elfayre's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Kyoto, Japan

Yamaboko Festival in Kyoto - Gion Festival

Japan's largest and oldest annual procession of floats, begun in 869.
Kyoto, Japan

Rokuon-ji Temple

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.
Ise, Japan

Meoto Iwa

This pair of small sea rocks has been "wed" using rope and ancient Shinto tradition.
Kyoto, Japan

Kiyomizu-Dera Temple

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.
Hiroshima, Japan

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome.
Kamakura, Japan

The Great Buddha of Kamakura

A bronze statue dating back as far as 1252, still has remnants of gold on its right cheek from ancient gilding.
Tokyo, Japan

Vowz

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

Sanjūsangen-dō

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

Akihabara Electric Town

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

Tōdai-ji Daibutsuden (The Great Buddha Hall)

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

Gotokuji Temple

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

Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine

The 10,000 Torii shrine.
Kyoto, Japan

Sagano Bamboo Forest

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.
Mitaka, Japan

Ghibli Museum

A magical place that lets you play in and explore the world of Studio Ghibli.
Koya, Japan

Okunoin Cemetery

Largest graveyard in all of Japan surrounds a famous mausoleum.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Marie Laveau's House of Voodoo

A museum and shop on Bourbon Street located in the French Quarter.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Museum of Death

A collection of oddities including Dr. Kevorkian's suicide device, the Thanatron.
Supai, Arizona

Havasupai Falls

This secluded aqua waterfall in the Grand Canyon is the perfect swimming hole, and the Havasupai tribe's fiercely protected natural wonder.
New York, New York

The Evolution Store

A terrific purveyor of natural history objects and curios.
Paris, France

Sculptures de Décure

Exquisite wall sculptures carved in secret by an early quarryman in an obscure corner of the Paris Catacombs.
Paris, France

Catacombes de Paris

The vast, legendary catacombs hold secrets much stranger than stacked bones.
Paris, France

I Love You Wall

Paris' linguistic guide to the international language of, yes, love.
Paris, France

Paris Padlocks of Love

The celebrated eyesore created by starry-eyed sweethearts.
Paris, France

‘Dénicheur d’Oursons’

A gruesome combat between a hunter and a furious momma bear.