42 Weird Things in Japan That You Can Only Try Here

In a twist only Japan could pull off, the monster who once laid waste to Tokyo became its most beloved civil servant. In 2015, at the cinematic age of 61, Godzilla was granted honorary citizenship and named the official tourism ambassador of Shinjuku Ward—a place he had famously leveled three times on screen.

Instead of stomping through city blocks, he now smiles from posters and draws visitors to the Godzilla-themed hotel bearing his roaring likeness. It’s a deliciously ironic redemption arc: the kaiju once feared as a nuclear allegory now charms tourists, proving that even the most enormous monsters can get a second act.