suibian's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Utsunomiya, Japan

The Venus of Gyoza

At a Japanese train station, a goddess emerges from a dumpling.
Tokyo, Japan

Owaraji (Giant Straw Sandals)

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.
Aomori, Japan

Sannai Maruyama Ruins

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

Go'o Shrine

Shrine dedicated to boars that is believed to cure foot and leg injuries.
Shingo, Japan

Tomb of Jesus Christ

A small Japanese village claims to be the final resting place of the son of God (and God's other son's ear).
Kyoto, Japan

Honke Owariya

One of Kyoto's oldest food establishments has supplied soba noodles to temple priests and the Imperial Palace.
Kyoto, Japan

Ryōan-ji

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.
Kyoto, Japan

Nishiki Market

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

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (The Gardner)

Two thousand artifacts from around the world collected by one woman who loved to travel.
Kyoto, Japan

Mimizuka

Burial mound for the ears and noses of thousands of mutilated Korean soldiers.
Kyoto, Japan

Sanjūsangen-dō

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

Freedom Monument

This celebration of Latvia’s freedom and independence avoided demolition over half a century of Soviet occupation.
Riga, Latvia

House of the Blackheads

The reconstruction of this prominent building fulfilled a long-written command.
Vilnius, Lithuania

Frank Zappa Memorial

The Frank Zappa fan club erected this monument to their prog-rock hero to mark a new era of post-Soviet Lithuania.
Vilnius, Lithuania

Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights

This former KGB building is now a museum memorializing the people who suffered during the Soviet regime.
Vilnius, Lithuania

The Mermaid of Užupis

Travelers who fall victim to this mermaid's charms are destined to stay in Užupis forever.
Vilnius, Lithuania

Republic of Uzupis

This micro-nation may be some sort of prank, but its constitution sure seems official.
Riga, Latvia

Black Cat of Riga

A black cat protests the City Guild in Riga's Old Town.
Riga, Latvia

Art Nouveau in Riga

Flamboyant architecture from the turn of 20th century.