justbadger's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Places visited in Gjirokaster, Albania
Semey, Kazakhstan

Semipalatinsk Polygon

One of the most horrible legacies of the Cold War is a site where the Soviet Union tested nuclear bombs on civilians.
Raiymbek District, Kazakhstan

Charyn Canyon

Nicknamed Kazakhstan's Grand Canyon, this natural wonder lies east of Almaty near the Chinese border.
Shetpe, Kazakhstan

Valley of Balls

Mysterious spherical rocks in the semi-desert of western Kazakhstan.
Zharkent, Kazakhstan

Zharkent Mosque

This unique wooden mosque resembling a Chinese pagoda was said to be built without the use of nails.
Enbekshikazakh District, Kazakhstan

Issyk Lake

The lovely lake that was naturally dammed, then naturally destroyed, then unnaturally saved.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

Big Almaty Lake

A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.
Baikonur, Kazakhstan

Baikonur Cosmodrome

World's oldest and largest space launch facility, once a secret missile testing site.
Almaty, Kazakhstan

The Last Wild Apple Forests

Granny Smiths and Fujis can both be traced back to Kazakhstan, where apples still grow wild.
Changikhisarak, Uzbekistan

Physics of the Sun

More than 10,000 small mirrors cover the curved surface of the world's second-largest solar oven, located in a remote village in Uzbekistan.
Ulugnor District, Uzbekistan

Fergana Valley

One of the most ethnically diverse spots on the planet.
Kantubek, Uzbekistan

Vozrozhdeniye Island

Former island in the Aral Sea used to be a top-secret Russian bio-weapons facility.
Tokyo, Japan

The Akasaka Love Hotel

permanently closed
The demolished ruins of a poorly located Japanese Love Hotel.
Tokyo, Japan

Noumin Café

permanently closed
This “peasant café” in the middle of Tokyo re-creates the atmosphere of the Japanese countryside.
Tokyo, Japan

Mistral Bleu Train Bar

permanently closed
A cool dive bar, off the beaten track.
Tokyo, Japan

R.T.O. Relief

A beautiful work of art designed to impress the Allied Forces.
Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo Camii & Turkish Culture Center

Tatar Russian in origin, the largest mosque in Japan is now an Ottoman-style Turkish culture center.
Tokyo, Japan

Matsuchiyama Shoden

Daikon radishes are offered to the Japanese Buddhist counterpart of the Hindu god Ganesha at this historic hilltop temple.
Tokyo, Japan

Shirahatazuka Shiseki Park

Visitors to this park are welcomed by an ancient Japanese megalithic tomb that dates back to the sixth century.
Tokyo, Japan

Jinnai Shrine

This shrine dedicated to a legendary swordsman has become a pilgrimage site for the ill and infirmed.
Tokyo, Japan

Chankonabe Shinzan

Sidle into a side alley for a taste of sumo wrestlers' traditional hot-pot soup, in a tiny restaurant founded by a former competitor.
Tokyo, Japan

Naki Sumo Baby Crying Contest

For hundreds of years, participants in this Japanese festival have been making babies cry to ward off demons.
Tokyo, Japan

Shitamachi Museum

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

Lucky Dragon and Atomic Tuna Memorial

An oddly touching memorial to a little-remembered nuclear tragedy.
Tokyo, Japan

Koukokuji Buddhist Temple

Inside the columbarium, thousands of colorful, high-tech Buddhas guard the ashes of the dead.