This strange mural located in the Ueno station is filled with traditional Japanese symbolism.

A Buddhist temple on an artificial island that houses a monument to the fugu fish.

Unbeknownst to many, an ancient burial mound hides in plain sight in Ueno Park.

A steaming, boiling hellscape sources Hokkaido's thermal baths.

These Japanese ruins have been brought back to life with elaborately recreated buildings.

The tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan.

A stretch of the Iwai River that features beautiful rocky cliffs, rapids, and flying dango.

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

Officially the lowest mountain in Japan.

The Buddhist temples of Yamadera, built into a mountain side, feature a viewing deck with sweeping views.

Every autumn, this hillside is ablaze with red summer cypress.

A park built around the legend of a clam-loving giant who created a monumental midden.

This beautiful defunct water tower adds a European flair to a traditional Japanese neighborhood.

An old-fashioned school with interesting grounds and deep history, including the original Mito Castle gate.

The third-tallest statue in the world depicts the "Buddha of Infinite Light," complete with observation deck in his chest.

A museum dedicated to the history of Tokyo's often-overlooked working-class district.

Meet the world's longest tapeworm in a collection that really gets under your skin.

A 20-meter (65-foot) robot towers over Tokyo Bay.

This little replica of Lady Liberty provides a bit of NYC in a Japanese city.

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

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

The decommissioned steam engine’s whistle can still be heard three times a day at one of Japan’s oldest train stations.

A few hidden stones are said to bring fortune and love.

A bibliophile's heaven that contains hundreds of bookstores, offering over a third of secondhand books for sale in Tokyo.