NomadicNerdette's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
Loading map...
Wendover, Utah

Bonneville Salt Flats / Bonneville Speedway

Come for the speed, leave in love with the desert.
Tooele, Utah

Saltair

This concert pavilion on the shore of the Great Salt Lake has been destroyed by fire, water, and disinterest but keeps coming back.
Tokyo, Japan

The Asahi Flame

This enormous monument is one of the most iconic structures in Tokyo, rudely nicknamed "The Golden Turd."
Tokyo, Japan

'Antinous as Vertumnus'

Unbeknownst to most passersby, this marble statue standing outside an office building is a genuine piece of second-century Rome.
Tokyo, Japan

Owaraji (Giant Straw Sandals)

An enormous pair of straw sandals woven in the traditional way—to keep demons at bay.
Tokyo, Japan

Myth of Tomorrow

After being lost for decades, this striking mural depicting the atomic bomb covers the wall of a busy Tokyo metro station.
Tokyo, Japan

Owl Police Box

This adorable birdlike police box is designed based on a play on words.
Koganei, Japan

Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

Thirty architectural gems from the 19th- and early 20th-century Tokyo were restored and relocated to this space.
Tokyo, Japan

Odaiba Statue of Liberty

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

Akihabara Electric Town

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

Godzilla Head

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

Giant Unicorn GUNDAM Robot

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

Sanrio Puroland

If Hello Kitty were Mickey Mouse, this would be Disneyland.
Mitaka, Japan

Ghibli Museum

A magical place that lets you play in and explore the world of Studio Ghibli.
Kawasaki, Japan

Kanamara Matsuri Festival

A rare festival blending religion, blacksmiths, vagina dentata, sex workers, and the straight-up facts of life.
Kobe, Japan

Takenaka Carpentry Tools Museum

A collection of the specialized tools used to construct Japan’s beautiful architecture.
Kobe, Japan

Tetsujin 28 Robot Statue

A 59-ft. robot statue looks over the citizens of earthquake-ravaged Kobe.
Kobe, Japan

Kitano-chō

Japan's largest collection of Western-style mansions in the port city of Kobe includes a recreation of Sherlock Holmes' 221B Baker Street quarters.
Nara, Japan

Buddha's Nostril

Devoted Buddhists can earn enlightenment in the next life by crawling through this symbolic nostril.
Nara, Japan

Tōdai-ji Daibutsuden (The Great Buddha Hall)

This massive wooden building contains a giant Buddha, healing pillars, and tame deer wandering the grounds.
Kyoto, Japan

Sagano Bamboo Forest

The sound of swaying stalks in this stunning grove has been named a governmentally recognized sound.
Kyoto, Japan

Rokuon-ji Temple

This 14th-century temple is also known as the "Temple of the Golden Pavilion" for its gorgeous gilded reliquary hall.
Kyoto, Japan

Ryōan-ji

The quintessential Japanese rock garden has existed for more than 500 years.
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.