Places inlandempirical Wants to Go

A 115-year-old restored German dining hall awaits those who venture beneath the Minnesota State Capitol.

Duluth mineral magnates built this charming art deco lodge to be their private clubhouse.

The Real LegoLand.

This posh mansion began as a family's estate and ended as the site of a murder ripped from the pages of a pulp novel.

This bright yellow building is packed with sweet treats from all around the world, from chocolate-covered crickets to whoopie pies.

Berry Gordy Jr.'s old home was the original headquarters of Motown Record Corporation.

A large instrument played by the wind.

A peculiar mansion built by the troubled heir to the Winchester Rifle Company fortune.

A hand-built folk art installation covered with messages of God's love.

A small medical museum with a recreated doctor's office.

A gigantic collection of teeny, tiny books.

Make your own fake treats at this factory and workshop in the epicenter of Japan's food replica industry.

Coast along one of Japan’s mountain railways for coveted views of magnificent hydrangeas.

A 59-ft. robot statue looks over the citizens of earthquake-ravaged Kobe.

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.

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.

A disconnected rotary phone for "calling" lost loved ones offered a unique way of dealing with grief in disaster-stricken Japan.

The 43-mile route crosses through six islands with gorgeous views of the Seto Inland Sea.

Open-air museum with an elaborate sculpture garden, stretching for over 70,000 square-meters.

The magical, mossy forest that inspired 'Princess Mononoke.'

Experience park where visitors are told to expect the unexpected.

Once the most densely populated place in the world, this island is now a ghost town.

The original "capsule building" is a masterpiece of Metabolist architecture.

The third-tallest statue in the world depicts the "Buddha of Infinite Light," complete with observation deck in his chest.