Places RakelOm Wants to Go

A tiny kissaten coffeeshop with expertly crafted coffee in an antique setting.

The buildings are among the few Frank Lloyd Wright structures still standing in Japan.

This water goblin statue represents a 19th-century urban legend about a haunted canal that became a Japanese idiom.

A pair of rivaling shrines dedicated to Lady Oiwa, the most famous vengeful ghost in Japan.

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

The peace and seclusion of Kyoto’s “Moss Temple” is no accident.

A pentagram-covered shrine dedicated to a famed court astrologer known in the west as the Merlin of Japan.

A century-old house transformed into a cat temple by an artist.

A raised Japanese building has preserved 8th-century artifacts for more than a millennium, earning this log cabin a reputation as the "world's oldest museum."

This massive, beautifully-lit underground quarry leaves visitors in awe.

This small Japanese street is lined with figures, sculptures and a shrine dedicated to frogs.

The largest of its kind in Japan, this century-old wasabi farm is also known for its appearance in an Akira Kurosawa film.

High in the trees or suspended between cables, these surreal structures are the works of a unique Japanese architect.

This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.

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

This historic hydroelectric power plant in Japan has been preserved and is open to the public.

Legend has it that centuries ago, a ghost once frequented this candy shop to feed her still-living baby.

Roots and stumps that lay inundated for two millennia are on display in Japan's city of three mysteries.

A dilapidated amusement park with a million-dollar view.

The world's shortest escalator doesn't seem to have any reason to exist other than to hold a world record.

Shrine dedicated to boars that is believed to cure foot and leg injuries.

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

Ever needed a chocolate-filled crepe in the wee hours of the morning?

The iconic castle that withstood a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has become a symbol of resilience.