Places thegreatgarbo Wants to Go

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.

A train ride to the middle of nowhere gives its passengers some of the most iconic views of Japan's seasons.

This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.

1,001 carved statues of the Buddhist God of Mercy, each with a unique face.

A tiny collection of traditional Japanese woodblock prints, open only when the owner feels like it.

This 400-year-old sweet shop serves a delicacy some have described as "edible incense."

More than 300 years old, Kyoto's historic "teahouse" still operates as an invitation-only geisha club.

The groundbreaking Japanese shrine maiden who invented the art of kabuki.

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

A 1000-year-old shrine in Kyoto with a poorly planned sacred arch.

Mythical beasts symbolizing the city of Tokyo guard a historic bridge.

Weighing nearly 7 tons, this massive sculpture was carved out of 500-year-old wood and decorated with thousands of jewels.

Once a black market electronics marketplace, now an otaku shopper's paradise.

This Buddhist temple is home to the graves of the Japanese national legends, the 47 Ronin.

A railway station takeout shop sells boxed meals in containers shaped like trains and snowmen that hold the country’s abundant regional delicacies.

Luminaries from Albert Einstein to John Lennon once had a cup of coffee at Tokyo's oldest café.

This park boasts a unusual collection of curious monuments from around the world, from Micronesia to Antarctica.

The legendary birthplace of the Japanese maneki-neko is dotted with hundreds of lucky beckoning cats.

People from around the world visit the shrine of Japan’s legendarily loyal dog.

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

Dedicated to the armor and weapons used by the legendary Japanese warriors.

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

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.”

Sample specialties from Xinjiang at this Shinjuku neighborhood gem.