Home to a garden of poisonous plants and the only legal cannabis and opium farms in Tokyo.

The lesser-known eastern counterpart to Kyoto’s famous fox shrine.

Copenhagen's "other" little mermaid marks the historic location of past sea maid sightings.

For but one summer in 1975, this rural suburb became a busy tourist spot when a local girl claimed to have seen ghostly faces on an old stele.

The eerie, tragic setting of one of Japan’s most popular ghost stories.

This reconstructed castle was once the base of the “Devil King” who almost united the feudal warring states.

Descendants of the samurai who guarded Matsusaka Castle during the Edo period still live in these charming historic houses (and visitors can enter one of them for free).

A memorial to honor those who were killed in a Bastille Day terror attack in Nice.

Houston’s oldest continuously-operating Tex-Mex restaurant has been a community hub since 1941.

The location of the site of one of the defining battles of feudal Japan is being fought over by two neighboring cities.

A replica of an ancient alien-like idol humorously represents spectacles in a corner of this shrine complex.

A mile-long trail of pottery culture, full of clay pipes and lucky cats, including one that’s 12.5 feet tall.

The former mansion complex of a merchant prince, related to a famed filmmaker.

Retro as can be, this cinema still uses film reels and screens revivals of Shōwa-era hits and classics.

One of the bloodiest and most important battles in Japanese history is recreated with kitschy concrete statues.

This pair of small sea rocks has been "wed" using rope and ancient Shinto tradition.

This ancient shrine has been rebuilt every 20 years since the eighth century.

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

This sculpture is an homage to one of the most important Jewish women in medieval England.

A defensive structure built during the Hundred Years War has remained useful in one way or another for nearly 700 years.

According to legend, this is the burial place of a mythical three-legged death omen horse.

Here lies Hattori Hanzō, a samurai who is remembered as a legendary ninja in today’s popular culture.

This surreal thumbs-up monument commemorates a shiatsu legend.

This tower is one of the best-preserved (and least-visited) remnants of medieval Paris.