a tune.

This museum showcases the art of ancient sword-making.

Run a wash cycle while sipping a latte at this community-oriented café.

“Historical” markers commemorating the sites of fictional events depicted in a popular jidaigeki novel series.

Guarding the city of Chiyoda is a bizarre insectile creature with a name no one can pronounce.

Rubbing salt on this small stone dog is said to make wishes come true.

A smiling guardian couple stands beside a department store, carrying folk belief into modern Shibuya

A lonely chimpanzee lures you into a narrow alley leading to this hidden shrine.

A giant robo-cockroach building devours Tokyo.

One of the largest producers of MSG in the world welcomes visitors to its Kawasaki factory with an albino panda named Aji-Kun.

The bamboo that helped Thomas Edison develop a longlasting lightbulb.

Home to herbal cosmetics, teas, and a unique set of dolls known as kitchen witches.

Home to thousands of dolls from around the world, including the "blue-eyed dolls" that came to Japan as American ambassadors.

At the time of its construction, this type of door was nearly unheard of.

The man who created the first Japanese-English Dictionary.