Places norabahr5 Wants to Go

A King Kong-like gorilla hangs from the top of this commercial building in Tokyo.

Drinkslinger is an unlikely vocation for a Buddhist monk, but at this Tokyo bar the enlightenment is served in a martini glass.

The tallest city hall in the world offers an excellent bento box.

Transport yourself to the 1980s era of video games at this themed restaurant and bar.

Adventures in Wonderland under the heart of the bustling Shinjuku

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.”

Walls of VHS tapes adorn this Golden Gai B horror movie themed bar.

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.

Tokyo’s only Ainu restaurant serves Indigenous food from northern Japan.

Only recently added to the shrine, this googly-eyed snail demon of unknown origin is said to have eye-healing powers.

This battleship of a building was designed by a famed "mad architect."

A 10,000-square-foot museum of operating model trains.

A B&B on a Victorian lighthouse station in San Francisco Bay.

Spiral labyrinth hidden in the hills above Oakland, CA.

A sparse, solitary sequoia still stands as a living tribute to the famous conservationist who planted it—but it's dying.

Its buzzing collection honors vibrator history.

The only theatre in the world constructed specifically for sound movement.

This surreptitious shop is only open five hours per week.

This 19th-century church is now a popular roller rink.

Dive bar built out of the remains of a whaling ship.

This Oakland fairytale kingdom, fiercely devoted to childlike whimsy, was an early inspiration for Disneyland.

From buttons to beads, flounces to fripperies, this textile museum and shop honors the history of needlework.

This (occupied) house is 10 feet wide and full of spite.

Antiques by the Bay.