A natural resemblance of the monster of film lore.

More than 100 antique vending machines housed in a used tire shop sell everything from candy to sake and ramen.

Looking for the train station? Try the building shaped like a train.

It is rumored that if you spot this little golden frog hiding in plain sight, good luck will come your way.

A strip of traditional hand towel serves as an admission ticket at this modern tenugui museum.

These medieval stone-cut Buddhist statues may protect visitors from being fired.

A precursor to Taro Okamoto’s iconic Tower of the Sun.

The “bridge of return” is haunted by a myriad of legends, from ghosts to demons to nuptial superstitions.

Open since 1690, this former teahouse makes “strength mochi” based on the centuries-old recipe.

The largest seated Buddha statue in Japan is the centerpiece of an abandoned complex in a quiet, seaside town.

In the oldest zen temple stands a descendant of the very tree that introduced tea to Japanese culture.

A serene mountaintop temple complex featuring one big, bronze Buddha.

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

A network of ancient tunnels and vaulted chambers with mystical Buddhist reliefs, built for ascetic training.

A natural wonder with mythological ties to the local Ainu tradition.

A World War II battle site made famous by one man's heroic actions.

This airy five-floor library and museum houses thousands of books and rotating exhibits on Japanese monsters and anime.

This statue of Buddha has a distinctive hairstyle meant to represent an unfathomably long period of meditation.

This public bathroom takes the form of a 19th-century lighthouse that once stood on the spot.

Visitors to this temple are greeted by a massive collection of wooden dolls said to bring good fortune.

Over 40 species of fern cover the canyon walls of this lush green bowl, cut off from the bustle of the world by a cave entrance.

This monument gives insight into how lost children were found in Edo-period Tokyo.

A hidden gallery exhibits intricate, decades-old Buddhist reliefs.

An isolated "phantom bridge" doomed to crumble into ruin.