Places Michelle D Wants to Go

Nestled in an unassuming residential area, this "forbidden forest" is rumored to spirit away those who dare enter it.

This Japanese national treasure was originally built in 593.

A railway station takeout shop sells boxed meals in containers shaped like trains and snowmen that hold the country’s abundant regional delicacies.

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.

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

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

Established over a thousand years ago, this family-run teahouse continues to serve skewers of sweet rice cake to this day.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.

With over 12,000 different species of plants, this botanical garden is Japan's oldest and most diverse.

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

The 10,000 Torii shrine.

Haunted dolls, macabre artifacts, and more make up the collection of the “most haunted museum in the world.”

Photographs of the faces of the town's dead cover the walls of this small Italian church.

Every day a troupe of pampered water fowl walk the red carpet to their favorite fountain.

A kaleidoscopic warehouse-maze of handmade neon signs.

After nearly 60 years, there's still a bear at Paddington Station looking for help.

Hundreds of lucky felines haunt the ruins where Caesar was murdered.

After 400 years of being closed to the public, this monastery's underground tunnels and secret garden are now a museum.

Burial grounds for more than 1,000 bodies deep under the modern town of Rabat.

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.

On East Burnside, a 24-hour vending machine distributes world-class pastries.

Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.