Places

Browse published places

67 places across 10 prefectures

A painted turtle with a green shell and a face looking straight out, on a gold-leaf panel set in a wooden coffered ceiling, with lines of black brush inscription on the right

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Okutsumiya: The Turtle Is Looking at You

Published: Oct 17, 2026

A wooden lattice with a small barred door filling an arched opening cut into a rock face, with stone steps in front and ferns at the edges

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Kōsokuji: The Temple Named After Its Jailer

Published: Oct 12, 2026

A grey stone statue of Benkei in a hood, seated at a stone desk with a brush in his hand and a scroll unrolled in front of him, under pine branches, beside a tall stone carved with the name of the Koshigoe letter

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Manpukuji: Yoshitsune’s Waiting Room

Published: Oct 12, 2026

A row of stone kappa figures in pink aprons on stone pedestals under small wooden roofs, lining both sides of a garden path

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Jōsenji: The Head Priest Sends His Kappa

Published: Oct 10, 2026

A large ceramic Buddha head with tightly curled hair on a broad, rounded base, behind a bamboo fence and a stone lantern, with a dark guardian figure standing on either side and trees behind

Shizuoka Temples & Shrines

Kubi Daibutsu: The Rest Is Legend

Published: Oct 9, 2026

A corridor lined on both sides with long strings of brightly coloured paper cranes, leading to an arched opening where a lit staircase goes down into the tunnels

Okinawa Monuments

Navy Underground HQ: Names in a Shell Casing

Published: Oct 8, 2026

Bronze relief panels on the Efudezuka at Egara Tenjin Shrine, each showing a kappa drawn by a different cartoonist

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Egara Tenjin Shrine: Where Cartoonists Retire Their Brushes

Published: Oct 3, 2026

A bronze female nude at the edge of the Enoshima fountain, with Benzaiten playing a lute and a dancer behind her and the bridge to the mainland beyond

Kanagawa Monuments

Enoshima’s Olympic Fountain: Five Rings, Five Women

Published: Oct 3, 2026

The green bronze torii at the foot of the shopping street leading to Enoshima Shrine, with a crowd of visitors passing beneath it and wooded hills behind

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Enoshima’s Bronze Torii: A Gate from the Pleasure Quarter

Published: Oct 2, 2026

A weathered bronze dragon with antler-like horns and long whiskers, seen from below against a blue sky, its claws resting on rocks

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Wadatsumi-no-miya: The Dragon Moved Upstairs

Published: Oct 1, 2026

The Tower of the Sun seen from the front across a lawn, with its golden face on top, a grey sun face on its body and outstretched arms, and a visitor photographing it in the foreground

Osaka Monuments

Tower of the Sun: Past, Present, Future and Missing

Published: Sep 30, 2026

The chained and padlocked wooden double door of the west chamber of Urasoe Yōdore, set in a white wall under overhanging rock, with small square windows on each side and a fence in the foreground

Okinawa Monuments

Urasoe Yōdore: Evening Calm Beside Hacksaw Ridge

Published: Sep 30, 2026

Looking down from the observation tower at clustered octagonal roofs, most with a smaller lantern on top, with apartment blocks and a park beyond

Okinawa Architecture

Urasoe Art Museum: Architecture Must Be Healthy

Published: Sep 29, 2026

The windowless exposed-concrete façade of the Row House in Sumiyoshi, two storeys high with a single recessed doorway, between trees and neighbouring houses

Osaka Architecture

Row House in Sumiyoshi: Bring an Umbrella to the Bathroom

Published: Sep 29, 2026

Japanese macaques soaking in a steaming outdoor hot spring at Jigokudani, with more monkeys on the snowy rocks behind

Nagano Animal Parks

Jigokudani Monkey Park: Sorry, Monkeys Only

Published: Sep 29, 2026

The Gothic spire of Sakitsu Church rising above tiled roofs, seen past the mossy stone torii of Sakitsu Suwa Shrine on a rainy day

