An unlikely hit, this museum is dedicated to the inventor of instant ramen and cup noodles.

A railway station takeout shop sells boxed meals in containers shaped like trains and snowmen that hold the country’s abundant regional delicacies.

Tokyo’s only Ainu restaurant serves Indigenous food from northern Japan.

This subterranean spot might be the epitome of Japan's baroque, retro coffee houses.

A restaurant modeled after feudal Japan, where the waitstaff are trained as ninjas.

Twelve hundred stone carvings guard this off-the-beaten-path Buddhist temple.

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

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

This historical theme park celebrates all things noodle.

Colloquially known as “piss alley,” this narrow street filled with tiny bars and barbecue stands looks like it was pulled straight out of “Blade Runner.”

Bioluminescent firefly squid light up this Japanese fishing port.

Once the most densely populated place in the world, this island is now a ghost town.

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

A beautiful, dense forest in the shadow of Mount Fuji, with a tragic reputation.

Hot springs monkey spa in the middle of Hell's Valley.

On Japan's Tashirojima Island, cats are king.