Places NailsNathan Wants to Go

A collection of nearly 5,000 yokai-themed toys, sculptures, and more, dating from the 1700s to the present day.

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

A precursor to Taro Okamoto’s iconic Tower of the Sun.

An LED art installation composed of 600 poles wrapped in kimono fabric.

This gnome sculpture and his wonderous hat forces train passengers to do a double-take.

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

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

This quirky little private museum is home to more than a thousand stones, carved by nature, that resemble human faces.

Near the mouth of the Yodo River, this museum offers visitors six floors of hands-on learning about Osaka's raw sewage.

"Singing sands" and the world's largest hourglass reside near Japan's Kotogahama beach.

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 hub of information on tropical diseases and their treatments.

450 dead and frozen fish, proudly on display in Japan.

More tin toys than you can shake a clapping monkey at.

This museum is dedicated to the cultural history of tobacco and salt, once monopolized in Japan.

Watch out for the two-story Godzilla made out of tires.

A statue erected on an infamous cliff where young boys would hold dangerous "pee offs" to prove their mettle.

The largest collection of model trains in the world is actually run using full-size locomotive technology.

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

Elaborate series of tunnels where traces of mass suicide are still visible.

This town near Nagasaki is flecked with fruit-flavored bus stops.

Giant animal sculptures are created with the rice straw leftover from the fall harvest each year.

An unlikely hit, this museum is dedicated to the inventor of instant ramen and cup noodles.