The Japanese mayo factory famous for its cute mascot.

A tiny cafe that recreates the Japanese elementary school lunch experience.

Fifty-odd dinosaur footprints are preserved on this strip of mountain cliff along with ancient ripple marks.

This lesser-visited gallery in a corner of the Tokyo National Museum complex is an architectural beauty dedicated to the ancient treasures of Hōryū-ji.

Installed in 1965, this whimsical slide has spawned a brood of “octopus mountains” across Japan.

Buried nine feet under, these houses are preserved as a stark reminder of the disastrous 1991 Unzen eruption.

The former site of Fukuoka’s legendary ramen joint works hard to guide customers to the “original” original.

One of the only two archaeological sites in Japan to feature petroglyphs, which some believe to be a long-lost writing system of the gods.

This iconic “station bento” comes in an earthenware pot you can take home and repurpose.

Hundreds of statues of Buddha’s disciples meditating, napping, sneezing, and picking their noses.

A bizarre statue of a Buddhist goddess made from 20,000 insects.

This sculpture bears a tragic backstory that may have inspired a hauntingly beautiful children's song.

This retro café is a remnant of Japan’s post-war Argentine tango craze.

Peer into this window for an interesting glimpse into the public utilities that make this city run.

A bovine sumo match in which both bulls live to fight another day.

Chiseled out of a sandstone cliff, one farmer's unfinished art project lies in ruins.

A culturally significant rural temple in the beautiful mountains of Itoshima.

Located in a remote mountain valley in Yamagata Prefecture, these hot springs have attracted bathers for over 450 years.

The train engine is tucked under an apartment building on a quiet Tokyo street.

The site of Japan’s first archaeological excavation is also the birthplace of fingerprint forensics.

Near the mouth of the Yodo River, this museum offers visitors six floors of hands-on learning about Osaka's raw sewage.

This ancient burial site was once thought to be the home of a race distinctive to Ainu folklore.

A flight of this "ghost staircase" has 40 steps on the way up, but only 39 steps on the way down.

White beach sands made of the remains of tiny, star shaped creatures.