The self-mummified monks of Japan.

These tiny pine-covered islands have inspired art and poetry for centuries.

A unique memorial made up of a collection of memorials, all commemorating the Battle of Okinawa in World War II.

This enormous monument is one of the most iconic structures in Tokyo, rudely nicknamed "The Golden Turd."

This sprawling scenic burial ground is the final resting place of Japan's last shogun.

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

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

This isolated Japanese mountain village untouched by time showcases unique and stunning traditional architecture.

This 24-hour vending machine serves up homemade treats inspired by the local Japanese snow monkeys.

This historic castle is one of the oldest and most impressive in all of Japan.

A real-life replica of a home from Hayao Miyazaki's beloved movie "My Neighbor Totoro."

Retro as can be, this cinema still uses film reels and screens revivals of Shōwa-era hits and classics.

In a shopping arcade, a modernized temple deeply tied to feudal Japan’s prominent warlords.

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

In addition to showing films, this one-screen arthouse cinema from the late 1940s is a museum of old film equipment.

One of London's lost rivers runs through a pipe over the tracks of this subway station.

The first regular high-definition TV transmissions were made from this seemingly out-of-place mast located on one corner of a Victorian-era entertainment venue.

A museum dedicated to one of Portugal's most celebrated writers.

This tile-work piece featuring a chicken riding in carriage is both a remarkable artistic creation and a social commentary of politics and culture in 17th-century Portugal.

A unique seaside cave where Aleister Crowley faked his own death.

An unassuming music museum recounts the rags to riches story of a dramatic Portuguese genre.

At night, bats patrol this magnificent 18th-century space in search of book-eating pests.

A deer-headed statue that brings together a 12th-century legend and big wave surfing.

The medieval castle built as headquarters for the Pope's secretive Knights Templar.