sorcerybystevie's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Kazuno, Japan

Ōyu Stone Circles

Constructed thousands of years ago, these stone circles offer incredible insight into the lives of the people who built them.
Komatsushima-shi, Japan

Kincho Raccoon Dog Statue

A statue of a mischievous raccoon towers over this city park.
Aomori, Japan

Sannai Maruyama Ruins

These Japanese ruins have been brought back to life with elaborately recreated buildings.
Unzen-shi, Japan

Obama Onsen

Japan's hottest hot spring has a memorable name.
Kurashiki, Japan

Matsuka Seimen Noodle Factory

Fans line up at the crack of dawn for a slurpy bowl of deliciousness at this noodle counter inside a factory.
Tokyo, Japan

Gunkan Higashi Shinjuku

This battleship of a building was designed by a famed "mad architect."
Miyazu-shi, Japan

Amanohashidate

Turn around and stick your head between your legs for the best view of this tree-covered sandbar.
Kyoto, Japan

Okochi Sanso Gardens

This garden located inside a bamboo forest once belonged to a famous Japanese actor.
Kyoto, Japan

Ichiriki

More than 300 years old, Kyoto's historic "teahouse" still operates as an invitation-only geisha club.
Kumamoto, Japan

Musashizuka Park

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

Morin-ji Temple

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

Funaoka Onsen

Have a soak at this retro bathhouse, where you will find Japan's first electric bath, tiling from Spain, and wood carvings representing the Japanese invasion of Manchuria.
Kamakura, Japan

Kamakura's Seven Entrances

Narrow passes cut out of mountains surround the medieval capital of Japan.
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.
Nikko, Japan

Abandoned Western Village

This western-themed amusement park is host to a large number of decaying animatronic cowboys.
Osaka, Japan

Taiyoshi Hyakuban

This brothel-turned-restaurant features plenty of surprises and elaborate, extravagant architecture.
Kawasaki, Japan

Keihin Industrial Ward

An eerie maze of industrial factories looks like something out of a dystopian sci-fi.
Tōkamachi-shi, Japan

House of Light

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

Yokai Yashiki (Monster and Stone Museum)

Hidden by the roadside in the Iya Valley, this gem brings together folk monsters and the region's unique geography.
Mine, Japan

Akiyoshido Cave

Approximately 300 million years ago, a massive coral reef existed in what is now the largest limestone cave in Japan.
Kobayashi, Japan

Crepe Vending Machine

Ever needed a chocolate-filled crepe in the wee hours of the morning?
Kyoto, Japan

Original Nintendo Building

The first location of the eventual video game giant.
Ichikawa, Japan

Yawata no Yabushirazu

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

Irugi Shrine

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