heyyyyitsareli's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Shimanto-chō, Japan

Kaiyodo Kappa Museum

A whimsical museum dedicated to the mischievous kappa, a mythical cucumber-loving water sprite.
Tokyo, Japan

Oiteke Bori

This water goblin statue represents a 19th-century urban legend about a haunted canal that became a Japanese idiom.
Tokyo, Japan

Owaraji (Giant Straw Sandals)

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.
Nagasaki, Japan

Museum of Tropical Medicine

A hub of information on tropical diseases and their treatments.
Tatebayashi-shi, Japan

Morin-ji Temple

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

Yakuo-in Temple

This incredible mountainside temple is home to intriguing statues of demon-like creatures.
Mitaka, Japan

Inokashira Park Benzaiten Shrine

Legend says the goddess this shrine honors curses any couples that pass by.
Kumamoto, Japan

Musashizuka Park

This beautiful Japanese garden is a memorial to the samurai who literally wrote the book on business as martial art.
Izumo-shi, Japan

Izumo-Taisha

What's believed to be the country's first shrine is, in Shintō mythology, the annual meeting place of the gods.
Yūbari-shi, Japan

Shimizusawa Thermal Power Plant

This historic hydroelectric power plant in Japan has been preserved and is open to the public.
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.
Sendai-shi, Japan

Sendai Daikannon

One of the tallest statues in the world, and the tallest statue of a goddess in Japan.
Nagasaki, Japan

Fukusai-ji Temple

The giant figure on the back of this turtle-shaped temple actually hides a memorial pendulum.
Ushiku, Japan

Ushiku Daibutsu: The Great Buddha of Ushiku

The third-tallest statue in the world depicts the "Buddha of Infinite Light," complete with observation deck in his chest.
Mutsu, Japan

Mount Osore

This mountain's identity is stuck somewhere between a nightmare and a scenic tourist attraction.
Tōkamachi-shi, Japan

House of Light

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

Amazake-chaya Teahouse

Existing for more than four centuries, the last of Hakone’s historic teahouses serves a sweet, mold-based rice drink.
Tokyo, Japan

Irugi Shrine

A 17th-century Shinto shrine that is home to statues of Mickey Mouse and Pikachu.
Kumamoto, Japan

Kumamoto Castle

The iconic castle that withstood a magnitude 6.2 earthquake has become a symbol of resilience.
Ichikawa, Japan

Yawata no Yabushirazu

Nestled in an unassuming residential area, this "forbidden forest" is rumored to spirit away those who dare enter it.
Nagasaki, Japan

Atomic Bomb Medical Museum

A sobering scientific reminder of the human damage caused by the advent of the nuclear age.
Tokyo, Japan

Garden of Unborn Children

Rows of stone statues are dressed up to mourn children that are lost before birth.
Hiraizumi, Japan

Takkoku no Iwaya Bishamondo

Founded over a thousand years ago, this shrine is said to be built on the site of a warlord's harem prison.
Kyoto, Japan

Mimizuka

Burial mound for the ears and noses of thousands of mutilated Korean soldiers.