mirons's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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Tomigusuku, Japan

Naval Underground Headquarters

Elaborate series of tunnels where traces of mass suicide are still visible.
Yamagata, Japan

Yamadera Temple Complex

The Buddhist temples of Yamadera, built into a mountain side, feature a viewing deck with sweeping views.
Tamana, Japan

Tonkararin

A mysterious set of tunnels carved in the hills of rural northern Kyushu.
Tateyama-machi, Japan

Snow Canyon

A massive wintry wall of snow up to 66 feet tall flanks a highway through Japan's mountains.
Itoigawa, Japan

The Jade Coast

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

Aoyama Technical College

A giant robo-cockroach building devours Tokyo.
Tokyo, Japan

Kiha

It's bad manners to eat and drink on the subways of Tokyo, unless the train is this bar. 
Tokyo, Japan

Naki Sumo Baby Crying Contest

For hundreds of years, participants in this Japanese festival have been making babies cry to ward off demons.
Tokyo, Japan

Samurai Museum

Dedicated to the armor and weapons used by the legendary Japanese warriors.
Osaka, Japan

Izakaya Toyo

Blowtorches, tuna, and a jolly, chain-smoking proprietor mark this beloved street-food stand.
Aso, Japan

Mount Aso Caldera

The largest volcanic caldera in Japan holds an entire city in its maw.
Kyoto, Japan

Ichimonjiya Wasuke

Established over a thousand years ago, this family-run teahouse continues to serve skewers of sweet rice cake to this day.
Kuwana-shi, Japan

Nabana No Sato

These Japanese gardens are blankets of light for dark winter nights.
Ikeda, Japan

Momofuku Ando Instant Ramen Museum

An unlikely hit, this museum is dedicated to the inventor of instant ramen and cup noodles.
Suita-shi, Japan

Tower of the Sun

Closed for decades, this strange symbol of Japan's Expo '70 has finally opened its psychedelic insides to the public.
Kyonan, Japan

Mount Nokogiri (Saw Mountain)

This sawtooth mountain range still bears the strangely lovely marks of its history as a medieval quarry.
Tokyo, Japan

Intermediatheque

An unexpected curiosity cabinet hidden within a department store in the Japan Post tower.
Kyoto, Japan

Kiyomizu-Dera Temple

A shrine contains nearly 200 statues of the Buddhist deity Jizo, dressed in bibs by parents who have lost a child.
Hida, Japan

Super-Kamiokande

Enormous underground chamber built to detect 'ghost particles' of the universe.
Kasukabe, Japan

G-Cans: the World's Largest Drain

The world's largest drain sits below the city of Kasukabe, Japan.
Kobe, Japan

Kobe Luminarie

An astounding annual light display honors the victims of one of Japan's most devastating earthquakes.
Nikko, Japan

Kanmangafuchi Abyss

A remarkable lava formation encloses a line of Buddhist statues that can't be accurately counted, according to local mythology.
Noboribetsu-shi, Japan

Jigokudani (Hell Valley)

A steaming, boiling hellscape sources Hokkaido's thermal baths.