Places NixOfNowhere Wants to Go

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

A museum of space exploration in the UFO capital of Japan.

The site of a prehistoric settlement spanning millennia, complete with a reconstructed timber circle.

The self-mummified monks of Japan.

Two ogres stand guard at the Oga Visitor Center.

A natural resemblance of the monster of film lore.

Buddha figures are carved into volcanic rocks on the seashore of Yamagara Prefecture.

Marvel at the world's largest collection of jellyfish, including more than 10,000 undulating moon jellies.

A wooden prison doesn't sound like a good idea, yet this abandoned 1950s detention center still stands today.

For centuries, this gold mine was the powerhouse behind the Tokugawa Shogunate.

We heard you like volcanoes so we put a volcano in your volcano so you can die for sure...

A network of ancient tunnels and vaulted chambers with mystical Buddhist reliefs, built for ascetic training.

Stuck in a bygone era, the oldest subterranean shopping street in Japan hides beneath the popular Asakusa district of Tokyo.

This crescent-shaped sliver of sand is a magical haven for a herd of feral horses.

A long-forgotten homage to an eldritch, sassy spider yōkai that was once worshipped here as a god.

A 20,000-year-old fossilized forest is preserved at this unique museum.

An infamous house made famous by director Takashi Shimizu.

A failed Russian themed village and amusement park in Niigata prefecture.

This western-themed amusement park is host to a large number of decaying animatronic cowboys.

A remarkable lava formation encloses a line of Buddhist statues that can't be accurately counted, according to local mythology.

Chiseled out of a sandstone cliff, one farmer's unfinished art project lies in ruins.

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

An unusual structure of stone and glass honoring one of Japan’s most eminent Christian leaders who founded the non-church movement.

Each year this Japanese temple overflows with scowling, bearded good luck talismans.