Author: Ms. R.

Kichijōji, a neighborhood popular for shopping, leisure, and its close proximity to Inokashira Park, frequently tops lists ranking the most desirable places to live in Tokyo. Ride past the area on the Chūō line and you can catch a glimpse of one of its oddest attractions: a giant two-tier celebration cake perched on the roof of a confectionery college. Established in 1987, Kichijōji Futaba Confectionery Vocational School offers courses to aspiring confectionery and pastry chefs, where they’ll learn to……

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Located in a picturesque setting, this small museum is dedicated to what it calls the “America’s golden age of canals.” From 1797 to the mid-19th century, Pennsylvania constructed hundreds of canals, most noticeably the Erie Canal, covering 1,243 miles and employing hundreds of workers. Exhibitions here transport visitors back in time to an era of frenzied industry. There are interactive displays, plus a dog park and bikes and kayaks that can be rented. By far the highlight, however, is the Josiah……

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The first oil well in Bahrain, known as the Bahrain Oil Well No. 1, holds a significant place in the history of the region’s oil industry. In fact, the drilling of this well marked the beginning of the modern oil industry in the country and the Arabian Gulf region. The discovery of oil in Bahrain transformed the economy and society of the small island nation. Before this discovery, the Bahraini economy relied on pearl diving and fishing. However, with……

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Palm Beach, Florida’s Worth Avenue is one of the ritziest and most famous high-end shopping districts in America. Each year, thousands of tourists cross the Intracoastal Waterway to visit the island’s luxury houses, pristine beaches, and retail stores. At the end of Worth Avenue, framed against the Atlantic Ocean, sits a clock tower, dedicated in 2010. This modern landmark has become a symbol of both Worth Avenue’s opulence and the former site of the Palm Beach Pier. The pier’s……

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On May 11, 1869, America’s first transcontinental freight train set out from California. On that momentous day, its cargo was a load of Japanese green tea. Today, only 15 percent of the tea drunk annually in the United States is green, and the vast majority of that is produced in countries like China and Vietnam. But in the last decades of the 19th century, America’s tea of choice was green, and Japan was the major supplier. “It’s just so……

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Wonder is everywhere. That’s why, every other week, Atlas Obscura drags you down some of the rabbit holes we encounter as we search for our unusual stories. We highlight surprising finds, great writing, and inspiring stories from some of our favorite publications. The Internet Archive Just Backed Up an Entire Caribbean Island by Kate Knibbs, Wired Fearful that extreme weather could erase Aruba’s history, archivists have digitized and uploaded more than 100,000 documents, images, audio and video recordings, and……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we speak with author and science writer Mary Roach, who takes us deep into an ancient forest grove on Vancouver Island, in search of the danger trees and the people who seek them out. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site,……

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