Kawagoe, Japan
Five Hundred Arhats
Hundreds of statues of Buddha’s disciples meditating, napping, sneezing, and picking their noses.
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Places I've been
Places this traveler has marked as been there.
Tokyo, Japan
Shibamata Taishakuten's Sculpture Gallery
A hidden gallery exhibits intricate, decades-old Buddhist reliefs.
Tokyo, Japan
Witch Hat Intake Tower
An adorable intake tower with a “witch hat” stands in the Edo River.
Tokyo, Japan
‘Tora-san and His Sister’
Life-sized statues of two characters from a decades-long Japanese film series stand outside Shibamata station.
Sapporo, Japan
Historical Village of Hokkaido
An open-air museum exhibiting a total of 52 century-old buildings, recreating Hokkaido’s “pioneer village.”
Tokyo, Japan
Azabu-Jūban Smile Monuments
A series of smile-themed sculptures created by artists from all over the world fill this Tokyo shopping district.
Tokyo, Japan
Origin of Ginza Monument
This monument celebrates this shopping district's past history as a feudal silver mint.
Tokyo, Japan
Roppongi Hills Street Furniture
This quirky collection of furniture also happens to be a public art installation.
Sakaiminato, Japan
Yokai of Mizuki Shigeru Road
The hometown of a beloved manga artist created a treasure hunt for his popular ghostly characters.
Tokyo, Japan
Haneda Ōtorii
A cursed torii gate still stands on the edge of Haneda Airport, decades after its shrine's relocation.
Niigata, Japan
Niigata Rice Cracker Museum & Bakauke Inari
This snack factory boasts several tributes to its popular line of rice crackers, including a quasi-shrine.
Tokyo, Japan
Old Iwabuchi Watergate
This iconic sluice gate is a favorite haunt for joggers, fishing enthusiasts, and even ghost hunters.
Saitama, Japan
Tsuki Shrine
A unique Shinto shrine filled with bunnies and wordplay.
Kyonan, Japan
Nihonji Daibutsu: The Great Buddha of Nihonji
This giant seated Bhudda of Healing dates to the 1780s.
Miyazu-shi, Japan
Amanohashidate
Turn around and stick your head between your legs for the best view of this tree-covered sandbar.
Ise, Japan
Ise Grand Shrine
This ancient shrine has been rebuilt every 20 years since the eighth century.
Tottori-shi, Japan
The Sand Museum
Giant sand sculptures of famous people and places are on display near the Tottori sand dunes.
Kyoto, Japan
Yasui Kompira-gu Shrine
Crawl through the hole in the middle of this stone to break off a bad relationship or initiate a good one.
Yamanouchi, Japan
Jigokudani Monkey Park
Hot springs monkey spa in the middle of Hell's Valley.
Amarillo, Texas
Cadillac Ranch
A sculpture made of 10 Cadillacs as a monument to the “Golden Age” of the American automobile.
Alexandria, Virginia
Hollensbury Spite House
The narrowest house in America is seven feet of pure spite.
Washington, D.C.
Catacombs of Washington, D.C.
Franciscan monks created a facsimile of the Holy Land for North Americans who couldn’t afford the trip overseas.
Washington, D.C.
Washington Aqueduct Castle Gatehouse
A building shaped like the Army Corps of Engineers logo, because why not?
Washington, D.C.
Peirce Mill Spy Station
Cold War intelligence agents monitored communist embassies from an attic in a former pigeon coop.
