spinetree's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto Botanical Garden

With over 12,000 different species of plants, this botanical garden is Japan's oldest and most diverse.
Kyoto, Japan

Kameya Kiyonaga

This 400-year-old sweet shop serves a delicacy some have described as "edible incense."
Kyoto, Japan

Okazaki Shrine

The cutest shrine in Kyoto is dedicated to bunnies.
Tsu, Japan

Japon Louvre Sculpture Museum

A lesser-known sister to Paris's world-famous museum, located within a Buddhist sculpture paradise.
Tokoname, Japan

Tokoname Pottery Footpath

A mile-long trail of pottery culture, full of clay pipes and lucky cats, including one that’s 12.5 feet tall.
Takaoka, Japan

Takaoka Daibutsu: The Great Buddha of Takaoka

This giant bronze Buddha, the third largest in Japan, is the last in an ill-fated series of statues.
Seki-shi, Japan

Monet's Pond

This pond is so stunning it looks like you've stepped into one of Monet's masterpieces.
Inuyama, Japan

Little World Museum of Man

An anthropological theme park that depicts the cultures of around 20 different countries.
Nagakute, Japan

Satsuki and Mei's House

A real-life replica of a home from Hayao Miyazaki's beloved movie "My Neighbor Totoro."
Takayama, Japan

Hida Takayama Teddy Bear Eco Village

A collection of more than 1,000 teddies from nearly any profession.
Takayama, Japan

Forest of Seven Lucky Gods

The divine septet of Japanese fortune gods are rendered in 1,000 year old wood at this peaceful site.
Itoigawa, Japan

The Jade Coast

You can still find treasures on the pebbly beaches of one of the world's oldest jade-producing areas.
Tamura, Japan

Mushi Mushi Land

"Bug Bug" Land, a natural park for beetle watching, still hasn't fully recovered from Fukushima's nuclear disaster.
Tōkamachi-shi, Japan

House of Light

This traditional Japanese-style house doubles as one of James Turrell's colorful works of art.
Yamanouchi, Japan

Yudanaka Onsen Pudding Honpo

This 24-hour vending machine serves up homemade treats inspired by the local Japanese snow monkeys.
Hitachinaka, Japan

Kochia Hill

Every autumn, this hillside is ablaze with red summer cypress.
Takasaki, Japan

Shorinzan Darumaji Temple

Each year this Japanese temple overflows with scowling, bearded good luck talismans.
Tatebayashi-shi, Japan

Morin-ji Temple

This temple is steeped in local folklore involving a teakettle and a raccoon dog.
Itakura, Japan

Namazu-San, the Lucky Catfish

Thanks to wordplay, the earthquake-causing catfish monster has become a god of confidence at this shrine.
Ichihara, Japan

'Toilet in Nature'

The "largest bathroom stall in the world" offers a unique pit-stop experience.
Ōme, Japan

Showa Retro Packaging Museum

A collection of nostalgic items from the Showa era with an exhibit on the local ghost story of the Snow Woman.
Sagamihara, Japan

Used Tire Mart Sagamihara Store

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

Lake Imba Monster

The strange “kaiju” of Lake Imba that allegedly killed over a dozen men with a single strike of lightning.
Kodaira, Japan

Tokyo Metropolitan Medicinal Botanical Garden

Home to a garden of poisonous plants and the only legal cannabis and opium farms in Tokyo.