Places Lefteris Wants to Go

In the oldest zen temple stands a descendant of the very tree that introduced tea to Japanese culture.

Students pray here in hopes of entering one of Japan’s most prestigious universities.

A slope with a mysterious name recalls a discontinued pre-war energy drink.

The predecessor to this bridge was depicted in a famous Japanese woodcut print that influenced Van Gogh.

A monument marking the first airplane flights in Japan hints at the dark history behind its peaceful park setting.

A vending machine dedicated to a beloved seaweed.

A legend of a mysterious phantom train haunts this grave.

This shrine is home to an unusual trifold torii and a replica Trafalgar Square lion.

Visit the cherry blossoms at Tokyo’s unofficial smallest mountain.

This statue of a deified “hag” is said to protect children from the common cold and coughing fits.

“Historical” markers commemorating the sites of fictional events depicted in a popular jidaigeki novel series.

Once known for its eerie appearance, this semicircular monument is all that remains of a Tokyo industrial icon.

Overlooked by many, this tiny sacred island in Ueno Park only opens to the public every 12 days.

The original location of the eponymous site of Japan’s Yayoi period is now lost in time.

You can receive a blessing for your electronics at this Shinto shrine near Akihabara.

This site commemorates the life of a Japanese scientist who dedicated his life to the discovery of diseases.

All 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac are depicted in anthropomorphized deity form.

This surreal thumbs-up monument commemorates a shiatsu legend.

An adorable intake tower with a “witch hat” stands in the Edo River.

The enigmatic symbol on this incineration plant's smokestack is, in fact, a one-of-a-kind clock.

Thousands of foxes are said to gather and parade across the neighborhood of Ōji on New Year’s Eve.

A museum housed in a stunning Rockefeller-funded medical institute building from the 1930s.

Once the park closes at sunset, the greatest haiku poet of all time moves to face the Sumida River.

Unbeknownst to many, an ancient burial mound hides in plain sight in Ueno Park.