Kumamoto Streets & Towns

Sakitsu Village: The Altar Went Where the Stepping Was

Published: Sep 29, 2026

A wall of red wooden lion heads at Kamakura-gū, two large ones rising above hundreds of small ones

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Kamakura-gū Shrine: Let the Dish Take the Hit

Published: Sep 29, 2026

Front view of Deco Hachikō with a red heart-shaped nose, an H on its macaron collar and pink bows on its forelegs

Kanagawa Monuments

Deco Hachikō: The Other Shibuya’s Best-Dressed Dog

Published: Sep 28, 2026

White façade, three arched entrances and a domed tower at Ōe Catholic Church in Amakusa.

Kumamoto Architecture

Ōe Church: A French Priest with an Amakusa Accent

Published: Sep 26, 2026

Takoyaki beside a small plate and chopsticks at Power Blend Tanaka.

Tokyo Restaurants

Power Blend Tanaka: Psychic Takoyaki, Instructions Included

Published: Sep 26, 2026

A large ivory carving crowded with gateways, figures and lanterns at Jewelpia.

Shizuoka Museums

Jewelpia: The Details Have Details

Published: Sep 26, 2026

Three paintings by Kayoko Murata depicting Kamakura’s Christian history behind a stone baptismal font.

Kanagawa Architecture

Yukinoshita Catholic Church: Kamakura’s Christians, Remembered in Paint

Published: Sep 26, 2026

Polished steel spheres on the terraces of the Minamata Memorial, with Minamata Bay and its distant shore behind them.

Kumamoto Parks & Gardens

Eco Park Minamata: A Memorial with a View Worth Protecting

Published: Sep 24, 2026

The red Rokkendai tower rising among trees at Tetsugakudo Park.

Tokyo Parks & Gardens

Tetsugakudo Park: Where Even the Bridges Have a Philosophy

Published: Sep 24, 2026

A giant ginkgo beside Goryō Shrine in Zushi, its roots spreading across the shaded grounds.

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Goryō Shrine: A Giant Ginkgo and the House That Moved Out

Published: Sep 20, 2026

A classroom of handmade scarecrows seated at desks in Miyajidake Scarecrow Village in Amakusa, Kumamoto.

Kumamoto Local Culture

Miyajidake Scarecrow Village: A Closed School with a Full Class

Published: Sep 20, 2026

The Echizen Daibutsu seated before its gold-and-black halo, one hand raised.

Fukui Temples & Shrines

Echizen Daibutsu: One Man’s Very Large Idea

Published: Sep 19, 2026

Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum's silver, egg-shaped building against the hills of Katsuyama.

Fukui Dinosaur Museum: Getting the Dinosaurs Back on Their Feet

Published: Sep 19, 2026

A close view of Koizumi Junsaku’s dragon painted across the Dharma Hall ceiling at Kenchōji Temple in Kamakura.

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Kenchōji Temple: A Dragon Worth Looking Up To

Published: Sep 16, 2026

Close view of a polished black stone stag beetle with fallen bamboo leaves on its back at Mushizuka, Kenchōji Temple.

Kanagawa Monuments

Mushizuka: Where Insects Get Some Respect

Published: Sep 15, 2026

A seated figure in front of the smaller carved stones, with apartment balconies and utility wires beyond.

Tokyo Temples & Shrines

Chōsenji Temple: A Different Kind of Shibuya Crowd

Published: Sep 14, 2026

Two black-and-white cats resting beside an open glass door on sunlit tatami.

Kumamoto Architecture

Natsume Sōseki’s Uchitsuboi House: I Am a Cat. Still No Name?

Published: Sep 13, 2026

A weathered red playground lion lying in tall grass beside the Tama River in Tokyo.

Tokyo Monuments

The Tama River’s Lonely Lion: The Last King in the Grass

Published: Sep 12, 2026

Close view of three golden child figures of Kazenko with outstretched arms and bent knees against the sky in Tsunagi, Kumamoto.

