All Japan

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Japan

715 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Japan

Updated November 20, 2024

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Cities

Top Cities
All Cities
  1. Aomori
  2. Beppu
  3. Chichibu
  4. Fukuoka
  5. Hakone
  6. Hatsukaichi
  7. Himeji
  8. Hiroshima
  9. Ichihara
  10. Ichikawa
  11. Ise
  12. Ishigaki
  13. Iwakuni
  14. Kamakura
  15. Karuizawa
  16. Kawasaki
  17. Kawazu
  18. Kesennuma
  19. Kitakyushu
  20. Kobe
  21. Kochi
  22. Kumamoto
  23. Kure
  24. Kyonan
  25. Kyoto
  26. Matsumoto
  27. Minakami
  28. Mitaka
  29. Mito
  30. Miyoshi
  31. Motobu
  32. Nagasaki
  33. Naha
  34. Naoshima
  35. Nara
  36. Niigata
  37. Nikko
  38. Okinawa
  39. Ōme
  40. Onomichi
  41. Osaka
  42. Otaru
  43. Sado
  44. Sakaiminato
  45. Sapporo
  46. Sasebo
  47. Soja
  48. Takasaki
  49. Takayama
  50. Tamura
  51. Tokamachi
  52. Tokorozawa
  53. Tokyo
  54. Tonosho
  55. Utsunomiya
  56. Yamagata
  57. Yamanouchi
  58. Yokohama
  59. Yokosuka
  60. Yoshimi

Unusual Attractions in Japan

See All 715 Things To Do in Japan

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Japan

See all 69 Places to Eat in Japan
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Explore Japan

History & Culture 131
Architecture 83
Statues 72
Shrines 70
Museums 68
Temples 65
Buddhism 54
Legends 35

Japan Leaderboard

Recent Japan Activity

Stories About Japan

The famed Koshihikari rice is sticky and chewy.

White Rice Is Bland? These Japanese Researchers Beg to Differ

Japan's food world is eagerly awaiting an upcoming "flavor dictionary."
by Kenji Hall
In Nara City, Japan, sika deer have been protected for over a thousand years due to their sacred status in Shintoism.

Decoding the Sacred Genetics of Japan's Sika Deer

The deer of Nara Park are part of a millennium-old genetic lineage—does that make them more deserving of protection?
by Roxanne Hoorn
Sado Island, Japan.

Share Your Dream Destination and Win a Japan Adventure! (Submissions Closed)

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Sponsored by Atlas Obscura Trips
Oarfish sport red spine-like fins on their head and a long dorsal fin running the length of their body, as well as two oar-like pelvic fins, giving them their name.

The Legend of Japan's 'Earthquake Fish'

The serpent-like oarfish has long been considered an omen of natural disaster. Scientists are shaking up that old superstition.
by Roxanne Hoorn
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: Chocaholic

by AO Puzzles
Cutting spaghetti squash across its short end results in longer "noodles."

How Spaghetti Squash Squiggled Its Way Onto American Tables

It took a shift in food culture for consumers to embrace the "noodle plant."
by Andrew Coletti
A school crossing sign in Fukuoka offers a variation on Tobita-kun.

The 'Darting Children' That Helped Japan Win Its War on Traffic Accidents

How hand-painted signs known as Tobita-kun became beloved local mascots.
by Allan Richarz
Fireflies glow along Japan's Hino River some 450 miles west of Tokyo.

How A ‘Firefly Course’ Is Saving Japan’s Favorite Glowing Insect

At the Moriyama City Firefly Forest Museum, nurturing Genji fireflies comes with homework.
by Shoshi Parks

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