Places Muikkunen Wants to Go

Sharks, stingrays, and turtles swim in the pools at this former elementary school.

The origin of this bizarre, ghostly idol is a local mystery, even to the temple it calls home.

A bizarre, tuberculosis sanatorium-themed café moonlighting as an underground art gallery.

A unique art exhibit home to letters addressed to those unable to receive them.

This unique museum explores the world of Japanese demons and spirits.

Try maple leaf tempura at the trailside shop that brought it back from oblivion.

Visit a speakeasy-like indie cinema specializing in 16mm and 35mm films.

Nestled amid the trees lies an abandoned funicular railway that dates back to the 1920s.

A gorgeous, nostalgic café housed in a lofty old warehouse, lit only by petroleum lamps.

A nondescript building is home to a one-room museum filled with an overwhelming array of art and objects.

This giant seated Bhudda of Healing dates to the 1780s.

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

"The Dance of Fools" is Japan's largest dance festival.

A Japanese shrine to dolls.

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

The floats housed in this hall are more than 100 years old, and are brought out for an annual celebration.

This ancient burial site was once thought to be the home of a race distinctive to Ainu folklore.

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

This giant bronze Buddha, the third largest in Japan, is the last in an ill-fated series of statues.

The only Edo-period ferry that is still in operation in Tokyo today.

A small Japanese village claims to be the final resting place of the son of God (and God's other son's ear).

Hidden by the roadside in the Iya Valley, this gem brings together folk monsters and the region's unique geography.

Exploring crime and punishment in feudal and pre-modern Japan.

This brothel-turned-restaurant features plenty of surprises and elaborate, extravagant architecture.