Rovereto, Italy
Rovereto Fertility Shrine
An abandoned piece of phallic art repurposed by locals into a makeshift fertility shrine.
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Rovereto, Italy
An abandoned piece of phallic art repurposed by locals into a makeshift fertility shrine.
Zurich, Switzerland
Hidden in the garden of physicist Erwin Schrödinger's house is a life-size figure of a cat from his famous thought experiment.
Tokyo, Japan
Drinkslinger is an unlikely vocation for a Buddhist monk, but at this Tokyo bar the enlightenment is served in a martini glass.
Tokyo, Japan
This bizarre residential building is the masterpiece of Von Jour Caux, the “Gaudí of Japan.”
Tokyo, Japan
Inside the columbarium, thousands of colorful, high-tech Buddhas guard the ashes of the dead.
Tokyo, Japan
Losing lottery tickets are deposited at this shrine in hopes of better luck.
Unhais da Serra, Portugal
A small sanctuary carved into the mountainside near the tallest point in continental Portugal.
Andouillé-Neuville, France
This roadside shrine to an unofficial saint has welcomed the wishes and prayers of local believers for generations.
Kyoto, Japan
An LED art installation composed of 600 poles wrapped in kimono fabric.
Vernazza, Italy
On the walking path from Monterosso to Vernazza, a small shrine dedicated to feline friends.
Tokyo, Japan
Only recently added to the shrine, this googly-eyed snail demon of unknown origin is said to have eye-healing powers.
Matsumoto, Japan
This small Japanese street is lined with figures, sculptures and a shrine dedicated to frogs.
Kyoto, Japan
A small shrine dedicated to a god of lightning and electronics.
Matsumoto, Japan
This historic castle is one of the oldest and most impressive in all of Japan.
Matsumoto, Japan
This traditional Japanese shrine is dedicated to four Shinto deities.
Tokyo, Japan
A unique shrine dedicated to the deified skull of a 17th-century Tokyo courtesan.
Tokyo, Japan
This cozy café is housed in a repurposed pharmacy originally built in 1927.
Tokyo, Japan
This museum is dedicated to the cultural history of tobacco and salt, once monopolized in Japan.
Durham, England
Though this bridge was originally built in the 12th century, only one of its 10 arches dates back that far.
Durham, England
The former "holiday home" for monks at the Durham Cathedral.
Sapporo, Japan
An open-air museum exhibiting a total of 52 century-old buildings, recreating Hokkaido’s “pioneer village.”
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Famed for its pie, this eatery has a hidden tunnel that allowed Catholics to secretly walk to church during the Reformation.
San Gimignano, Italy
Medieval torture techniques with a modern conscience.
Sissach, Switzerland
Extensive private collection of authentic Medieval devices used for human torture and execution.