melcafe's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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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.
Fukuoka, Japan

Golden Frog of Hakata Station

It is rumored that if you spot this little golden frog hiding in plain sight, good luck will come your way.
Kyoto, Japan

Hosotsuji Ihee Museum

A strip of traditional hand towel serves as an admission ticket at this modern tenugui museum.
Tokyo, Japan

Takao Inari Shrine

A unique shrine dedicated to the deified skull of a 17th-century Tokyo courtesan.
Sendai, Japan

Mount Hiyori

Officially the lowest mountain in Japan.
Oarai, Japan

Kamiiso no Torii

A lone torii arch stands on a coastal rock where a deity is said to have landed.
Tokyo, Japan

Kimi-Chan

This sculpture bears a tragic backstory that may have inspired a hauntingly beautiful children's song.
Tokyo, Japan

‘Tora-san and His Sister’

Life-sized statues of two characters from a decades-long Japanese film series stand outside Shibamata station.
Usuki, Japan

Usuki Stone Buddhas

These medieval stone-cut Buddhist statues may protect visitors from being fired.
Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto Station's Skyway

View Japan's most historic city from a cyberpunk walkway suspended 150 feet above the ground.
Tokyo, Japan

Kölner Aussicht

Since Tokyo's Kiyosu Bridge was inspired by a historic bridge that crossed over the Rhine, this viewing spot is known as a "view of Cologne."
Tokyo, Japan

R.T.O. Relief

A beautiful work of art designed to impress the Allied Forces.
Kyoto, Japan

Ichijo Modoribashi Bridge

The “bridge of return” is haunted by a myriad of legends, from ghosts to demons to nuptial superstitions.
Tokyo, Japan

Young Clock Tower

A precursor to Taro Okamoto’s iconic Tower of the Sun.
Kyoto, Japan

Yakuso-Jinshi - Hippocratic Shrine

An ancient Greek physician is honored as a god at this hole-in-the-wall shrine.
Konan, Japan

Hotei Buddha

The largest privately owned statue of Buddha in Japan, built by a total amateur, with an unconventional look.
Kamakura, Japan

Chikaramochiya

Open since 1690, this former teahouse makes “strength mochi” based on the centuries-old recipe.
Hakui, Japan

Cosmo Isle Hakui

A museum of space exploration in the UFO capital of Japan.
Nagoya, Japan

Nana-chan Mannequin

This giant fashion model is one of the most beloved symbols of Nagoya.
Tokyo, Japan

Nigao-e Coin Laundry

A small laundromat covered wall-to-ceiling with portrait drawings.
Itō, Japan

Usami Kannon-ji

The largest seated Buddha statue in Japan is the centerpiece of an abandoned complex in a quiet, seaside town.
Sapporo, Japan

Historical Village of Hokkaido

An open-air museum exhibiting a total of 52 century-old buildings, recreating Hokkaido’s “pioneer village.”
Tokyo, Japan

Stars Plaza

In Asakusa, Tokyo's very own Walk of Fame.
Sasaguri, Japan

Nanzoin Temple

A serene mountaintop temple complex featuring one big, bronze Buddha.