At Zenkoji, the eternal quest for fortune during your short time on this earth is molded into a type of hide and seek in a tunnel, or “darkroom.” Beneath the main temple the monks have hidden the so-called ‘Key to Paradise’, and to find it is a challenging adventure for even the most avid explorers. The Key to Paradise is hidden in a tunnel where the sun doesn’t shine - as a matter of fact, there is not a single rayof light to be seen, unless reveals itself in a spiritual way.
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A beautiful wisteria tunnel. Make sure to visit in late April or Early May, during the “Fuji Matsuri,” or “Wisteria Festival,” when the magical tunnel is in full bloom.
http://goo.gl/maps/UKLwRTake the Shinkansen to Kokura station.Change to the JR Kagoshima line for Yahata station.From Yahata station, take the Nishitetsu bus to Kawachi Syougakou mae (Kawachi Elementary School).Buses only run once an hour or so, and the stop is not close. A taxi might be a better, but expensive
This neighborhood thoroughfare is haunted by dozens of homemade monsters.
Standing at the south exit of the shrine on Imadegawa dori you will see a street just east that leads south. Walk south a couple of minutes until you hit a small huddle of shops. Turn west and you will run into these guys.
AMAZING - pigments made out of actual semi-precious stones, adhesives/vehicles made from nature, and beautiful paint brushes.
Medium
Thousands of pigments with names like “Autumn Mystery” and “Luxury Twinkle” line the neat, airy bamboo shelves of a store called Pigment.
It's a roughly three-minute walk from the Tokyo Waterfront Area Rapid Transit Rinkai Line "Tennozu Isle Station" and a roughly five-minute walk from the Tokyo Monorail "Tennoz Isle Station."
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pigment
Harbor One Bldg. 1F, 2-5-5 Higashi-Shinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 140-0002, Japan
A restaurant modeled after feudal Japan, where the waitstaff are trained as ninjas.
Entering through a plain black facade, the restaurant inside is only marked by a small sign reading “NINJA” in English. A silent escort dressed head to toe in black will lead you through a series of winding corridors, a drawbridge, and secret doorways into the hidden dining room.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/ninja-akasaka
1F Akasaka Tokyu Plaza 2-14-3 Nagata-cho, Tokyo, Japan
Weird bar in basement of strip mall that does strange amateurish puppet shows while they serve you drinks. Bartenders may possibly be certifiably insane.
A quick walk through the forest near Biei, Japan, leads to a mesmerizing scene straight out of a fairytale. There, a brilliant blue pond lies tucked away within the woods. Dead silver birch trees poke above the water’s edge, their reflections seemingly painted on a glassy canvas.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/blue-pond
Shirogane, 美瑛町 Biei, Kamikawa District, Hokkaido 071-0235, Japan
The bartenders at this crime-fighting theme cafe are actual private detectives by day. In addition to a chance to chat with the detectives, the bar also lets you pretend you’re at a real crime scene. You can scan the room for bugs (the eavesdropping kind, that is) or get your mugshot taken. Pay a bit extra, and you can even try some fingerprinting.
2 Hours from JapanMaybe sleep in a fishing village?
The ferry tour runs every 30 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and costs ¥680 for adults. Private sea taxis are also available. The area is best accessed by car. Some local buses run from Amanohashidate.
80s video game themed cafe
Take the C5 exit from the Shinjuku Sanchome station, the bar is on the fifth floor of the building to your right. Open from 6pm to midnight on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. From 6 pm to 5 am on Fridays and from 6 pm to 1:30 am on Saturdays. Closed on Tuesdays. Don't expect a lavish food menu: The cafe serves mostly snacks and sweets (mixed nuts, cheeses, cake).
This sprawling scenic burial ground is the final resting place of Japan's last shogun.
Yanaka Cemetery lies within a 1-minute walk from Nippori Station and 5 minutes from Nishi-Nippori and Uguisudani stations. It's open to the public from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. The cemetery is also known for the beautiful cherry blossoms that create a stunning canopy over the cemetery paths in April, making it one of the best spots in Tokyo to see the flowering sakura trees.
If you like ramen, are super into hip things, and want to brag about it afterwards, you should go. It's good. I despise ramen for just those reasons, but Andy loved it.
Ramen place where you order from a robot and eat it in a cubby for one
Take the C5 exit from the Shinjuku Sanchome station, the bar is on the fifth floor of the building to your right. Open from 6pm to midnight on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. From 6 pm to 5 am on Fridays and from 6 pm to 1:30 am on Saturdays. Closed on Tuesdays. Don't expect a lavish food menu: The cafe serves mostly snacks and sweets (mixed nuts, cheeses, cake).