Places meqma54 Wants to Go

Traces of the thriving lake trade that once linked the Soviet Union with Mongolia.

Installed in 1965, this whimsical slide has spawned a brood of “octopus mountains” across Japan.

The only natural gorge in metropolitan Tokyo, with lots of greenery and ancient burial chambers.

This iconic sluice gate is a favorite haunt for joggers, fishing enthusiasts, and even ghost hunters.

This museum celebrates the history of Japanese advertising, from feudal business tricks to modern T.V. commercials.

For hundreds of years, participants in this Japanese festival have been making babies cry to ward off demons.

A museum dedicated to the former country.

A lion given to the prime minister somehow got stuffed and sent to Florida.

Built to replace a house destroyed by a hurricane, this home is made entirely of shipping containers.

It's a pretty creepy lock-up.

This curio museum seems like the type of place you might find a mogwai or a monkey's paw.

The stoic structure boasts a whimsical set of stained glass art commemorating Lewis Carroll.

The European equivalent of the Hollywood Walk of Fame is slowly spreading over the entire city.

One man's personal kunstkammer, museum and shop.

This ice cream parlor serves scoops of flavors like rakia, medlar, and poppy seed.

Budapest's Communist-era statues, banished to the suburbs.

The second-largest Jewish temple in Bulgaria was deserted after World War II, seized by the communist government and then abandoned again.

Locals believe this abandoned ruin on the outskirts of Bucharest is haunted.

Atop this electronic store resides a massive fighter jet.

Dim sum, served in a grand old theater.

These items are all that remain from the room used by the author during his second tour of the U.S.

An ancient passage filled with stalls selling used books, once frequented by Vincent Van Gogh.

The oldest cemetery in Belgium.

This large copper bolt represents the benchmark for measuring sea levels in most of Europe.