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

The tallest bronze seated statue of the Buddha in Japan.

An unlikely hit, this museum is dedicated to the inventor of instant ramen and cup noodles.

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

A bronze statue dating back as far as 1252, still has remnants of gold on its right cheek from ancient gilding.

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

This 700-year-old street food market features baby octopus and soy donuts.

This historical theme park celebrates all things noodle.

This spa theme park lets its guests take a dip in pools of coffee, wine, or ramen broth.

An honorary saint of the people, Maria Adelaide became an incorrupt corpse, the clothes intact, exhaling “a strong scent of roses.”

Elaborately carved to showcase the glorious wealth that the age of exploration brought to the Portuguese empire.

The stunning interior of this Gothic church is covered in ornate gold details.

The church's remarkable frescoes incorporate Finnish artist Hugh Simberg's trademark themes of death and the supernatural.

A cathedral resurrected from the ashes of one of Europe's greatest urban fires.

A beautiful Arctic museum and nature center preserves the culture of the Sámi people.

Architecturally stunning library serves as the hub of Finnish scholarly life and culture.

A saintly relic hidden in a Prague church basement.

An eerie, existential museum dedicated to the author of "The Metamorphosis."

Walk through Czech history in Prague's largest graveyard.

Two stunning 17th-century libraries and a cabinet of curiosities.

Macabre astrological automaton clock dating to the late 1400s.

The history of occult science is turned into a creepshow at this lurid Prague tourist attraction.

The world's oldest bookshop still in operation.

An 18th century wonder of the world, lost in WWII, re-created at the Catherine Palace.