A rare public effigy of “the Embracing Kangiten,” the erotic Japanese equivalent of Hindu god Ganesha.

Japan Railways' southernmost train station offers a view of a volcano and a mailbox said to grant happiness.

These statues are dedicated to the damned souls of those executed centuries ago on the beautiful Yuigahama beach.

All that remains of Okinawa's royal temple are a restored gateway and a tall banyan tree.

This historic Erasmus statue was first mistaken for a legendary Chinese inventor, then as a child-eating hag.

Associated with one of Japan's most famous fairy tales, this temple is home to a statue purportedly brought from the undersea palace of the Dragon God.

The alleged site of the months-long imprisonment of a Japanese prince.

This prehistoric site is home to the largest shell midden cluster in Japan.

An American mascot that became a lucky god in Japan, enshrined in a city far from the main center of his worship.

A relatively young Buddhist temple on hilltop, dedicated to a statue relocated from Mount Atago.

An unusual structure of stone and glass honoring one of Japan’s most eminent Christian leaders who founded the non-church movement.

Once known for its eerie appearance, this semicircular monument is all that remains of a Tokyo industrial icon.

This massive section of quay destroyed by an earthquake is preserved to remember the past.

Made to improve road safety, these policemen-like figurines in Miyakojima island have earned an enthusiastic fanbase.

Once a huge limestone cave that collapsed thousands of years ago, this scenic ravine is also an important archaeological site.

The former site of the U.S. military base redeveloped as an art district, boasting a collection of 109 public artworks from 36 countries.

A collection of nearly 5,000 yokai-themed toys, sculptures, and more, dating from the 1700s to the present day.

No one knows why this family’s graves stayed on the national museum's premises after all other tombstones were relocated.

The man who created the first Japanese-English Dictionary.

Considered an enigma by folklorists, an object of primitive animistic worship lives on in Yamanashi.

The oldest stone lion in Okinawa survived a major battle during World War II.

The preserved ruins of the Hōjō clan’s palatial estate, hidden in the basement of a tourist information center.

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

The site of a prehistoric settlement spanning millennia, complete with a reconstructed timber circle.