Tsunagi’s Sixteen Sculptures: A Quiet Town with a Flair for the Dramatic

Published: Sep 12, 2026

Red gateway of Kōkōdō tunnel in Kamakura, with faded food signs and a dark pedestrian passage beneath the rock.

Kanagawa Architecture

Kōkōdō: A Delicious-Looking Shortcut

Published: Sep 10, 2026

Enmei Tabako Jizō inside a small wooden shrine in Yudanaka, wearing green cloth beneath purple curtains, with flowers and cigarettes in a stone container in front.

Nagano Temples & Shrines

Enmei Tabako Jizō: Cigarettes for a Longer Life

Published: Sep 9, 2026

Meguro Parasitological Museum: An Inside Story

Published: Sep 9, 2026

A Taiwan squirrel eating a sunflower seed while sitting on a visitor’s sleeve beside a red-and-white feeding mitten.

Tokyo Animal Parks

Machida Squirrel Garden: A Very Enthusiastic Welcome

Published: Sep 8, 2026

Dark entrance to Taya Cave at Jōsenji Temple, framed by greenery and pale hydrangeas.

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Taya Cave: A Pilgrimage by Candlelight

Published: Sep 8, 2026

A handmade scarecrow in Niegawa-juku raises one leg while holding a long wooden tool.

Saitama Local Culture

Niegawa-juku: A Quiet Village with Busy Scarecrows

Published: Sep 7, 2026

A rounded stone with pale shell fossils resembling eyes and a mouth, displayed in a gold-backed case at Chinsekikan.

Saitama Museums

Chinsekikan: Where Stones Acquire a Personality

Published: Sep 5, 2026

A large dinosaur model with bared teeth in foliage inside Ancient Restaurant Dinosaur in Yamato.

Kanagawa Restaurants

Ancient Restaurant Dinosaur: A Modern Meal in the Jurassic

Permanently closed

Published: Sep 5, 2026

A white snake, masked performers and a lion head facing a small child at Hebikubo Shrine.

Tokyo Events & Festivals

Tsuchinoto-mi Day: A White Snake, a Lion and a Jar for Grumbles

Ritual performance

Tsuchinoto-mi Day — approximately every 60 days

Dates and performance times may vary

Published: Sep 5, 2026

Maruoka Castle’s wooden keep with white plaster walls and stone base.

Fukui Architecture

Maruoka Castle: 67-Degree Stairs Under a 120-Tonne Stone Roof

Published: Sep 4, 2026

Narrow Kofu Shintengai alley with old shopfronts, dense wiring, the bare frame of its former arcade roof and a pedestrian beneath the Shintengai sign.

Yamanashi Streets & Towns

Shintengai: A Street Growing Older Under a Young Name

Published: Sep 3, 2026

Low-angle view of Tojinbo Tower beneath a cloudy sky, showing the red-trimmed observation deck and weathered support column.

Fukui Architecture

Tojinbo Tower: So Close, Yet So Far

Published: Sep 3, 2026

Columnar cliffs of Tojinbo rising above the Sea of Japan in Fukui, with Oshima visible across the water.

Tojinbo: Walking the Cliff Edge Above the Sea of Japan

Published: Sep 2, 2026

Giant lion-head Shishi-den at Namba Yasaka Shrine in Osaka, with its open mouth forming a stage above visitors in the courtyard.

Osaka Temples & Shrines

Namba Yasaka Shrine: Where a Giant Lion Eats Bad Luck

Published: Sep 2, 2026

Four giant face-and-feet sculptures lined up outside the entrance to Dotonbori Hotel in Osaka.

Osaka Architecture

Dotonbori Hotel: Four Giant Faces Waiting for the World

Published: Sep 1, 2026

Large animatronic Tyrannosaurus outside Fukui Station, with two visitors in the foreground, one pointing toward it.

Fukui Station: Where Dinosaurs Keep Multiplying

Published: Sep 1, 2026

Heavily worn stone Kankan Jizō at Anyoin Temple in Senju, Tokyo, with its facial features almost completely gone and flowers placed before it.

