Places zichk Wants to Go

This massive, Edo Period, coin-shaped sand painting is believed to be a source of great luck.

Passengers are not allowed to set foot outside this station, but you can still enjoy spectacular views of the sea from the platform.

This Metabolist, retro-futuristic residential complex resembles a cyberpunk space colony established on Earth.

This snack factory boasts several tributes to its popular line of rice crackers, including a quasi-shrine.

The largest archaeological site from the Yayoi period.

Huts like this were once a hub for the female divers who collected pearls and seafood off Japan's coasts.

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.

A charming, homemade vending machine dispenses burgers and sandwiches at this hole-in-the-wall bakery.

Founded in 1880, this humble brewery still practices a disappearing technique of sake-making.

This village is home to the largest existing settlement of the Ainu, the Indigenous people of Japan.

This museum is dedicated to the cultural history of tobacco and salt, once monopolized in Japan.

This futuristic public park includes large sculptures and an artificial geyser.

Visitors to this park are welcomed by an ancient Japanese megalithic tomb that dates back to the sixth century.

Curious onlookers have suspected this strange structure is a secret government base.

Disaster prevention apartment blocks in Sumida Ward are designed to save as many as possible in the face of the inevitable.

Existing for more than four centuries, the last of Hakone’s historic teahouses serves a sweet, mold-based rice drink.

Home to the world's oldest wooden building.

A whimsical museum dedicated to the mischievous kappa, a mythical cucumber-loving water sprite.

This whimsical garbage disposal facility receives around 12,000 accidental tourists each year.

High in the mountains of Kochi Prefecture, a magnificent library designed by a world-famous architect.

Japan's hottest hot spring has a memorable name.

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

Though technically an illegal structure, this eclectic DIY apartment complex is beloved by its residents.

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.