jbdemott's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Hiroshima, Japan

Human Shadow Etched in Stone

An eerie reminder to the horrors of World War II.
Tokyo, Japan

Akihabara Electric Town

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

Giant Unicorn GUNDAM Robot

A 20-meter (65-foot) robot towers over Tokyo Bay.
Tokyo, Japan

Odaiba Statue of Liberty

This little replica of Lady Liberty provides a bit of NYC in a Japanese city.
Tokyo, Japan

Godzilla Head

Not quite the menace it once was, this monster still has some chops.
Tokyo, Japan

Omoide Yokocho

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.”
Paris, France

Au Roi de la Bière

Once a 19th-century brasserie, this McDonald's exterior celebrates Alsatian design and the "King of Beer."
Paris, France

Paris Space Invaders

The video game-themed street art first popped up in the French city.
Paris, France

Statue Le Rhinoceros

A beautiful Victorian statue shows France's enduring love of the rhinoceros.
Paris, France

Catacombes de Paris

The vast, legendary catacombs hold secrets much stranger than stacked bones.
Paris, France

Harry's New York Bar

A favorite Paris bar for U.S. expats, including Gershwin, Hemingway, and James Bond.
Wichita Falls, Texas

Newby-McMahon Building

World's smallest skyscraper, the product of a remarkable con.
Leggett, California

Chandelier Tree

This massive redwood tree has a hole in the base big enough to drive through.
San Luis Obispo, California

The Dorn Pyramid

A Mysterious Masonic tomb in San Luis Obispo.
Santa Margarita, California

Rinconada Mercury Mine

Machinery left over from California's once thriving mercury industry now attracts artists and explorers.
Cambria, California

Nitt Witt Ridge

permanently closed
A house built from trash known as the poor man's Hearst Castle.
Big Sur, California

Nepenthe

Offering commanding views of the California coastline, this restaurant was a hub for the artists and bohemians of Big Sur.
Castroville, California

World's Largest Artichoke Statue

It should come as no surprise that the world's largest artichoke lies in the town that calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World."
Albany, California

Albany Bulb

An "anarchical" no man's land, complete with garbage sculptures and a hobo-run "Landfillian Library."
San Francisco, California

Camera Obscura & Holograph Collection

A walk-in working camera obscura produces 360-degree live images of the San Francisco coast.
Berkeley, California

Fish Shaped House

A private home built to resemble the shape of a microscopic creature.
Berkeley, California

Tail of the Yak

permanently closed
Handmade treasures from around the world.
Pacifica, California

Nike Missile Site SF-51

Another of California's unused Cold War missile defense complexes has become a graffiti gallery.
Santa Cruz, California

Court of Mysteries

A strange house built only at night, with rumored mystic inspiration.