Places josvanderheiden Wants to Go

This little replica of Lady Liberty provides a bit of NYC in a Japanese city.

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.

The world's shortest escalator doesn't seem to have any reason to exist other than to hold a world record.

This faux-seedy Japanese arcade is made up to look like a maze of alleys straight out of a cyberpunk dystopia.

The largest collection of model trains in the world is actually run using full-size locomotive technology.

More tin toys than you can shake a clapping monkey at.

This pair of small sea rocks has been "wed" using rope and ancient Shinto tradition.

Peek through a transparent pyramid and drink in the mountain made of books.

The tallest outdoor elevator in Europe rockets passengers on a dizzyingly precarious ride to the top of a mountain.

An exquisite tunnel of cascading flowers.

The vast chamber inside this abandoned cooling tower looks like something out of a sci-fi dystopia.

Macabre astrological automaton clock dating to the late 1400s.

An intricate and amazing house built by architect Karl Junker.

This historic stone bridge has an entire neighborhood clinging to its sides.

The world's only museum devoted to the wonders of fluorescence.

Repurposed space and ultra-modern construction collide to create this geometric wooden spectacle.

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

Shrine dedicated to boars that is believed to cure foot and leg injuries.

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.

The vast, legendary catacombs hold secrets much stranger than stacked bones.

This ghost town in Belgium will lose its street art when it ceases to exist.

This elaborate Byzantine-style building was designed for a not-so-pretty purpose.

The chefs at El Diablo use heat generated by an active volcano to cook the food.