Places jenmcdonald Wants to Go

A nondescript building is home to a one-room museum filled with an overwhelming array of art and objects.

Although damaged beyond recognition, this stone god is still said to bring good luck to those who tap on him with a pebble.

A glimpse into life in 1830s Tokyo, back during the heyday of the Tokugawa shogunate.

Luminaries from Albert Einstein to John Lennon once had a cup of coffee at Tokyo's oldest café.

A semi-abandoned replica of Prince Edward Island's Avonlea—in Japan.

This garden located inside a bamboo forest once belonged to a famous Japanese actor.

The only Edo-period ferry that is still in operation in Tokyo today.

Exploring crime and punishment in feudal and pre-modern Japan.

Nestled in an unassuming residential area, this "forbidden forest" is rumored to spirit away those who dare enter it.

The first location of the eventual video game giant.

The tallest city hall in the world offers an excellent bento box.

Kawaii meets poisonous at this unique art gallery.

It's bad manners to eat and drink on the subways of Tokyo, unless the train is this bar. 

A real-life replica of a home from Hayao Miyazaki's beloved movie "My Neighbor Totoro."

This retro underwater observation tower would make the perfect lair for a sea-loving villain.

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

Reportedly 1,400 years old, this may be the first of the Fiji Mermaids.

Established over a thousand years ago, this family-run teahouse continues to serve skewers of sweet rice cake to this day.

Drinkslinger is an unlikely vocation for a Buddhist monk, but at this Tokyo bar the enlightenment is served in a martini glass.

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.

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

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

Hanging over one of Japan’s “hidden valleys,” these vine bridges must be remade every three years.

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