Tokyo Temples & Shrines

Anyoin Temple: Kankan Jizō, Worn Away by Prayer

Published: Aug 31, 2026

Golden Shō Kannon rising above Entsuji Temple, with rows of balconies on either side of the modern temple building in Tokyo.

Tokyo Temples & Shrines

Entsuji Temple: The Giant Kannon and the Bullet-Scarred Black Gate

Published: Aug 30, 2026

Interior of Pari Shokudo in Chichibu, with old tables and chairs, wall posters, shelves and a kettle resting on a stove.

Saitama Restaurants

Chichibu Pari Shokudo: Sauce Katsudon in a 1927 Cultural Property

Published: Aug 30, 2026

Nearly four-metre stone Kubikiri Jizō at Enmeiji Temple, surrounded by smaller Jizō and memorial stones in Tokyo.

Tokyo Temples & Shrines

Enmeiji Temple: The Beheading Jizō Statue

Published: Aug 29, 2026

Five-step Petitcalator escalator in the basement of Kawasaki More’s, the Guinness World Record holder for the world’s shortest escalator.

Petitcalator: The World’s Shortest Escalator

Published: Aug 29, 2026

Rows of white maneki-neko at Gotokuji Temple seen through autumn leaves in Tokyo.

Tokyo Temples & Shrines

Gotokuji Temple: Where Lucky Cats Come Back

Published: Aug 28, 2026

White fox statue leaning over dark volcanic rock, with several other foxes and a small shrine behind it at Keihin Fushimi Inari Shrine.

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Keihin Fushimi Inari Shrine: 108 Foxes and a Little Mount Fuji

Published: Aug 27, 2026

Reclining stone cat on top of the Nekozuka memorial in Yokohama.

Kanagawa Monuments

Nekozuka: A Small Memorial to a Very Loyal Cat

Published: Aug 27, 2026

Full-length concrete figure of the Beautiful Girl of Okegawa in a swimsuit, standing beside a stone plaque bearing her name in Saitama.

Saitama Monuments

The Beautiful Girl of Okegawa: A Beach Pose in Landlocked Saitama

Published: Aug 27, 2026

Japanese-style Catholic church with a tiled roof, white plaster walls and timber framing in Katase near Enoshima.

Kanagawa Architecture

Katase Catholic Church: The Church That Looks Like a Temple

Published: Aug 27, 2026

Golden Buddha carved directly into a living tree at Tatzu Butzu in Tsunagi, Kumamoto, with another figure visible deeper in the grove.

Tatzu Butzu: Golden Buddhas That Keep Growing

Published: Aug 26, 2026

Object preserved at Hounji Temple in Chichibu as a dragon bone, displayed behind glass with visible teeth and jaw-like features.

Saitama Temples & Shrines

Hounji Temple: A Dragon Bone, a Tengu Claw and Yang Guifei’s Mirror

Published: Aug 26, 2026

Moss-covered Mizukake Fudō at Hozenji Temple in Osaka, surrounded by stone lanterns and flowers.

Osaka Temples & Shrines

Hozenji Temple: The Fudō Beneath the Moss

Published: Aug 26, 2026

Ofuna Kannon rising above the approach steps at Ofuna Kannonji Temple in Kamakura.

Kanagawa Temples & Shrines

Ofuna Kannon Temple: A Giant Kannon, from the Shoulders Up

Published: Aug 25, 2026

A seated figure flanked by two maneki-neko, surrounded by hornet nests inside Hachi Tengoku in Nagano.

Hachi Tengoku: Museum of Hornet Nest Art

Published: Aug 25, 2026

Rows of massive concrete columns inside the Underground Temple in Kasukabe, Saitama.

Saitama Architecture

MAOUDC: The Underground Temple Beneath Kasukabe

Published: Aug 25, 2026

Ghost Jizō statue at Kofukuji Temple in Takanawa, Tokyo.

Tokyo Temples & Shrines

Kofukuji Temple: A Ghost Jizō Fading at Both Ends

Published: Aug 24, 2026